John Main, a Benedictine monk, revived the ancient practice of Christian meditation, d Dec 30 1982. Through imageless prayer and the repetition of a mantra, he taught that one might move from the surface of consciousness to the silent place where Jesus lives and prays within us.

“To meditate,” he wrote, “means to live out of the center of our being.” His approach to prayer fostered dialogue with people of other faiths. Describing his meditation with the Dalai Lama he said: “We meditated together in absolute openness to love and to the Lord of love.”