Good Morning Everyone,
Someone on a blog this morning suggested I was rather narrow in my themes. I thought it a curious perspective. Admittedly, I write mostly about religious/spiritual themes, but I try to talk about them in a very wide spectrum of applications, anywhere from teacups to space-time relativity. In any event, the comment gave me pause and I reflected for a bit on it.
Most of us tend to compartmentalize our lives: this is religion, that is cooking, this other thing is sports, and over here is work. My consistent point of view is that this is not only false, but spiritually dangerous. Its part of the reductionism that was epidemic in the 19th and 20th centuries. It even has lead scientists to try to find a God spot in our brains, for goodness sake.
Spiritual life is a whole life. Its about seeing everything as our life, our breath, and our intimate connection to everything else. We are not separate, but completely one. When we talk about being a Christian, or a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, we should keep in mind that these are just labels for paths to the same thing: actualization with and as the Infinite.
I don't like clubs, especially exclusive clubs. Although it wasn't always so, I practice inclusiveness as much as possible. It is important for us to realize we create our own issues when we treat a stranger as somehow different from ourselves. This acceptance of everything, however, is not permission to be crazy or hurtful or to tolerate such things in others. Part of a disciplined spiritual practice is learning to say no, at least as easily as we say yes.
When we practice meditation, we are creating a space for this oneness to be seen through the very discipline of acceptance without attachment or avoidance. As we sit quietly, thoughts arise, feelings emerge, and we might want to follow them. We gently notice them and return to being present. We begin to see everything appears related to everything else: thoughts relate to other thoughts, feelings relate to other feelings, and all of these relate to each other. It is a perfect storm and we are its eye.
Be well.
Rev. Dr. So Daiho Hilbert-roshi
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