BMCM Video Study Guides
Satsang Coordinators Curriculum for
St. Thérèse: Finding the Divine Core of Romance
Lesson One
Announce to the group: "This week we are going to focus on the 'Little Way' of St. Thérèse
of Lisieux, as Sri Easwaran presents it in this video."
Then, ask a group member to read the Introduction to the first talk on the St. Thérèse tape: A
Living Force of Love (page 5 of the St. Thérèse Study Guide):
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1872-1898) was called by Pope Pius X the greatest saint of modern
times. As Sri Easwaran points out in this talk from December 22, 1979, her appeal extends far
beyond the walls of her convent, and even of her Catholic faith. Thérèse was a nun in the
enclosed Carmelite order in the late nineteenth century in France, but her life and teachings
were so pure and universally appealing that she can also be seen as part of the five-thousand-year-old tradition of the Perennial Philosophy, which states that ordinary people can become
aware of God even in their everyday activities. Thérèse called this her "little way." About it, Sri
Easwaran says, "If you are a doctor or an engineer or a printer or a librarian or a cook or a
gardener, that can never be an impediment to the spiritual life."
What then is the main impediment? According to Thérèse, it is too many desires. Through
meditation, repetition of the mantram, and the other steps on the Eight Point Program, says
Easwaran, it is possible to withdraw attention from those desires. In this video Sri Easwaran
presents several keys to the gradual process of withdrawing our attention from ourselves and
placing it onto others, which means, ultimately, placing it on God:
* Learn to be happy in the happiness of others.
* Turn your attention away from your own comforts, conveniences, pleasure, and profit, towards
the needs of others.
* Go inwards to retrieve vast treasures of patience, goodwill, endurance, and love.
* Reverse the tendency to lose heart when the going gets tough: Give when it hurts. If it hurts
more, give more! says Sri Easwaran.
About this process Saint Thérèse says, "Never miss an opportunity. For if you only knew the
value Jesus sets on even the tiniest act of self-denial, you would grasp at every opportunity like a
miser going after treasure."
When asked "What do you do in order to think of God always?" she replied: "It is not difficult.
We naturally think of someone we love." To love God, Sri Easwaran explains, means to love
everyone. It is a gradual process, which takes many decades, but brings benefits at every step:
The more loving you become, the more joyful your life becomes, not only for yourself, but for
everybody else.
Then read the first Practical Exercise on page 8 of the St. Thérèse Study Guide:
Practical Exercise
As an exercise in directing attention to the needs of others, dedicate one day this week to being
quick to help others. As you go through your daily routine, look for the many little ways you can
help others, even if (especially if!) you don't enjoy the job at hand. Notice if this exercise has any
effect on your meditation.
Tell the group: "Let's take a few minutes to reflect on the challenge posed by the exercise
and choose an area in our life to focus on. In some cases this may include 'saying no' or in
some way helping others by not giving in to their weaknesses."
After a few minutes of silent reflection, ask the group to share their thoughts. If your group is
focusing on a particular one of the Eight Points this week, ask the group if they have any ideas of
how to use that particular point in directing attention away from oneself toward the needs of others.
Watch A Living Force of Love, the first of the two talks on the St. Thérèse tape. (This talk is 36
minutes long.)
Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.
Lesson Two
Ask the group: "Did anyone try the Practical Exercise from last week on directing attention
to the needs of others? Do you have any observations to report?"
Then, read the second Practical Exercise on page 11 of the St. Thérèse Study Guide:
Practical Exercise
In this talk, Sri Easwaran draws attention to a suggestion that is characteristic of Thérèse's
"little way" and which is an ideal exercise for deepening your practice of the Eight Point
Program:
"Thérèse used to say that during recreation more than at any other time, we should find
opportunities for the practice of virtue: 'If you desire to draw great profit from this exercise, go
with the idea of entertaining others and not of enjoying yourself.'"
This week, "during recreation" (a time you are relaxing with family or friends), go with the idea
of contributing to the joy of others, rather than just enjoying yourself. Try to keep hold of that
idea throughout the occasion. If you find the activities boring or unpleasant, try to practice what
Sri Easwaran often suggested: Enjoy their enjoyment.
While this can sometimes be simple, at other times it is more complex, and requires deeper
reflection. When a person wants to enjoy something harmful to themselves or others, we do them
no favor by encouraging them. In such a case, entertaining others might mean making a strong
effort to find something beneficial (or at least less harmful) that they might enjoy.
Ask the group: "What has been your experience with this exercise in the past? What are the
challenges you are likely to face if you try it now?"
Then, read the Introduction on page 9 of the St. Thérèse Study Guide and watch Love at Its
Highest, the second of the two talks on the St. Thérèse tape. (This talk is 34 minutes long.)
Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.
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How to Use This Curriculum
The BMCM monthly video series presents a special opportunity for BMCM Satsangs to enrich
the content of their meetings and coordinate their program with the Center and with other
Satsangs. Each month many of our Satsangs will be following this program, which has been
created by workshop presenters at the BMCM, based on programs at our Tuesday night Satsangs
in Petaluma and Berkeley.
This video curriculum is not required. The choice of which of our approved formats to follow is
up to you and your Satsang. We understand that not all groups have access to a TV and VCR for
showing video tapes. While the videos are a great aid in using this curriculum, it is also possible to
follow it without the videos, using the questions for reflection and readings that are contained in
this curriculum.
We do recommend this curriculum (and especially the videos) as an ideal way for a new group (or
a "Satsang of One") to get well grounded in Sri Easwaran's core teachings and to feel more "in
touch" with the Center. If you would like assistance in deciding on a format, please feel free to
contact us at the address below.
The choice of when to start using the curriculum is also up to you. But we do suggest that you
follow the order of the lessons as they appear here. For groups that meet monthly, you may want
to use only the lesson sections that include videos, or to cover two lesson sections if your meeting
is longer.
We have tried to make this Satsang curriculum flexible enough that it can be used completely
within the Eight Point Format, as outlined in the Satsang Guidelines. For your "Eight Point
Focus" you can continue to cycle through the Eight Points weekly or monthly as it suits your
group, and use this curriculum to deepen your study of Sri Easwaran's teachings.
For those of you who distribute messages via email to your Satsang, feel free to forward parts of
this email to members as a preview of the coming month's program.
We are eager to hear about your experiences with this curriculum, and welcome your feedback.
Please send it to:
satsang@nilgiri.org
Robbie Nichols
BMCM
P O Box 256
Tomales, CA 94971
Copyright (c) 2003, Blue Mountain Center of Meditation