Sacredness of Life & Creation

 The Sacredness of Creation and of Life

We live in a world where humanity is struggling with many issues and in many ways seems to be facing an some existential choices. Many of the Mystics and Sages , both from the past and present consider that humanity has taken a ‘wrong turn’ on its evolutionary path. It has branched off from the natural path of evolution and seems headed for a destructive and very negative dead end or cul-de-sac. This could lead to the total destruction of our human family. There are many indicators that highlight this destructive path, but here are three stark examples of crises that our human family needs to honestly face:

                    The Crisis of our Environment - 

as we abuse and misuse our planet - Mother Earth 

                    The Crisis of Violence and Destruction.
                                we live on a world that is far too violent and self-destructive

                    The Crisis of our lack of compassion

( for more on these 3 issues  , and particularly the first  two, see  the resources page  www.satsang-companionship.org uk and the two articles Rooted in Mystery)

Our Crisis of Compassion

It is the last of these that this post wants to briefly address. This lack of compassion  highlights our failure to see who we really are and our intimate connectedness with all. As Carl Sagan notes,.

 The Cosmos is also within us. We are made of Star Stuff.  We are a way for the Cosmos to Know itself’   

Thus the first two crisis are iner-connected with and rooted in the 3rd crisis - that of our lack of  compassion for self and others.
  

Humanity has evolved over hundreds and thousands of years and, as a species, we have a great capacity for empathy and compassion.  Increasinglt, neuro-science is providing more and more evidence that traces the evolutionary growth of our brain and its remarkable capacity for connection. This requires both Empathy and Compassion.However, the Patriarchal lust for power over and  the growth in  fundamentalism 'blocks' or diverts this great Heart - Mind human capacity.

We can see this in the current growth in both materialism and fundamentalism all around our planet. It impacts on politics, religion and all areas of human endeavour. In our rapidly changing world with its many crisis , it is an example of  how human beings, particularly when faced with complex crises, tend to block out or ignore them. They do this in a variety of ways and a favourite 'defence' or 'diversion' is to focus on issues that are not essential or immediate. This has led to a common human syndrome of ' sorting the deckchairs on the sinking Titanic.'    We panic and instead of accepting personal responsibility, we begin the dualistic 'blame game' with its my way is better than yours and 'its not my fault, its your fault.'

We forget the ancient wisdom of our inter-connectedness. So aptly  and beautifully expressed in these words from the Katha Upanishad ( from the Hindu Vedanta)

There are not many but only one.

Who seeks variety and not the unity,

Wanders on from death to death.

I was reflecting on much of the current news and the challenges faced by the fundamental lack of compassion. By chance, I came across the following reflections by Reina Parada. Reina, is a Satsang Member from California. Many years ago she generously shared these reflections, which were published in our ( now out of print) Satsang Newsletter - Indwelling. I re-issue this and record my thanks to Reina as she reflects on her feelings of SACREDNESS written in 2006.

SACREDNESS A Reflection by Reina Parada ( 2006)

Every moment is sacred Every moment is to be revered It is Thursday, early morning The house is still Everybody sleeps And I feel the sacredness of the Early morning at dawn I looked at the window and all The trees seemed to be captured In a perfect picture That remained still in time It is dawn Not a sound is heard yet The birds are sleeping The plum tree in the garden, My old friend, Seems to meditate along with Everything around I walk quietly I do not want to break the precious Sacredness I feel in this moment All of a sudden The stillness I feel Around me Embraces me in a silent hug And, like if I was in the arms Of my love I closed my eyes And I felt With my whole being and with all my gut How precious every moment is Because only for that instant I was able to touch briefly the heart The heart of the Oneness that IS And pervades everything that is and Exists I bowed in my heart with a deep reverence To the silent sacredness of this moment For feeling the pristine music of silence That constitutes every single moment Of what we call life

It is the same heart embracing All the colors spread on earth In every form and shape of creation This moment is sacred Because it IS This moment is sacred A child is being born Somewhere in the planet Someone is dying Somewhere in the planet Someone is loving Somewhere in the planet Someone is crying Somewhere in this planet Someone is laughing Somewhere in this planet Someone is sleeping Somewhere in this planet Someone is dancing Somewhere in this planet Life and death Pain and joy Sadness and happiness All the colors of the spectrum Of emotions and feelings And, unfortunately, Someone is dying Somewhere in this planet Because of violence and hatred…. The moment we break The sacredness of this moment That moment we bring Pain to others Either in thought or in action We have become irreverent to the only reality that IS But, every moment we live We have the opportunity To realize, at least for the split of A second, The sacredness of this moment And rejoice and sing in praise For all that IS

Remembering Srebrenica

Please note the above and feel free to attend

Part 2 - Review of Satsang Day

We resume our review of the Satsang Day of Reflection , held at the Friends Meeting House, Wolverhampton on Sat 13th June 2015

Summary of Part 1

Our Day was designed to look at the many challenges facing our world and our human family in the 21st century. Our growing understanding and knowledge from all the disciplines indicate that there is a great inter-connectedness at the heart of creation. 

The Cosmos has been expanding and revealing itself for around 14 billion years and we, as a species, have been around for about 7 million years but modern humanity ( Homo Sapiens) has, over the past 200 thousand years ,become to use its great gift of self-reflective consciousness to begin to explore and engage with the creative process. However, we have also begun to have a negative impact on our environment and planet. This has become more marked in the past 300 years and has accelerated in the past 50 years. The negative impact is increasing at an exponential rate and thus, as a species, we face many challenges and choices. 

These challenges are particula\rly relevant for the major World Faith Traditions. It requires each of them to reflect on and review their underlying truth(s) and ultimately to embrace an alternative theology. They require a theology that can hold both the ancient truths and wisdom and modern knowledge in a non-dualistic manner and thus avoid the pitfalls of an Either : Or or 'my religion is best' mentality. ( This is an issue that we will return to in future Satsang Meetings)

Our ancestors, and particularly before the onset of the current patriarchal era, had a more holistic view of creation and our place in it. Modern science confirms that all creation comes from the Big Bang .We are as Carl Sagan suggests all created from star dust. 

The Cosmos is also within us. We are made of Star Stuff.  We are a way for the Cosmos to Know itself’      

Carl Sagan

Ancient Spiritual Wisdom can assist us but we have to be honest and face the inaccuracies and distortions that can sometimes arise when Religion fails to focus on the Mystery at the Heart of Creation and over-focuses on a Creator ( or God by many names) who is more made in our image i.e. a small-minded  and ( mainly) man-made God. .

The following quote from Part 1 serves as a thought provoking and useful reflection. Though the words are about  Christianity, they could be adapted and applied to other Faith Traditions i.e. for church read mosque, mandir, gurdwara etc

   "Faith itself sometimes needs to be stripped of its social and historical encrustations and returned to its first, churchless incarnation in the human heart.“  ( Christian Winman)

So in Part 1 we looked at  two themes that challenge us and how Ancient Wisdom could be of assistance. The themes were

1.   The Balance between Knowledge and Action

2.    The Macro and Micro Cosmos - The interconnectedness of 

       all creation

Final Note    Whilst our Day of Reflection contains 4 'themes' it is not necessary to take in all four. Each of us are on our own unique journey back to the Source. We gather is Satsang for spiritual companionship and support. However, it is hoped that one or more of Sister Ishpriya's 'themes' will touch us at this point on our journey. If so, this will be the 'gift' for us this day.

Now to continue to Part 2

Opening Reflection & Focus

To prepare for our 2nd session, we had a time of silence and watched the following video that presented a poem by Sister Ishpriya - Caught in the Half Light

This led us gently into the afternoon's session with its two themes. We began the afternoon with Theme 3 of our 4 themes, each supported by a short video input from  Sister Ishpriya

Theme 3:- NEED not GREED -
 the power of money

   'Leaving the transient, find Joy in the Eternal:

  Set not your heart on another’s possessions.'  Isa Upanishad

After a short pause we began to move into our third theme with  a quotation from Gandhiji- the father of modern India. His quote reminds us that our Blue planet- a wonderful home for our human family, is bountiful and provides sufficient for all our real needs.

Video Clip 3   from Sister Ishpriya

We then watched a short video clip from Ishpriya and she reflected on the influence and power of money and its impact on our world and humanity.

Post-Video Reflection

After Sister Ishpriya's input the following quote from the Native American Tradition was used to lead us gently into a time for personal reflection. 

The Native American Tradition , like those of other 1st Nation Aboriginal Peoples clearly show the holistic link these traditions have with the Earth , Creation and 'The Creator' - by a variety of names. 

Final Point for  Reflection on Theme 3

After a time for Personal Reflection on Theme 3, we gathered together.  We then looked into the wisdom of Islam for some further points about greed. Islam as a major World Religion has much to contribute, particularly concerning the importance of mercy and giving alms. The following story from the Hadith was used to provide a 'space' for final personal and silent reflection before we moved on to the final theme for our Day.

All the great Traditions warn of the dangers of over-forcing and/or over relying on money and possessions.  The Christian Tradition- and certainly the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ- lay great stress on the dangers of greed. One of His many quotes is :

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.'

 Its not that money or possessions are inherently bad, its that it can lead to us focusing on the wrong thing. This quote came out of a cultural backdrop where 'wealth' was seen a a sign of 'God's Grace'   

Arguably, we have not moved on very far from the times of 1st Century Palestine  . Much of our modern values lay great stress on the accumulation of money and wealth. and is the cause of much inequality amongst our Human Family.

Our Blue Planet is our home and its gifts and treasures are not only to be held and dealt with in reverence but also shared equally.

Arguably, our failure to share the bounty of the world more equitably is one of the root causes of much of the tension and violence within our human family.

The words of the Isa Upanishad are indeed not only wise but very relevant in our modern times.

   'Leaving the transient, find Joy in the Eternal:

  Set not your heart on another’s possessions. ' Isa Upanishad

Theme 4 - Courage

We then moved into the final part of our Day of Reflection and this focused on the theme of COURAGE.  The word comes from the root ' couer' or 'heart' in French. 

To have and to find courage requires a Heart- Mind connection ( a topic we covered in an earlier Satsang Day of Reflection   Both modern Neuro-Psychology and Ancient Wisdom recognise the value of the Heart-Mind Connection.

We are a species who have evolved over time and with a large proportion of our brain devoted to the Affective and Empathic aspect of life and relationships. 

In modern neuro-scientific parlance we are designed for 3 core needs :-  Survival - Satisfaction and Connection. The last of these is part of our more evolved brain , the top part and this requires a Heart-Mind connection.  Neuro Science calls this neuro integration. 

In many of the Spiritual Traditions the Source of Creation is seen as Love or Relationship. Excellent examples of this are the Hundu practice of Bhakti and the Christian message that 
'God is Love'   this is emphasised by the Trinity.

With this as a backdrop, the following quote from  the ancient Chinese Taoist Spirituality was used to enter into our theme on Courage.

Video Clip 4 from Sister Ishpriya

In her final video clip, Ishpriya focuses on the theme of Courage and recounts 2 examples from her experiences living  near Rishikesh in Northern India at the  Jeevan Dhara Sadhana Kuttirs   near Tapovan.

Post Video Reflection

The following powerful quote from  St Paul the Christian Mystic led us into our final time of personal reflection. Note the connection between love - courage and inner strength.

Sharing our Day and our Journey

After our time of Personal Reflection we met as a Group and used the following quote from the Vedas to remind us of our Journey and to guide our sharing.

The Dance of the Elements

We ended our day led by Angela in a final period of Sacred Circle Dance. Angela chose a lovely song - Tread Gently on the Earth. This is often referred to as the Dance of the Elements - Earth - Air - Water - Fire

We danced to a backdrop of a large slide ( see below) of Mother Earth surrounded by the diversity of her children and they dance in reverence of her bounty and love.

We hope you enjoy these reflections and we resume our Satsang Programme in October 2015

Review of Satsang Day Part1

The following reflections contain a brief review of our Satsang Day of Reflection - held on Sat 13th June 2015  under the generic title of

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

 

Part 1: - Morning Session  -

Themes:- Knowledge & Action plus the Inter-connectedness of all creation 

Setting the Scene

We live in a world beset by many challenges, a world that is on the cusp of an evolutionary change. Some of the the issues and challenges facing us are outlined in the following points:

We are experiencing an explosion in knowledge about the  Cosmos  in all areas of Science, Technology, Neuroscience ,Theology and Cosmology. 

We now know that all creation is inter- connected and that everything, yes literally EVERYTHING! , has come from star dust.

These discoveries are both awesome and amazing . They  challenge many of our ‘set’ ideas and accepted ‘truths’ 

Some of these  ‘truths’ and ‘ideas’ have caused , and are continuing to cause, widespread chaos for our planet and its peoples and particularly the economically poor and deprived.

 If our human family is to survive and prosper in an holistic manner, then we need to face the demands of these challenges with  both wisdom and discernment .

The purpose of our Day of Reflection was to provide the opportunity to 'sit by the wayside' and reflect on  our ability to discern and make wiser choices.

Our Day of Reflection was designed   to provide an opportunity to look at 4 aspects or themes  of this challenge  and how each could be related to, and supported by, ancient wisdom.  

Each was supported by a short video clip from  Sister Ishpriya,  the Spiritual Guide of the Satsang . She uses some  excerpts from  the ISA UPANISHAD of Hinduism  to relate these aspects both to modern life and ancient wisdom.

 We  had time for personal reflection, silence and Group sharing.   In addition extracts from Hinduism, Buddhism,  Taoism, Christianity , Islam  and Native American Spirituality supported  these themes and extracts will both introduce and end all 4 themes as these reflections continue.

But first the 18 verses of the Isa Upanishad, some of these will be repeated as we reach each of the 4 themes. In itself, the Upanishad is a 'pearl' of Universal Spiritual Wisdom

SHANTI – PATHA

Invocation of Peace

Fullness is here; Fullness is there.

When Fullness is taken from Fullness  Fullness still remains 

OM Shanti – Shanti -  Shanti

1.               Behold the Universe in the glory of God: and all that lives and moves on earth.

          Leaving the transient, find Joy in the Eternal:

          Set not your heart on another’s possessions.

2.                  Working thus, a man may wish for a life of a hundred years.

           Only actions done in God bind not the soul.

3.                  There are demon haunted worlds, regions of utter darkness.

            Whoever in life denies the Spirit falls into that darkness of death.

4.                  The Spirit, without moving, is swifter than the mind.

            The senses cannot reach him: He is ever beyond them all.

            Standing still, he overtakes those who run.

            To the ocean of His being, the Spirit of Life leads the streams of

             action.

5.                   He moves, and he moves not. He is far, and He is near.

            He is within all, and he is outside all.

6.                  The one who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, 
            loses all fear.

7.                  When a wise one sees this Great Unity and his own Self has become all beings.

            What delusion and what sorrow can ever be near him?

8.                  The Spirit filled all with his radiance.

            He is without form and invulnerable, pure and untouched by evil.

            He is the supreme seer and thinker, immanent and transcendent.

            He placed all things in the path of Eternity.

9.                  Into deep darkness fall those who follow action.

            Into deeper darkness fall those who follow knowledge.

10.             One is the outcome of knowledge and the other is the outcome of action.

          Thus have we heard from the ancient sages who explained this truth to us.

11.             He who knows both knowledge and action, with action overcomes death 
           and with knowledge reaches immortality.

12.             Into deep darkness fall those who follow the immanent.

           Into deeper darkness fall those who follow the transcendent.

13.             One is the outcome of the transcendent

           and the other is the outcome of the immanent.

           Thus have we heard from the ancient sages who explained this

            truth to us.

14.             He who knows both the transcendent and the immanent, with the immanent 
           overcomes death and with the transcendent reaches immortality.

 15.     The Face of Truth remains hidden behind a circle of Gold.

            Unveil it, O God of Light, that I, who love the True, might  see!

16.      O life giving sun, off-spring of the Lord of Creation, solitary seer of

          heaven!

           Spread Thy Light and withdraw Thy blinding splendour,

            that I might behold  Thy radiant form.

           That Spirit far away within Thee is my own inmost Spirit.

17.      May Life go to immortal life, and the body go to ashes.

           Oh my soul, Remember past strivings, Remember!

           Oh my soul, Remember past strivings, Remember!

18.      By the Path of Good lead us to final bliss, O Fire Divine, thou god

           who knows all ways.

           Deliver us from Wandering Evil.    Prayers and adoration we offer unto thee.

Preparing for Our Day

As is our customary practise, we use the Mindful Practice of Sacred Circle Dance, to both prepare us for, and lead us into, our day. Angela led us in a simple , but meaningful time of Sacred Circle Dance.  

Before that she reminded us of the importance and purpose of Sacred Circle Dance as a simple yet powerful form of Mindful Meditation to Music and Movement  and read this short extract from her Sacred Circle Dance Flier ( see website) 

So why take part in Sacred Circle Dancing?

Spiritual Practice is intended to develop our Inner Life and our experience of being connected with a larger Reality.  Regular practice leads to a greater integration with the self, with others, our wider human community, with Nature, the Cosmos and, above all, the Divine.  Dance is a wonderful form of Spiritual Practice. In many cultures it plays a key role in their experience of the Sacred.

Perhaps, we could benefit and see Dance as another way for us to experience the Divine. We could see it as wonderful spiritual practice that has the added advantage of being enjoyable. So doing it for the joy of doing it could, in itself, become for us another way of expressing the Divine within.

Korev Yom   Angela chose the Jewish  Song ' Korev Yom' and we danced this to the backdrop of a picture of Jerusalem - looking out from the Mount of Olives towards the Temple and the Dome of the Rock 

This site is both holy and sacred to the 3 Monotheistic Traditions of the West - Judaism - Christianity and Islam.

The movement to the dance has our own interpretation and consists of 4 symbolic elements which each individual brings to any time of communal Satsang. These are :

What we bring to the Group -

What we offer the Group

What we offer in gratitude

What we take  for ourselves from the group.

Morning Session - Themes 1 and 2

AN OPENING QUESTION & A BRIEF RESPONSE

Can the inherited wisdom of the faith traditions help. ?

 Perhaps we need to pause and revisit the essential truths of the world's great Faith Traditions and also the spirituality of the Aboriginal Peoples.

We can take something from  our Sikh sisters and brothers and the teachings of Gurudev Nanak their founder.

The Guru teaches that we would be wise to seek and  find the SAT or essential Truth at the heart of creation.

 Christian Wiman  ( a poet ) has this to say about  Christianity.  His words could be adapted for other Faith Traditions i.e. for church read mosque, mandir, gurdwara etc

   "Faith itself sometimes needs to be stripped of its social and historical encrustations and returned to its first, churchless incarnation in the human heart.“

In modern parlance, it can be helpful to 'get back to basics'  

However, 'basics' does not mean losing any of the essential Truth and Mystery that lies at the heart of this wonderful and awesome Cosmos and Creation. It can mean to remove the

( mainly) 'man made' and 'patriarchial'  encrustations that can overpower and diminish the wonder of the Mystery. 

We are back once again  to the wisdom and words of the  opening verse of the Isa Upanishads

           Behold the Universe in the glory of God: and all that lives and moves on earth.

          Leaving the transient, find Joy in the Eternal:

Theme 1. Balancing Knowledge & Action
verses from Isa Upanishad

9.                  Into deep darkness fall those who follow action.

            Into deeper darkness fall those who follow knowledge.

10.             One is the outcome of knowledge and the other is the outcome of action.

          Thus have we heard from the ancient sages who explained this truth to us.

11.             He who knows both knowledge and action, with action overcomes death 
           and with knowledge reaches immortality.

1st Video Clip from Sister Ishpriya

Post-Video Reflection

After a period for Personal Reflection on Theme 1 - the balance between Knowledge and Action, we returned for a short time to reflect on the words of the Buddha ( below) 

Theme 2: - Macro & Micro Cosmos - 

The Inter- Connectedness of All

Behold the Universe in the glory of God: 

and all that lives and moves on earth.

The following short extract from another of the 'jewels' of the Vedas was read. This comes from the Chandoga Upanishad

We opened Theme 2 with a time of reflection on the following picture of the Corinna Nebula and the opening Verse of the Isa Upanishad

2nd  Video Clip from Sister Ishpriya

After the 2nd video clip we spent time in silence/meditation/silent prayer as best suited each individual ( either in solitude or focusing on picture above.

Final Morning Reflection & Personal Sharing

Before a time of Personal Sharing the following quotation from Julian of Norwich was offered. She is arguably one of the greatest Mystics of the Middle Ages and one whose clarity  of vision and teaching has stood the test of hundreds of years

We then took time to share and listen to each other in Satsang Companionship before breaking for lunch.


Part 2 of these reflections, covering the 3rd and 4th themes , will appear in a separate Blog Post.