Hello friend. Yes, I
mean you, since you are the only one reading this.
I have made a somewhat disturbing observation. I mean, once I see it I cannot unsee it, so
it is not disturbing to the in-the-present me, but it rather sets on its head
my long-held beliefs.
Christianity is inside-out from itself and its goals.
As Christians, we are taught to guard our hears
closely. We are taught to protect
ourselves against outside influences that might be evil. We are taught that guilt is a good thing, as
it points us to repent; except for when, for various reasons, repenting cannot
undo the ‘evil’ that is at the base of our guilt.
True spirituality, really being in touch with ‘God’, that
sweet pure oneness that we recognize in rare moments (or perhaps for the
properly trained Catholics, each time we hold the communion host in us), is at
its core quite the opposite of all that.
We are composed of energy.
By now, our culture contains in common knowledge the construction of the
atom. We know that we are composed of
atoms. If we pursue that thought all the
way to its natural conclusion, we realize that our bodies are composed of a
huge pile (neatly and purposefully organized) of spinning units of energy. Our ‘solid’ bodies are an illusion. We are, at our core, energy.
Meditation, also, has entered our common cultural
consciousness. I am old now, and I
cannot remember, among my earliest memories, my parents or neighbors talking
about meditation. Now the word might
easily arise in our everyday conversations.
Why do people meditate?
In my youth, prayer was the means to arrive at the same end as
meditation, although more restricted towards Christian goals, and more commonly
comprised of memorized prayer. Some
might have encouraged us to ‘talk to God’, but we received little instruction
on how to do that, so we fell back upon our rote prayers. We didn’t understand, then, how by letting
the mind relax into a swirl of memorized sounds, there was some other aspect of
mind that might be released to connect with a higher reality found in non
thinking, or letting go.
In letting go, we release the filters that normally confine
and redirect our core energy. Once
released, the light released in that energy connects us to our true
selves. We become light. Those moments of light-power, released, bring
us enormous benefits.
We all have within us the desire to connect with God. For some, that desire has been extinguished
by dashed hopes. In my association with
Christians, especially the Holy Rollers, also called Pentecostalists, I was
implanted with the illusion that I was battling with The Enemy, who wanted to
separate me from God. For many, this was
an external force. “Get thee hence,
Satan.”
I am not saying that evil does not exist in the world. Negative energy exists. But that is not my nemesis.
When I experience the sweet presence of ‘God’, in that space
evil does not exist. Light and darkness
cannot exist in the same space. So then,
all we have to do is live in the Light, right?
Oh, such sweet words, so facile to speak.
At birth we begin to forget our connection to the
Light. The transition from our life in
spirit form to life in this crude clay mold is traumatic. Some arrive so full of that light energy that
it takes longer for them to forget. But
by around age three, we have all forgotten where we came from. The combination of our emotions and the discomforts
and pains of the physical body have all combined to create a new entity; the personality. Our soft clay begins to toughen up, develop
scars, and create a unique tough shell.
Like any bit of rock that breaks off from a mountain and falls into a
stream, the constant friction of our unique journey through the water as it
flows to the ocean reshapes us.
Wait, what are we?
Soft clay, or hard rock? Geologists
tell us, at its earliest creation all the earth was molten rock. As we pass from lifetime to lifetime, we pick
up bits and pieces that cling to us, represented by the hard corners and embedded
bits in that broken-off piece of the mountain rock.
You may have heard the following description of us
souls. It is universally found across
beliefs, so there most likely is validity to it. Imagine that God is one great beam of light,
like the sun. Now imagine a dome over
the earth, a great mosaic of multi-colored cut glass. Or, see a prism. My spirit originates with that one source of
light, but as it is filtered through a pane of that mosaic, it absorbs unique
traits all of its own.
All of humanity has but one Source. We come imbued with our own unique
characteristic pigment. Ultimately, we want to get back to that Source, which
contains all pigments, because it is the most beautiful, with infinite qualities. If we speak of colors, as in stained glass,
then we see white as containing all colors, radiating out, making all things
visible. Black absorbs all pigments to itself, unable to
reflect colors back into the light.
Where is the bucket of black paint that is intent on coating
our beautifully pigmented glass, obscuring the light?
We find that in emotions.
The Bible tells us about the Seven Deadly Sins. What are these if not emotions.
As we learn to quiet our minds and allow, unfiltered, that
pure light to flow through us, what feeling remains?
Joy.
We have expressions to approximate joy. The Balm of Gilead, for Old Testament
readers. A sweetness flowing from our
crown down to the core of our being.
Peace. Warmth. Release from fear, anxiety, worry. Maybe we can hold that but for a moment. Once felt, we have begun a journey from darkness
to light.
Whether we get there through partaking of Communion, or
saying the Rosary, or repeating other ritualized prayers, the end result is the
same. If we focus on learning to
meditate, and find it difficult to maintain the concentration, every effort
uncovers a little more light. Once we do
find that light, that inner peace in our ritual meditations, we have set our
feet firmly on the path. Young souls may
find it a struggle, that struggle may be off-putting. The truth is, it all counts, it all adds up;
a stroke of light that cancels out a bit of darkness.
Our goal is to live in the light, 24/7. That journey may be a short one, or a long
one. In truth, the Light we find in one
life can carry over to another. The
filters are thinner or thicker, depending on what went before.
What does it mean, to live in the light?
This is where, as I see it, Christianity is turned upon its
head.
Different organized religions may be closer or further from
this truth. However, modern society has
its roots in distortions of Christianity
We all share the Golden Rule, Do unto others as we would have
them do unto us. But overlayed are other
factors that keep us from realizing that dictum; The Seven Deadly Sins
Who among us is free of envy, greed, lust, pride, gluttony,
anger, sloth. We struggle to contain
these impulses, to eliminate them from our lives, each of us according to his
own inherent qualities.
We pride ourselves in saying, “I never lose my temper.”
I have my sexual desires and ambitions under control; I do
not lust. But what of that twinge in the
belly when we see our child’s classmate receive a recognition that we feel our
child deserves?
I am responsible, I take care of my obligations. But what of that phone call that we put off, to
a friend or relative who is going through hard times? Or that room that I know needs painting, I
bought the paint and brushes already, months ago?
No matter how hard we try, we will never achieve life by the
Golden Rule. Rules are a product of
duality. Good, bad. Do, Don’t do.
Virtue, vice.
If you can open your heart, to absorb all that is written
here, your life can change in a moment.
That is unlikely to happen. It sounds
so easy, yet so unattainable.
If we were all gathered in a lecture hall, and we all
quieted our minds and focused on whatever light shines through our filters, it
is theoretically possible that your life could change in that moment. The one thing these words don’t contain is
Energy. I remember the first time I met
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I was in a
line awaiting his blessing, standing in his driveway, inching myself closer to
him. Once in his presence, I felt a
great peace, and a rainbow of Energy. This is the Energy that mere words lack,
that these words cannot convey.
Way back in the day, before I began my first odyssey, I was
in LA fascinated with Zen Buddhism. I
would go to the Temple to sit zazen. I
tried to capture this meditation thing.
I puzzled over the Koans (what is the sound of one hand clapping). I tried and tried. My mind never stayed quiet for very
long.
I arrived in Israel, after waiting for the ferry three days
in a youth hostel in Greece. I met a
girl there in the bunk across from mine.
We got along. We got through the
ferry ride sleeping on the deck. We Landed
in Haifa, and said our goodbyes. She had
a destination in mind. Mine was still
vague; I only knew I wanted to live on a kibbutz, but had no idea how to get
there. I spent some days in Jerusalem,
the root of it all. It was Christmas
time; a trip to Bethlehem, perhaps. The
Eve arrived. I was in a hostel with
random people. With a nod to O. Henry, we
all brought something to share, from our wanderings in the lanes. It was magical.
I honestly cannot remember the details of how I ended up as
a volunteer on one Kibbutz rather than another.
When I arrived at Kibbutz Gat, near Ashdod, I was greeted joyously by
this same hostel and ferry companion. Once
again, we were bunk mates. I observed
that she left at dawn each day, and returned for breakfast. I asked her about that. She said she would go to the edge of a field,
and meditate at dawn. A discussion
ensued, mentioning my failed attempts.
This is where the magic happened.
We sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of our volunteer-housing, knees to
knees. She did not try to ‘instruct’
me. We just meditated. And for the first time, I felt a peace and
joy flow over me. The flame was ignited.
In my experience, words alone are not enough. Some souls who arrived with fewer filters
than mine may contradict me on that. For
me, at the beginner stage and at a higher stage as well, I needed that live
transmission.
We are meant to live in a state of joy. We can never eliminate the basics of, as the
Zen Masters say, wash your rice bowl.
“I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.”
Joshu asked, “Have you eaten your
rice porridge?”
“I have eaten”
“Then you had better wash your bowl.”
At that moment, the monk was
enlightened.
Quoted from Mumonkan
Not necessary to anticipate the next lesson, nor the next
meal. It will all unfold. We need only focus on the task at hand. Or as Matthew [6:28-29] describes in the New
Testament, the flowers don’t stress out; their beauty comes naturally. And the birds, too. They don’t have to plant to get all those
seeds they eat. You cannot read these
too literally. How I realize it, I no
longer have to write lists before going to the grocery store. I check my kitchen, see what I need, and
go. While I am in the grocery store, my
basket fills with what I need. In the
mornings, I meditate. I ask, what needs
doing today? Maybe I add, how may I be a
blessing? Those divinely ordained serendipities
unfold.
In the Old Testament, Psalm 50, we see that when we walk in
the Spirit, we lack for nothing. The
beasts of the forest, the cattle upon a thousand hills, the fowls of the mountains,
the wild beasts of the fields, all the world is mine. My hunger is satisfied, if I live in the
Spirit, because I lack for nothing.
In this decade, 2024 – 2034, the opposite seems true to the
naked eye. We are in financially hard
times. To many, the roof seems to be
caving in. What used to be simple is now
made so complicated. I still broke my
hip, I still walk with pain until, in due time, it is healed. But despite my near empty bank account, the
doctor and hospital bills will be paid.
I look at the blessings ensuing within my struggle. I see people being extra nice to me, when
before I was invisible. I see a need to
slow down, which offers me, if I choose to accept, extra down time to simply
sit in joy and reflect. And as I said
above, the light accumulates. Every
minute I spend in joy strengthens my ability to return to it effortlessly. More layers of darkness, more filters, are
cleansed away, removed. It is a
process. As we focus more on hope, and
less on worrying, struggling, fearing, our joy increases. Our bounty is uncovered.
Instead of being independent, self-contained, in control, now
I see that happiness lies in coming to oneness with my core energy, uniting
with the joy and bliss I find there, and letting go of all my musts, and I’d
betters, and shoulds. I cannot look outside
and see if the world is conforming to my concepts of it. I let that go, and let joy and love be my
only filter, instead of that pompous judge.
On this we agree: Giving is
better than receiving.
