BANGOR – Sit down.

Sit still and upright. Close your eyes lightly. Be relaxed but alert. Breathe calmly and regularly.

Silently and internally, focus on a single word or phrase. When thoughts or words arise, don’t become attached to them.

Instead, let them go and gently return your focus to your word or phrase and your renewed intention to be wholly present in this moment.

These are the basics for a “sit,” or a session of meditation.

In one small corner of the world, in a classroom at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Christians and non-Christians are experiencing being “in the present moment” through the Sacred Heart Meditation Group led by Brother Rex Anthony Norris.

As a cross-cultural phenomenon, meditation has much in common with religious practices the world over.

But there’s a misconception that meditation is just “sitting there, doing nothing,” Norris said.

“While the meditation involves being stationary, participants find an active role in the sit,” he said.

“Instead of passively doing nothing, the meditator is attentive and actively involved in waking up to the reality of the present moment,” he said. “In the context of Christian meditation, that ‘moment’ is Christ.”

Norris first studied meditation in the Christian context at the Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, N.Y. On one occasion, Norris and a group of other “novices” spent a day with the Buddhist monastics on Mount Tremper, also in New York. It was there that he learned some of the principles of Zen Buddhism.

“I was able to discover the importance of detachment from thoughts and feelings, even if for only 10 minutes a day,” Norris said. “I found an emphasis on sharing the practice with others of a like mind. My experience was that community seemed essential to help one continue his or her practice of meditation.”

After reflecting on his time on Mount Tremper, Norris believed he should incorporate meditation into his own religious practices.

“I fell in love with meditation and decided there must be a tradition of meditation in contemporary Christianity – I just hadn’t found it yet,” said Norris, who is a Solitary of St. Francis and lives in Orono.

Norris researched the subject and came upon the teachings of Thomas Merton, a Roman Catholic monk and writer involved in Christian meditation, and John Main, founder of the World Community for Christian Meditation.

Merton wrote extensively on the subject of interfaith dialogue, or finding things in common among religions. It was exactly what Norris was looking for to tie his experience at the Buddhist monastery into his Christian practices.

Father Main had been involved in establishing a global network of groups that use Christian meditation to establish fellowship among people and a distinctive closeness to God. The WCCM became the impetus for Norris to start the Sacred Heart Meditation Group in Bangor.

“My intent was to introduce Christian meditation to those interested in learning about it as well as those who wanted a space to gather and share the silence with others,” Norris said.

Norris also hoped the group could introduce a distinct form of prayer.

For the better part of 2,000 years, Christianity has incorporated what Norris refers to as “discursive prayer” – in which a person talks directly to God. The practice of meditation represents a different awareness and relationship to a higher power.

“Meditation is simply being in the presence of God,” Norris said. “And after you’ve thought, imagined and said all you can about God, God is still bigger than that. Then all that’s left is silence.”

Of course, meditation carries connotations that some people have trouble understanding.

“Until recently, a common belief among lay people was that meditation was just for monastics. But it’s really for everybody,” Norris said. “My rule of thumb is this: If you’re breathing, there’s a darn good chance you can meditate.”

And so, at 7 p.m. every Friday, eight to 10 “breathing” people head up to a second-floor classroom in St. Mary’s Parish Center on Ohio Street to practice meditation. They introduce themselves while in a circle and listen and comment on a writing, usually from the pen of Father Main.

Then the lights go down, candles are lighted, and the meditators find focus for a half-hour sit.

Will Hunter of Bangor joined the group last spring after Norris talked to him about the possibility of experiencing Christian meditation. Hunter said he didn’t know a lot about the subject, but being the “new guy” hasn’t kept him from experiencing enlightenment.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve advanced a whole lot, but I feel like I’m getting better,” Hunter said. “When I finally succeed in turning the chatter off for a little while, I almost feel I could fall into this kind of blissful nothingness.”

John Yasenchak, also of Bangor, has been involved in yoga for 15 years and the Zen style of meditation for 20 years. Reared in the Catholic faith, Yasenchak believes meditation is the reason he has been able to find a home in a number of religious traditions.

“Meditation is finding the big quiet place inside,” Yasenchak said at a recent group meeting. “And it’s refreshing, like drinking a nice cool glass of water.”

Even after spending two decades participating in sits, Yasenchak is far from mastering the practice. Rather, it’s an ongoing process for him.

“I think you have to work at finding peace because it doesn’t come automatically,” Yasenchak said. “Every time is like the first time because it’s always a new beginning.”

For information, contact Brother Rex Anthony Norris at 866-5974 or visit the Web site for the World Community for Christian Meditation at www.wccm.org.

Glossary

Buddhism – A spiritual following that focuses on the teachings of Sidhartha Guatama, who became Buddha, “the Enlightened One.”

Discursive – Prayer that involves talking, either internally or aloud.

Lay people – In Roman Catholicism, those who haven’t taken religious vows to become a priest, nun, monk or friar.

Monastic – A male or female in a monastic community, for example, the Order of St. Benedict, who has taken some form of religious vows.

Nontheistic – A practice that does not focus on a central deity.

Religious vows – Taken by an individual to undertake a certain style of living for spiritual purposes. May include vows of poverty, chastity or obedience.

Sit – Informal name for a session of meditation.