contemplative – Page 22 – The Future is Open

June 16, 2008

Illusion

This came in today’s mail from the Merton Institute and there is a profound truth here. All we are with all our noise, war mongering, power struggles, ego drives are illusion.

Those who love their own noise are impatient of everything else. They constantly defile the silence of the forests and the mountains and the sea. They bore through silent nature in every direction with their machines, for fear that the calm world might accuse them of their own emptiness. The urgency of their swift movement seems to ignore the tranquility of nature by pretending to have a purpose. The loud plane seems for a moment to deny the reality of the clouds and of the sky, by its direction, its noise, and its pretended strength. The silence of the sky remains when the plane has gone. The tranquility of the clouds will remain when the plane has fallen apart. It is the silence of the world that is real. Our noise, our business, our purposes, and all our fatuous statements about our purposes, our business, and our noise: these are the illusion.

Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955: 257.

June 12, 2008

I am convinced that only through working together can we win the disagreements and misunderstandings that lead to war. I am equally convinced that some countries like my own will never be at peace until they can see how much money they gain from being at peace. I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.

The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion.–Dalai Lama

June 2, 2008

Merton to the rescue

Lately I’ve been very troubled. I dare say, I’ve been depressed with all the bad news that surrounds us. I’ve been consumed by the myriad troubles of the world because I care too deeply. Today I got a message from the Merton Foundation that resonates for me. I hope it does for you too.

What is wanted now is not simply the Christian who takes an inner complacency in the words and example of Christ, but who seeks to follow Christ perfectly, not only in his own personal life, not only in prayer and penance, but also in his political commitments and in all social responsibilities.

We have certainly no need for a pseudo-contemplative spirituality that claims to ignore the world and its problems entirely, and devotes itself supposedly to the things of God, without concern for human society. All true Christian spirituality, even that of the Christian contemplative, is and must always be deeply concerned with man, since “God became man in order that man might become God” (St. Irenaeus). The Christian spirit is one of compassion, of responsibility and of commitment. It cannot be indifferent to suffering, to injustice, error, and untruth.

Thomas Merton. Peace in the Post-Christian Era. Edited by Patricia A. Burton (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004): 135.

I need balance and was thinking of giving all this up. I may yet. I’ve not felt the urge to write or better yet to write well. I’ve felt very down, but Merton has given me hope and shown me that it is quite normal and desirable to see a world where you and I are called to action. Maybe that action is just a prayer now and then.

May 27, 2008

Winter Soldier

On Sunday I found myself inside a church on Jamestown Island in Virginia. The church is a replica of the original that stood on that ground in the early 17th century. Posted at the front of the church were the Ten Commandments. One of them stated, “you shall not kill.” How often we hear reference to the Ten Commandments and how posting them would restore value to our society and our country. More important than posting them is having them written in our hearts. This soldier’s testimony is more poignant than posting the commandments. Apparently certain values were written on his heart at one time and no amount of military training can permanently remove them. Watch the video here.

May 19, 2008

Touch my body

Recently I’ve come to have a greater appreciation for the feminine spirit in my life. I recently wrote about the Ruach and how the Hebrews long ago realized that the spirit of God was feminine or at least that’s how they depicted it. One of the lines in the Tao te Ching says, “the soft overcomes the hard.” Lao-Tzu knew way back then that the most powerful forces in the world were feminine.

A week ago my wife got a present from our son for Mothers Day and it was Mariah Carey’s latest Album. I was somewhat surprised. I’ve been a Mariah fan since I first heard her in the early 1990’s. My wife told me that she had heard Mariah perform on Oprah Winfrey’s show and had really liked one of the songs. My daughter was playing the album last week in our home and we both like “Touch my Body.” In fact every since I heard the song I can’t get the melody out of my head. The video on Youtube is very captivating and highlights much of Carey’s mystique as a performer, but it also touches on the larger theme of the powerful feminine spirit which animates so much of my life and our lives in general. Returning from my workout this morning I mentioned to my wife about the song and about how this had gotten me to thinking again of how much we need the feminine and sacred feminine in our lives. It is women after all who give us life, who nurture us and protect us when necessary.

Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Lao-Tzu, Gandhi, the Dalai-Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Martin Luther King were all leaders who understood this very well. Gandhi brought down the British by receiving their anger and turning it against them. Jesus said, “resist not evil,” “love your enemies,” “do good to those who persecute you.” It all flies in the face of the masculine war and endless war. I mentioned to Diane this morning that I think gay men are more in touch with the feminine and that is what is really unsettling to those men who haven’t accepted their own femininity. I hope you enjoy the video and song I can’t get it out of my head. You can view it here on Youtube.

May 15, 2008

Dear Mr. President

Olberman’s rant and my earlier post made me think of a touching lyric I first heard a couple of years ago and I blogged about it then. Music animates my life and always has. These lyrics by Pink are powerful and as moving as when I first heard them.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRApNHSRRk]

Dear Mr. President,
Come take a walk with me.
Let’s pretend we’re just two people and
You’re not better than me.
I’d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?
What do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Are you proud?

May 12, 2008

Pentecost

Today was the Feast of Pentecost. At Mass today Fr. Lou’s homily was about the Holy Spirit and about how much of theology is spent on Jesus and God the Father, but almost nothing on the Holy Spirit. He drew our attention to a print near the rear of the chapel today that is a depiction of the Ruach. The depiction is of a feminine spirit breathing life into the earth from the cosmos. Today was also Mothers Day and as I looked at this depiction I thought of the parallels between the Ruach and mothers. We come to life in our mothers and it is through the love, action and attention of our mothers that our early lives are animated. We cannot see the Ruach but it is the breath of God that gives us life and gives our lives direction and purpose. Mystics whether men or women are always in touch with the sacred feminine which is very much within the holy spirit. Those who deny this feminine are really out of touch with the Holy Spirit.

May 2, 2008

Power made perfect

Lately I’ve been discouraged a great deal. Gasoline prices are rising nearly everyday and we seem powerless to stop it. As a person who needs to travel or provide transport for others this means more than temporary discomfort. Add to that the march of some in our government toward war with Iran and no real progress in Iraq. Congress was getting ready to send more funds down the drain today with most of that going to fund the illegal war and occupation of Iraq. A verse from the New Testament just kind of jumped right into my lap.

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.–2 Corinthians 12:9

I’m always looking for the upper hand. I want power. It’s my ego acting up again. It’s upside down logic, but that’s prevalent in much of scripture. St. Francis was said to look at the world “upside down.” The essence of prayer and spirituality is paradox. Strength from weakness.

April 13, 2008

Website of Unknowing

Last night following a search for more contemplative reading material I came across a truly lovely site that I’d like to draw your attention to. It’s author works in the bookstore at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, GA. It’s title, Website of Unknowning, invited me to explore it in some detail. It’s author, Carl McColman has authored a number of books. After visiting the site and reading his insights I’d like to travel to Conyers, GA and visit the monastery.