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LOTUS OF THE HEART
An Interspiritual-Interfaith Work
of The Lotus Fellowship and
Arem Nahariim-Samadhi
Arem, a vowed Contemplative of Greenbough House of Prayer, offers an interspiritual work focusing on cultivating the Heart of Compassion. He integrates wisdom from the major spiritual Paths. To contact Arem, see the email address at the conclusion of this presentation. May you always know you are blessed!
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*Red Stripy Rose..., Plexq, Flickr
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People should not worry as much about what they do but rather about what they are. If they and their ways are good, then their deeds are radiant. If you are righteous, then what you do will also be righteous. We should not think that holiness is based on what we do but rather on what we are, for it is not our works which sanctify us but we who sanctify our works.
*Meister Eckhart (b. ca. 1260). Selected Writings. Trans. Oliver Davies.
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An African story tells of a tribal chief inviting all the men of the village to a festival. He informed them, "Food is provided, but each man must bring one jug of palm wine." One man had no palm wine. He thought, "There is a way to go to the festival free of expense. I will find an empty jug, fill it with water, and add it to the great pot of palm wine. My bit of water in the jug will go unnoticed, and everyone will think I brought palm wine."
During the festival the time came for the chief to speak. He told the servants to fill each man’s glass with palm wine. When the guests raised their glasses, they were surprised to find that they were drinking water. For each of the guests had bought a jug of water, thinking his little bit of water would not spoil the pot of wine.
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We have heard, "Honesty is always the best policy." However, honesty, though it seems an easy matter, can become complex. Often, we might not discern the more subtle ways that we live dishonestly. We may not tell a blatant lie, but we might conceal motives and information. We might not tell the whole truth, telling enough to give a false impression. We might hold values and claim adherence to them, while hiding that we are violating those values.
Also, is the line between a lie and the truth as clear as many think? What if telling the truth would seem clearly to bring unnecessary harm to someone? Is acting in Love ever in conflict with acting truthfully?
Likely, the person who thinks she is always honest does not have a clear knowledge of the subtleties of her own dishonesty. Rather, through spiritual formation we become more attuned to the subtle motives and sly behaviors that before escaped our awareness. Also, we might experience the struggle to discern what to reveal and what to conceal, as we are drawn beyond the moralistic and dualistic distinctions of "falsehood" and "truth."
Honesty is more a journey than simply avoidance of not telling the truth. We can be grateful that as we get closer to Grace, Who is Purity, we are given insight into the evermore subtle ways that we can be duplicitous. Along with this increasing insight into our own motives and actions, forgiveness is part of the journey, likewise.
When we are faced with telling the truth or not, or acting out the truth or not, we need to be able to stop and take inventory, prayerfully. If we are tempted to be dishonest or not forthcoming, we need to know why.
This is an area that literalists and moralists fail to address adequately. Anyone can quote a commandment and say, "I don’t do that." However, like Jesus presenting the new "law," the Beatitudes, telling the truth, indeed, all morality, is more than just not doing something. Morality pertains to motive. Not lying, for example, is only the beginner’s level of honesty.
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The above story from Africa reminds us that honesty does matter, and to the whole community. Duplicity multiplied brings detrimental consequences to the whole community, family, or job place. Likewise, one act of your integrity contributes to the spiritual health of everyone.
Reflect on the opening saying by Eckhart. Does action, according to Eckhart, proceed from character or character from action? Do you agree with his position? Explain. What might Eckhart say about the best way to become more honest? Do you ever struggle with honesty? In what contexts do you feel most tempted to lie or not tell the whole truth?
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The Sacred in Me bows to the Sacred in You
*Photo, Angelito De Luz
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♥ ♥ ♥
* * * CLOSING BLESSING * * *
Namaste'
Arem's book of mystical love poetry, Brian K. Wilcox. An Ache for Union, can be ordered through major bookdealers.
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