*Argeninia Light, Doug88888, Flickr
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He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.
- William Blake
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A scripture referring to Jesus, in the Christian Bible, observes: "He had no place to lay his head." This could read: "Jesus did not have a home, but moved from place to place." A deeper reading says more. What is that more? To look at that more, beyond seeing in the placelessness only a geographical, external meaning, let us consider a Buddhist practice.
A Buddhist practice for Liberation is aimlessness. This can mean: "Have no intent to go anywhere specific." This is true, if understood as Buddhists mean aimlessness. And, this would agree with the spiritual meaning of the Gospel Scripture observing Jesus had no place to lay his head.
Aimlessness invites us to loosen our grip on trying to determine the causes and conditions of our lives. Buddha and Jesus invites us to relax more, welcoming the mystery of how life unfolds. They encourage us to honor the mysterious Flow of Being that sometimes we seem to control and, at other times, seems beyond our control. We can live beyond "I am in control" and "I am not in control." We can live with the recognition that at any point and time we can suspend our demands on life, brought by desire and fear, and allow an Openness to see what might happen.
Obviously, neither the Buddha nor Jesus spoke of not putting forth effort. Aimlessness invites us to the joy of living with a wise effort: we are with life, not pushing at life. We live with effort, but not effortful.
In a real sense, no one has anywhere to be. Where we are and what is happening is in constant change. We can either live the illusion of control or release our grip on trying to force life into a design that fits our egoic preferences. We can be relieved to admit that Life Itself is wiser than we are, that we are the expression of this Life.
What happens in aimlessness? We live more relaxed and more deeply, recognizing the Goodness of Life and our connection spiritually with others. By saying "Yes" to this moment and place, we live gratefully and freely, and we are able to relish the depth of Sacredness in the most apparently common places and moments.
Aimlessness is a practice. This means an intentional action we return to again and again. With this practice aimlessness becomes more the spontaneous way we live. The consequence is increasing freedom to enjoy being with Life in Holy Communion, and freedom to Love more fully in each time and place.
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We are going home in every moment-We are practically going home in every moment to mother earth, to God, to the ultimate dimension, to our true nature of no birth no death. That is our true home. We have never left our home.
*Thich Nhat Hahn
*Lotus Flower - Lotus Petals, Bahman Farzad, Flickr
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♥ ♥ ♥
* * * CLOSING BLESSING * * *
Namaste'
The Sacred in Me bows to the Sacred in You
OM Shanti Shanti Shanti OM
ŠTo contact The Lotus Fellowship, write to 77ahavah77@gmail.com .
