‘There comes the day when we enter that cloud of unknowing’, says John Main. At the top of a mountain, you get lots of clouds sometimes. So as we are listening to the mantra, we are then led into this cloud of unknowing in which there is silence, absolute silence, and we can no longer hear the mantra. So here at the top of the mountain, we are in silence. We are in unified consciousness. Our prayer has become completely absorbed in the mind of Christ. At the top of a mountain, you will see endless peaks of mountain ranges all around you. So, the journey now in this dimension continues into infinity.
Then, John Main has a little reminder here, don’t think that you can imagine this happening. And don’t think too self-consciously, ‘how far have I got up the mountain side? Am I here yet? Am I sounding it or listening to it? You’ll know. If you become too self-analytical, then you’re actually reducing your progress. You’re actually probably maybe even slipping down the mountainside. That’s why meditation requires complete simplicity. And we are led he says to that complete simplicity, but we begin and continue by saying the mantra.
(The Art of Waiting by Laurence Freeman OSB)
