There is no need for us to struggle to arrive somewhere else. We know that our final destination is the cemetery. Why are we in a hurry to get there? Why not step in the direction of life, which is in the present moment?
*Thich Nhat Hanh. "Step in the Direction of Life." In Peace is this Moment.
Sadly, some of us have learned to trust suffering and distrust non-suffering. So, we regenerate suffering. Yet, awakening to this is a good beginning. Many people have never gotten to that starting point. So, if you are aware of your attachment to misery, that is very good. That is where the Buddha began, too. Congratulate yourself. From there, begin - a wonderful beginning.
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Melody Beattie - Journey to the Heart. Feb 27: Open to Life's Magic -
"I will never forget my mother's words to me the first time she took me to the Hoh rain forest," a woman told me, when she learned I was going there. "We were at the edge of the forest, about to enter. My mother stopped walking and turned to me. 'There's magic here,' she said. It wasn't her words that impressed me. What struck me was the absolute certainty and matter-of-fact way she said it. It was like she had just told me, "Dinner's ready.'"
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Magic is not in the mind. Our idea of magic may, however, be in the mind. Our challenge is to let the mind drop into the heart. Then, we can discover what magic is. Then, we experience magic. We can see the magic around us, which is not a sleight of hand, a sleight of anything. Such experience is straightforward, even if it is an often mystifying encounter.
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The Sacred - another word for the magic - does not mislead. It is subtle but direct. The more sensitive we become to that ever-present Presence, the more direct we see and feel it to be; likewise, the more subtle.
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What struck me most about Melody Beattie's selection, quoted from above, was her comment on how living aware of the magic in life changes how we view our lives: "We have been clearing the path so we could do more than merely trudge down the road." Spiritual practice is clearing the path. Some Buddhists say it is polishing the mirror.
Buddhism's path is grounded in the Four Noble Truths. The first is often rendered: "Life is suffering." Suffering likely does not refer to physical pain but emotional distress. You drop something on your toe: that is pain. You become angry: that is suffering. The Buddha was making an observation. He looked out and saw misery. The Buddha had lived that misery even though he was raised in affluence. He said he had found a way out of it.
The Buddha did not say, "Life must be suffering." Instead, the other three Truths lead to freedom from suffering: nirvana. We could translate the first Truth: "Life is trudgery." But, again, it is not the nature of life; it is an overlay of our destiny.
When we sit quietly in meditation, we see our suffering: possibly, this is a reason few persons are willing to meditate. We learn our suffering arises from denial of our true nature. In Buddhism's Metta Prayer, one part reads, "May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature." Often, this is followed by, "May I ...". Our true nature is nirvana. Our true nature is innocence. Our true nature is joy.
The Jewish Scriptures read, "God's glory fills the skies and earth." We may speak of it in varied ways, such as in theistic or nontheistic, personal or abstract ways, but the glory is everywhere. Life is majestic. Life is so much more than how you or I, or anyone, feel at any moment.
Look into the skies - magic. Look around you on earth - magic. Look within - magic. Look outside - magic. Places may feel more magical than others, and they may be. Yet, magic is everywhere. Magic is where we do not sense the magic. As we grow spiritually, we evolve to be more sensitive to the entire spectrum of Presence.
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We need a special magical place where we live. We need a space devoted to daily spiritual practice. We can leave it bare or put things about our faith or spiritual path. Many people light a candle. Some put a picture of their Teacher. I have varied reminders of the Sacred in my space, including religious icons and Kwan Yin and Buddha statutes.
Our magical place may be in our home or outside. Years ago, I taught at a college. Before going each day to work, I went for at least two hours to an Episcopal church near my home. With no one present, I had alone time for spiritual reading and meditation. The inside and outside of the sanctuary were a place for spiritual nurture.
When we frequent our space for spiritual practice, it transforms energetically. We can enjoy our own Hoh rain forest. Then, being near that space, we may often feel drawn to it. Our body and mind can feel itself drawn into the reverential quiet. We are likely to feel our body relax, for it knows the purpose of the space. Such a space is a refuge.
Here, as Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, we can find relief from suffering. Our body and mind can detox emotionally. We can water the seeds of sacredness. We step into our space in the "direction of life." We can taste the bliss that is not merely an emotion but more subtle, real, and stable. We could even call it a love sanctuary. Our space invites ease.
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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.
