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Quiet is the Flow
River De Chute... Easton, ME
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Benedict of Nursia, in his 6th Century Rule for monastics, lists seventy-three "instruments of the spiritual art." We can read this as "tools of the spiritual craft." Our spiritual toolbox has differing tools to build up ourselves in Spirit. Persons speak of "spiritual disciplines" or "spiritual practices" now. In some circles, we hear of these tools as "means of grace."
In the Christian Scriptures, Jude 20, we read: "But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith" (GNT). The "most sacred faith" is the foundation laid. How can we build if we do not have a foundation from which to build - a plight of modernism? We build from there. If we do not build, the foundation remains alone. The foundation, then, would speak of what could be but cannot be, for one does not put forth the effort. How many have some profession of faith without building up from there - like getting a ticket to heaven and resting satisfied with hope in a future in a paradise?
While it is popular in nonduality in the West to speak negatively of spiritual practice, as though no practice is needed once one realizes oneness, this is misleading. One reason this misleads is an experience of realization does not mean one is stabilized in that realization. One may have an insight into a spiritual way of being beyond where she lives. She will soon return to her previous spiritual address, so to speak. Breakthroughs are momentary. Flights of fancy do little good. And a second reason for the misleading is that many teachers seem to confuse a theoretical understanding of oneness with a lived experience.
So, simply put, we will not build ourselves up spiritually unless we do some building up. It does not just happen by having spiritual experiences or conceptually grasping some idea of accomplishment. No ticket to heaven or nirvana gets us anywhere. All our studies in holiness or oneness leave us divided and caught in duality unless we work toward stabilizing truth within us and in our everyday lives.
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Hence, we need to remember three things to apply our spiritual craft wisely.
1) Know what is in your toolbox.
Usually, what is in our toolbox comes from the tradition in which we seek to grow spiritually. These tools can include good works, sacred reading, prayer, meditation, mindful living, communal worship, daily prayers at set hours, solitude, silence, fulfilling vows, chanting, singing, study, confession, penance, forgiveness, loving one's enemies, thanksgiving, intentional acts of kindness, visiting the sick, not holding grudges, not speaking ill of others, charitable giving, and other practices.
Other pointers... Few persons can make a self-made toolbox well. And, also, the same tools will be called different names in differing paths. There are tools in one tradition that may not be in another. What is in your toolbox may change over time.
2) Identify why you use the tools.
A Christian could say, "To grow in Christlikeness," "To live a holy life," or "To grow into union with God." A Buddhist would have a different aim, such as, "To become enlightened," "To live mindfully," "To fulfill the Bodhisattva vows," or "To nurture Bodhichitta." A Hindu could say, "To escape the cycle of birth-and-death," "Live alone with the Alone," or "Realize oneness with Brahman." A Muslim could say, "To obey Allah in all things." A conservative Jew could say, "To worship and serve HaShem."
3) Use the tools.
One does not grow without effort. We cannot not do and grow. For example, we may hear of doing nothing when in the Prayer of Silence. Just relax and be present, we are told. Yet, doing nothing is doing something. Anyone who has engaged in such Prayer knows this, and they know how much effort can go into being effortless. We cannot escape the yin-and-yang, the duality, in life generally or spiritual practice. This is for that is. Effortlessness is, for effort is. Again, build or nothing is built.
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An example of this principle of applying practices to grow is exemplified in the following story.
A man, unhappy with his life, lists all the qualities he would like to enjoy. Among them are inner peace, kindness to all, patience, feeling close to God, joy, contentment, and many other qualities.
One day, walking in a strange town, the man walks by a store. He looks in and recognizes the Buddha. He does not know how he knows this is the Buddha, but he knows it.
The man walks into the store and up to the Buddha. He says, "You're the Buddha, aren't you?" "Yes." "I guess," says the man, "I've come to the right place, then." "What are you seeking today?" The man inquires, "What can I get here?" "Anything you truly need." The man, not wanting to ask for too much, chooses five things, saying, "I'd like to have love for my enemies, forgiveness for those who have wronged me, joy, patience, and contentment."
The Buddha says, "I'll go get these for you. Stay here. I'll soon be back." The man waits expectedly. The Buddha returns. He hands the man five small bags. The man says, "What are these?" "Seeds." Bewildered, the man says, "What for?" "For what you asked for. Just prepare the ground, plant these, nurture them, and they will grow." "Into what?" rejoins the man. "Into what you asked for. These seeds will become love for your enemies, forgiveness of others, joy, patience, and contentment." The man leaves downcast.
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Last, there are two aspects of the tools to keep in mind. Joan Chittister, a Benedictine, notes these in her The Monastery of the Heart. The tools we use to build ourselves up, to grow, are "deeply traditional" and "fully contemporary." We do not have to try to invent a path or its tools, as though the wisdom of the past is old-fashioned. Spiritual paths and tools have survived the ages precisely because they are timeless. Hence, to rebel against tradition is inimical to the Way. In ignoring the past, we lose our way in the present, or never find it. In the tools of spiritual craft handed to us from spiritual ancestors, we find sufficient wisdom for today. We discover this to be true when we give these tools a chance, rather than dishonoring the past - as is popular today. We find the means of the spiritual craft work now as then by working with them. So, we identify our foundation, and we build upon it.
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*© Brian K. Wilcox, 2021
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse. The book is a collection of poems based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.
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