Antechapel

Chapter 2 emphasizes the importance of the monastic tenet of stability, showing the methods by which teachers and communities help ground newcomers in their intentions to follow demanding contemplative Christian alternatives while nevertheless allowing for ambiguity and open-mindedness toward people who follow other lifeways. Rather than depending on unreliable belief and emotion, neophytes learn to keep intentions and practices as a way of working toward “contemplative transformation,” a kind of religious conversion. The difficulties they have in learning practices and principles, especially discipline, humility, and detachment, reveal some deep-seated American cultural motifs of self-identity, self-achievement, and acquisition. Ethnographic examples illustrate the critical role of teachers in stabilizing neophytes as they struggle to learn the paradox of focusing their lives while retaining a non-judgmental, pluralistic outlook. Some key practices include keeping a rule of life, practicing silence and Centering Prayer, maintaining a sense of humor, and serving others through social action.