Sincletica

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Transcript author: Edgar Gallart

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00:00:09:03 Sinclètica Monastic School will start...
00:00:12:00 This is the launching of the school
that we are doing...
00:00:15:12 It will start with a Master's program,
and the Master's program will function
00:00:21:22 in a monthly basis with blocks
[teaching units]
00:00:28:08 'weekend blocks' (units). So we have
from October until June, every month...
00:00:33:17 ...one weekend that will devoted to
one specific topic
00:00:37:00 and I'll be telling you right away
which ones will be those topics.
00:00:42:15 The Master is a two-year Master
with 120 credits [60 credits]
00:00:47:13 and so we'll have nine topics on
the the first year,
00:00:50:12 monthly topics from October to June,
and nine topics on the second year.
00:00:55:11 In total, 18 topics that are all of them
inspired by the Rule of Benedict.
00:01:01:10 But the program is not confessional
meaning that the Rule of Benedict ...
00:01:06:21 ... and in general all the monastic
experience is an experience that goes
00:01:11:23 into the depth of what being human means.
00:01:14:19 And some have called that the archetypal human, this monastic quest.
00:01:20:00 And so yes, in this case,
it has been inspired
00:01:22:18 by the Rule, because that's what we live
here at the monastery.
00:01:26:04 But it goes beyond the Rule,
and you will see right away
00:01:29:02 when I tell you the topics
that those are not topics that
00:01:33:07 anyone can appropriate; not the Rule of
Benedict, not the Christian monasticism,
00:01:37:06 or any other tradition.
00:01:38:16 Because we start with "Know yourself".
as the first step necessary
00:01:44:07 for this spiritual quest
00:01:45:21 That's the first topic
of the first year: "Know yourself".
00:01:48:01 The second... Well, I must tell you
that the topics of the second year ...
00:01:53:00 are thought as the deepening of
the topics of first year.
00:01:57:13 So that, if the first topic of
the first year is "Know yourself",
00:02:01:20 The first topic of the second year
which is understood as a deepening of
00:02:06:17 "Knowing yourself" is the topic
of "Suffering".
00:02:10:10 Suffering as something that
we don't desire,
00:02:13:02 that we don't wish anybody to go through.
00:02:16:00 But it is true that when you experience
suffering, there is something that grows
00:02:21:14 in the person. So, suffering as a way
to really open your eyes
00:02:27:02 to some aspect of your own personality
that otherwise would maybe
00:02:31:12 remain unconscious.
00:02:34:09 After "Knowing yourself",
we move into the topic of "Love".
00:02:37:11 Because the idea is:
if we know ourselves,
00:02:41:08 we discover something which is:
when we love and feel loved
00:02:45:10 we don't have questions about what is it
that we are doing in the world.
00:02:49:06 Because we actually experience a kind of
fulfillment or a kind of...
00:02:56:12 ... adequacy between what we desire
and we are experiencing.
00:03:01:20 So love is our second topic, and I'll go
a bit quicker with the topics now.
00:03:06:10 What deepens love in the second year is
"Freedom".
00:03:11:03 Third topic after love:
"Grace"
00:03:16:04 Grace is understood, as "I have been loved first".
00:03:19:03 Grace is understanding that I'm not the source of love but
00:03:23:19 I have been given something freely, Grace, I'm invited to give it also freely.
00:03:32:19 Of course, it's a big theological topic, the topic of "Grace".
00:03:37:05 But for people and...
00:03:38:19 some of the professors, as you also will see, are not believers.
00:03:43:06 But they are many of them artists. And artists in general,
00:03:47:23 they feel something called inspiration.
00:03:52:13 And inspiration means
that you cannot tell an artist:
00:03:55:11 " O.K., will you produce your
work of art tomorrow?
00:03:58:17 The day after tomorrow? In a week?
In a month?
00:04:01:07 Artists have to answer: "Well...
I'll be working in that direction...
00:04:06:12 ...but I'll have to also wait for
something called inspiration."
00:04:10:00 I have to feel inspired to do it and...
00:04:13:09 ...I don't have a switch in me that can
force the creativity or the work of art.
00:04:18:23 In that sense, it is possible
to understand the topic of "Grace" as
00:04:24:03 an opening to something that's beyond us
but is benevolent towards us.
00:04:29:02 It is something... is a gift,
is something that will be given to me.
00:04:33:05 The topic of "Grace" will be deepened on the second year by the topic of "Truth".
00:04:38:03 "What is truth?" is a huge question that
has been addressed from many perspectives
00:04:43:08 but we'll work on it under this link with Grace.
00:04:48:10 After "Grace" comes the topic of "Humility" 'cause "Humility" is been understood
00:04:54:04 not as a lack of assertiveness, not as
bringing yourself down unnecessarily,
00:05:01:03 not as letting others
to bring yourself down
00:05:05:04 but understood as knowing that
00:05:08:21 your place in the world
is not the center stage;
00:05:11:12 that we are not each of us
the center of the world...
00:05:15:12 ...and behaving accordingly.
00:05:18:07 Saint Theresa of Ávila said:
"To be humble is to walk in the truth".
00:05:23:12 So, in that sense we will treating and
dealing with the topic of "Humility".
00:05:28:05 And in the second year,
the deepening of humility
00:05:31:23 will be the topic of "Prayer".
And again,
00:05:35:13 "Prayer" is a huge topic for believers:
00:05:38:12 How can that be understood when
one is approaching it
00:05:42:19 From a non-believer perspective,
with the understanding that
00:05:47:01 this benevolent aspect of life, which
we studied under the topic of "Grace",
00:05:52:20 it's not something that comes to me
only in a passive way.
00:05:56:20 It's also that I can demand it actively;
that's what we do when we pray.
00:06:01:10 We ask for these good things to happen.
00:06:04:03 So you can also have an attitude
that even, as I said,
00:06:08:00 if you don't belong to a religious
tradition you can interact with the world
00:06:12:18 and you can interact with your daily
reality in an active way
00:06:17:02 expecting and asking for
something positive.
00:06:22:05 After the topic of "Humility" we then
arrive at the center of the program.
00:06:27:04 And the center of the program is
the topic of "Silence".
00:06:29:22 What deepens the topic of "Silence"
on the second year is "Joy".
00:06:34:06 The deep joy of the heart.
00:06:37:06 After that, we go into
the four last topics.
00:06:40:17 After "Silence", not before, comes the "Word"
00:06:44:07 After, what deepens the "Word" is "Meaning".
00:06:48:09 And after the "Word", not before,
comes "Community".
00:06:53:00 What deepens the "Community"...
"Community" is understood as the community
00:06:55:20 of people with whom I live or
with whom I share my queries and my life.
00:07:01:18 A community that is of human size.
00:07:05:17 But the deepening of that
human size community
00:07:09:22 is the universal community and not only
the community with all human beings,
00:07:15:04 but also, you'll see it in the program,
there will be professors specialized
00:07:19:04 in something called, for example,
animal theology.
00:07:22:23 And that means there is also this aspect
of communion, deep communion
00:07:27:17 and belonging with all nature and also
with, of course, the animals.
00:07:32:03 So, what is understood under this idea
of community at its fullness?
00:07:37:20 After community, something without which
there is no community that can last
00:07:43:13 and that is "Forgiveness".
00:07:45:15 What deepens "Forgiveness"
on the second year is...
00:07:48:09 "Innocence" or, some you'll see,
some professors will also be calling it
00:07:51:00 "Virtue".
00:07:54:19 Or you could also call it Purity of Heart.
00:07:57:05 What is this?
00:07:58:19 And finally we come to
the final topic of the first year
00:08:01:09 and that's the topic of "Fulfillment".
00:08:03:20 And here comes the question:
00:08:05:10 If we arrive at "Fulfillment"
at the end of the first year,
00:08:08:16 what is it that we're going to do
on the second year...
00:08:11:21 ... that can deepen the fulfillment?
Well, the final topic of the second year
00:08:17:01 which deepens "Fulfillment"and is
also the last topic of our itinerary
00:08:22:18 of this two-year master's program
is the topic of "Solitude".
00:08:28:06 And "Solitude" for the monastic tradition is not conceived as
00:08:34:01 something to avoid, but something to welcome.
00:08:39:02 Something to embrace.
Solitude understood as the...
00:08:44:00 deepening of an aspect that is irreducible.
00:08:48:09 An aspect of my life
that is not possible to share...
00:08:53:10 ... one could say, not even with God,
because...
00:08:55:15 it's from where I interact with God
and with other human beings...
00:09:03:10 ...and with, as we said, creation in general.
00:09:06:05 Is the irreducible place
that gives me my ultimate identity
00:09:13:04 as distinctive from anybody else.
00:09:16:02 But how to experience that
in relationship to fulfillment
00:09:19:17 is how we will finish our program.
00:09:24:00 More information at
www.sincletica.cat
00:09:28:14 Monastery ofSaint Benet of Montserrat

Credits:

Tags: 2020-2022, Escola Monàstica Sinclètica, Introductory videos, Knowledge art Interiority, Master’s degree, Monestir de Sant Benet de Montserrat, Sinclètica Monastic School, Sister Teresa Forcades, www.sincletica.cat

Duration: 9m 31s

Recorded at: 05.08.2020

By the School Principal T. Forcades
Sant Benet de Montserrat (Barcelona) - 29/2/2020

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