|
A Sagely Word
"The ultimate Mystery of being, the ultimate Truth, is Love. This is the essential structure of reality. When Dante spoke of the 'love which moves the sun and the other stars,’ he was not using a metaphor, but was describing the nature of reality. There is in Being an infinite desire to give itself in love and this gift of Self in love is for ever answered by a return of love. … and so the rhythm of the universe is created."
*Father Bede Griffiths, 1906-1993, was a Catholic monastic in India. He integrated the wealth of Indian mysticism into Christian teaching and discipleship.
Commentary
One of the favorite titles among the books in my library is Appreciate Your Life. The book is a collection of teaching talks by Zen Master, Taizan Maezumi Roshi (1931-1995) and on, as the subtitle implies, The Essence of Zen Practice.
What, however, does it mean for Brian to appreciate his life? What does it mean for you to appreciate your life? Well, that pertains to the meaning of three words: appreciate, your, life. Today, in our own dharma-gospel lesson, let us ponder those words, together.
“Appreciate” derives from the idea of setting a price on something. The Latin appretiāre is a combined noun meaning “to price.” When the word entered English, it had the neutral connotation of “estimating worth” and the more positive “esteem highly.” Later, “appreciate” came to mean “rise in value” (John Ayto, Dictionary of Word Origins). So, appreciate pertains to valuing your life, rightly.
A blessing of my being in the mid-forties is this learning to appreciate my life. Often, the first about forty years we are trying to build another life. Likewise, often, until our midlife or later, we have not resolved familial complexes enough to appreciate our family origins. We still are blaming mom and dad, even the religion of our upbringing, so we cannot really go “home.” Many adults are outside Christianity, for example, in a childish rebellion over the imperfections of the religion of their childhood and youth. Some will come home, when they grow up enough to come home.
I appreciate my humble origins, as well as the gifts of the fundamentalist religion of my younger years, even though I am no longer in that group. I appreciate my body, even my bolding head—Yes Brian does! I appreciate the new wrinkles on my face. I appreciate that I am more slender than once, but also that I have more body fat. I appreciate my vocation, even though it is about the oddest thing a person could ever try to do. I appreciate the vows I live under as a monk-in-the-world, even though that makes me even odder than being a pastor. I appreciate my humble financial status, though I find ways to be generous in many small ways that say, “I love you.”
|
|
I do not associate closely with persons who do not honor this life given as my trust from Pure Spirit. I do not seek dating relationships with women who cannot appreciate my life, nor do I maintain close friendships with anyone who does not appreciate my life. I have no interest in serving a church that cannot appreciate my life. I have no intention on living in a neighborhood that cannot appreciate my life. I am, put it frankly, rejoicing in the life I am given.
I need no other life. Persons like to speak of an afterlife. Christian bookstores are replete with books on an endtime and an afterlife. Well, they can speak of such. I am not turned on by afterlife talk. I am turned on by life, as we speak of and celebrate the life we are given, now.
Now, the life I am given to appreciate is life, here. If God is not fully now, then, there is no heaven or nirvana, nor a Pure Land. If I cannot love this life, then, it would be nonsense for me to assume by simply having this body die, then, I would be able to appreciate an afterlife. No, school is in, and school is now.
No one can honor my life for me. No one can honor your life for you, not even God. You. You are the only one who can appreciate your life for you. All other appreciation is a gift. You must give that gift to yourself, for yourself, for only you can do it. You need not try to hide behind money, status, spirituality, busyness, things, being the ideal mom or dad, religion, a vocation, or God. Come out! Get out of hiding from your life!
What is the life you appreciate? That life is “your” life. Can you get up in the morning and look in the mirror and love what you see? Can you appreciate where you live? Can you appreciate the parents you were given? The car you drive? The vocation you chose? Rather than looking for a better life, the place to begin looking is what you already have been given, what you already are.
Discontent arises from a rejection of our life. Then, we can project that onto others, feeling they do not appreciate us. See, when you appreciate your life, that projection dies. When you appreciate your life, others are drawn to appreciate your life and respect you, too. If some do not respect your appreciation of your life, then, no need to worry. You do not want respect from persons who do not want to respect you, do you?Respect is freely given, from the want of the other person, not your needing or wanting respect. Those who are genuine and love life, they will sense your respect for your life, for yourself, and that attracts them. People who respect their lives are drawn to persons who respect their lives, too.—Did you get that?—Yes?
All peer pressure is linked to appreciating your life. When you appreciate your life, then, where is the peer pressure? There is no peer pressure and never has been, even for youth. Peer pressure is self-pressure, the seeking to conform and impress others in a way untrue to oneself, untrue to your life. Peer pressure is our not honoring the life we are gifted with by God. Peer pressure arises from the felt-sensation that there must be something extra to my life, to appear other than I am. When you appreciate your life, then, you see there is no peer pressure. See the holiness and wholeness of your life, now, and there will be no sense of peer pressure, at all. None.
Continued... |
