Reflections from my life and work to encourage the reader to think. But not too much. After all, thinking is only needed until it is not needed... and, then, needed again. So, please think until the shades are no longer drawn over the Window. Two words to leave with you before you proceed: Wisdom shines!
The disasters that accompany Those who blaze like fire [desire, attachment],
And those attached to the influential, Are extraordinarily harsh and astonishingly swift.
The experience of those Who find harbor in composure,
And who protect their own leisure, Is astoundingly light and extremely long-lived.
*Hung Ying-ming (1593-1665). Master of the Three Ways: Reflections of a Chinese Sage on Living a Satisfying Life. Trans. William Scott Wilson. Shambhala. Kindle Edition.
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I'm not a people person or not-people person. I enjoy people, not crowds. I appreciate quality time with one, two, or a few. I enjoy solitude - one of the vows I assumed in 1995. My earliest memories include time alone playing by myself, content: as Ying-ming says, "in composure": interesting, "composure" is from "compose," from Late Latin pausare "to cease, lay down." Thanks, Ying-ming, for reminding us it's wise to protect our spaces for "laying down" - few will value our solitude, and few see the value of it for themselves. From ceasing arises composure. Yet, a lot happens in the ceasing - it's not a nothingness. It is a presence - everything is.
Solitude is not privacy. And solitude does not have to be left in your room when you walk outside it. Anyway, from your window you can meet the whole world.
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Today, our first big snow of the season in Coastal Maine. Out first thing in the morning, all layered, shoveling and sweeping in preparation for guests arriving soon at the Inn. It's wonderful to have begun this Sunday with such worship. Wonderful!
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I wrote a book entitled An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love. The late Zen Teacher Robert Aitken, in Miniatures of a Zen Master, wrote about love: "When I was a boy I attended church with my parents. The sermons sailed over my head unattended. I would make my eyes go out of focus and the minister could be young like me. My attention would stray to St. Paul's words [from the Bible] inscribed in gold letters high above the pulpit, 'Love Never Faileth [i.e., end, cease to be].' 'What does that mean?' I wondered. To this day, I can't put it into other words.'"
I can't either. Still, it sure feels good to be loved and love - doesn't it?
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Would I write if no one ever read what I wrote? Sure. You bet I would! And I have.
Blessed are those who do without preoccupation with who will or will not appreciate it or even know about it. Blessed are those who give gifts never received by anyone.
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To grow up spiritually, you need a lot of disappointments, at least until you no longer need them. And you need equally a lot of non-disappointments.
Don't get attached to suffering. That's a huge temptation in the spiritual life - really, in life.
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I was raised, as many say, a Christian. I officially became one at age nine, then was baptized in my Uncle Edward's fish pond - mostly trout. A client identified as a Christian and asked me what my religion was. I told him I was not a Christian but aspired to be Christian (i.e., Christlike).
I aspire to be Buddha-like, too. And Krishna-like. Well, best possibly - a decent human being: humane.
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My first memory of attending church was when I was so small my mom placed me on one of the wooden pews in the small rural sanctuary in Handtown - a small community in South Georgia, USA - never found on any map. She covered me up with a blanket. I went to sleep.
I don't go to church worship anymore. But that is a sweet memory. And I'm so thankful I was taken to church - even made to go: three times weekly until age 18. Mom and Dad gave me a religious foundation from which to grow and find my own way, even though what I chose confused them both. And, if I had not attended, I wouldn't have the memory of our bulldog getting inside the sanctuary and Dad chasing him about, yelling for him to get out. What a site! So many good memories from those days at Philadelphia Missionary Baptist Church.
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I often recall five words from my youth and the Scripture - the King James Version of the Bible - which many say is the only inspired Word of God. We could contest that, but this is undoubtedly the Word of God, whatever that means: "By love, serve one another." When I - we - do that... well - Wow! Heaven on Earth. When we don't - there's hell to pay. So, let's do it. It's the most natural thing to do.
In leading inmate groups, I tell them, "We need to get out of our skin." I clarify. Loving others is central to emotional healing. Even if we love a plant, poetry, a book, a chair, or the sunset, that's a good start - that's love.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2024. Permission is given to use photographs and writings with credit given to the copyright owner.
*Brian's book is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. The book is a collection of poems Brian wrote based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.
