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Wisdom Story
The poet Awhadi of Kerman was sitting on his porch one night, bent over a vessel. The Sufi Shams-e-Tabrize happened to pass by. "What are you doing?" he asked the poet.
"Contemplating the moon in a bowl of water" was the reply.
"Unless you have broken your neck, why don't you look directly at the moon in the sky?"
*Anthony de Mello
Wisdom Quote
To love God is to follow the mystery, to be led by its showing and withdrawing.
*John S. Dunne. The Music of Time.
I have more respect for the spirituality of an atheist who refuses to define God in any traditional way and is deeply reverent of the mystery of Life, than that of the so-called orthodox churchman who evidences little of the reverence and love of Mystery of that atheist.
*Brian Kenneth Wilcox
Today's Scripture
Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?
*Romans 11.33 (CEV)
To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
*Romans 5.8 (NKJV)
Comments
All religion and spirituality, except mysticism, is a looking at the reflection of the moon in a bowl of water. Persons do this and use the reflection to judge all other ways as wrong. Persons have executed good people for not worshiping a supposed correct reflection, which is only a reflection of the Moon, not the Moon. Persons set off car bombs and think the reflection is honored with such hateful behavior. Many persons of my faith, the Christian, assign all but the supposedly few chosen to eternal damnation for not believing in a reflection in a bowl of water.
The mystical posture is to turn from the reflection and look with naked faith into the divine darkness of Grace. The mystic is most reverent of the Mystery of Life.
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To love anyone rightly is to love the mystery that is the person; to love God rightly demands reverent allowance for the ungraspable mystery of Sacredness. As we enter more into union with a creature, we find the essence more elusive, more fluid, and our essence and its essence are "seen" as one; the same is so with the One.
This elusiveness opens us to a greater appreciation for the impenetrable holiness of the mystery hidden in and shining through the outer aspects of matter and mind, as well as the symbols and rites of religion.
Part of the truth of Mystery is that it arises and recedes; we cannot grasp it, understand it, or determine its goings and comings. We can only be receptive when it shines forth and affirm and honor it in its times of hiddenness. We can grow in our communication with its coming forth and going. We can celebrate both communications; for in both, God is communicating Godself to us, though in different ways.
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"It is enough," affirms Albert Einstein, "if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity" (Stephen Kendrick. Holy Clues).
A mark of naked faith is curiosity rendering one disposed to receive a growing, deepening sense of insight into the Mystery. This sense of insight is not emotionality or merely feeling-based. The sense arises from the spirit and makes one calmly, subtly aware of the Nearness of Love.
Yet, this shining forth and receding of the Mystery, like the Sun moving forth unshielded by clouds and, then, hidden by clouds, is to be wedded to by obscure faith. The Presence remains as present when hidden from our senses; when the Mystery is apparent, it is no more present than in the felt-absence, only more present to the senses.
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The contemplative learns to sense Presence in the dawnings and settings through the will inclined to receptivity. Therefore, as taught by the great spiritual masters of the mystical Path, faith is the constant element in relationship with Spirit, not feeling.
Feelings can mislead and lead to dependence on themselves. True faith never misleads. She who relies on feelings cannot consistently walk the Way of Faith. Indeed, the pilgrimage of a truly spiritual person may have much more sense of the hiddenness of Mystery than the shining forth of It.
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OneLife Ministries is a universalist, interspiritual writing ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, of SW Florida, an author and chaplain.
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