Part 4: Staying
Awake – Responding to Life
These important and vital
words of Jesus the Christ "And what I say to you
I say to all: Stay awake” contain both a warning
and a piece of sound, practical and very wise advise. To become truly
transformed we need to be awake to the important questions of life and be
willing to truly listen to life’s answers.
Part 3 looked at the first
important question, which was really two inter-linked questions, Who
Am I and Where have I come from? These
set the scene for a truly reflective and aware life. Finding responses to these
set the direction of life’s journey and provide a firm foundation from which to
reflect on the nature and purpose of life.
Why I am here and what
is my unique task or purpose in life?
An initial response to this
question is as follows. Each person is challenged
and required to remain awake to life as it is lived day by day. This is life in
this Body :Psyche. This is life lived in time: space. Now, we can ponder questions such as, what time
is and what space is and whether there is a past or future. These are questions
that philosophers and sages have pondered for many millennium without finding
definitive answers. There is an ancient
Buddhist saying ‘ Examine the place on which you
stand’ which could be a good starting place as it may help us to find
what we do know.
What we can ‘know’
is the present moment. We also know that we are part of a continuously
unfolding and expanding cosmos. This cosmos has existed for over 14 billion
years and each unique being is part of this creation. Those who believe in a
Source, Mystery or Power at the heart of creation are challenged to accept
their responsibility as Co- Creators in this evolving creation and wonderful
cosmos.
So with this responsibility
we are challenged to play our part in creation. As a member of the
International Satsang Association, this brings home the truth and importance of
these words, which appear as a page header, ‘ Satsang- Seeking Together- Helping to
Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart of Compassion’ We each
have one life and one shot in this body: psyche in which to do our best to act
as responsible and compassionate co-creators. Each of us can do our best to
play our part in creating a more compassionate world and this may best be achieved
by developing practices that help us to become more spiritually aware.
I like countless others may
live a life that is largely unknown and perhaps with no remarkable or
noteworthy achievements. Nevertheless, I have the responsibility to develop
myself and, as far as possible, avoid deliberately harming myself, others or
creation.I may often err (a common
human trait) and thus inadvertently cause harm either to others or more often
to myself. However, providing I recognise
my error and learn from each experience, I am better able to discern my
choices. In this way I do my best to be compassionate
and thus remain on the right path.
Making choices is an
important part of being human. Choice also denotes that we have options,
because to make a choice we need at least two. I have learned the truth of the
following statement ‘ If you think that you only
have 1choice, then it is ( more likely) bound to be the wrong one’ . Choice requires wisdom and discernment. A
powerful reminder of the power of choices is that famous poem by Robert Frost.
I was first introduced to this by my wife Angela, who is my Anam Cairde – or
Soul Friend. We also used this in our recent Satsang Meeting which reflected on
the theme ‘ Dancing Across the Abyss’. This
leads on to the next question and the Sadhana or Spiritual Practices that can
best support my spiritual journey. Before moving on Robert Frost’s poem is
shown below.
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a
yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Now to make some reflections
on the final two questions that focus on the Spiritual Journey and the ‘Dance
Across the Abyss’ – to meet with and
relate to the Mystery by whatever name we each choose to use.
How can I best foster
my own Spiritual Practice and Journey?
We don't receive wisdom; we
must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or
spare us. Proust
The analogy of a journey is
used by most of the major spiritual traditions. The quote from the philosopher
Proust succinctly reminds us that in the final analysis, we all journey alone.
However, the support and companionship of fellow travellers can be both a
comfort and of great assistance. The journey is also one that requires great
self awareness and it is a life long journey into our own inner self. The following quote from a former UN
Secretary General emphasises this.
The longest journey is the journey inwards
Dag Hammarskjold
Both ancient wisdom and
modern neuroscience agree that it is extremely important to develop awareness
of the present moment and thus to become more conscious. Now, although
consciousness is much more than merely the brain, a well developed and trained
brain is a good starting point. Modern neuroscience has increased our
understanding and knowledge of the brain. The brain is very complex but as we
develop more knowledge it is becoming increasingly evident that there are 3
important stages in developing awareness.
1. ATTENDING
We need
to fully attend to ourselves and others using our senses and intuition. Any
practice that supports and develops mindfulness develops our attention to the
present moment.
2. LEARNING
We need
to learn as we attend so that we more fully understand what works, what needs
changing and what does not work in out life and in the life of those we try to
help. A useful practice that assists learning is to set aside times of
reflection. These can be anytime from a few minutes to a day of reflection.
3. DISCERNING Having attended and learned
we can now identify and recognise our choices and wisely choose, with the
realisation that all choices have consequences.
These
3 important tasks have been known and recognised by the Masters and Sages
throughout ages, although they may not express them in the same way.
Essentially they describe the underpinning reality that supports any serious
spiritual practice. In short, attending, by practicing mindfulness, is the
essential basis for the development of conscious awareness.
There
are a wide variety of simple mindful practices, from merely pausing for a few
seconds to longer periods of mindfulness meditation. The simplest and probably
most powerful practice is breath awareness; details on this practice and on
other aspects of mindfulness are the subject of separate reflections. Any practice
of mindfulness is in reality merely a simple practice of ‘Staying Awake’ and
‘staying awake’ is an extremely important spiritual practice.
How to develop my
relationship with Ultimate Reality – the Mystery and Oneness at the Heart of
Creation?
Being a traveller on the
Spiritual Journey is a lifelong pilgrimage. Like all journeys it has its ups
and downs, its joys and sorrows. However, as with all pilgrimages, once the
destination or goal has been set, the most important point to focus on is the
day by day, moment by moment journey. I like to use an analogy from my past
experience in a Mountain Rescue Team.
When climbing a mountain the final goal may be to reach the summit.
However, as we climb we are best advised to keep our eyes on the path we are
currently on and in times of danger and difficulty to merely focus on the next
step. If we want to either look back from where we have come from or forward
towards our goal, the summit, then it is wise to stop, examine the place on
which you stand and then look. The summit is reached by a series of shorter
goals, each building on the other until eventually we reach the goal.
While each of us ultimately climb
the mountain ‘alone’ , it can sometimes help if we journey with others and
provide mutual support and encouragement.This analogy applies to all
journeys and is particularly useful either in times where critical choices are
needed or when faced with challenges and stress.
Cosmologists affirm that we
are all created out of stardust. We are part of an amazing and constantly
evolving Cosmos – an awe inspiring, wonderful, diverse and intricate creation.
Those, like me, who believe that there is a Mystery or a Source behind and
beyond creation, are faced with the responsibility of relating to that Mystery.
We come from that Source, spend time in this body: psyche before we return to
that Source. Therefore, the primary principle on our spiritual journey is to
find and develop spiritual practices that support both our relationship with
the Mystery and with others. In this respect, the 3 main principles of the
Satsang Commitment are very relevant. Each Satsang Member undertakes a triple
commitment and resolves to:
1.
Commit to a personal growth in spiritual awareness and practice
2. Live a
life that helps remove the barriers of prejudice and ignorance
which
divide persons from each other.
3.
Build up relationships of compassion and appreciation
across frontiers
of race, ethnicity,
culture, language, economic class and religion.
The three principles of the Satsang Commitment
provide powerful and wise guidelines for developing a relationship with the
Mystery. It’s a truism that the way we relate with others and our environment
provide a ‘picture’ of the way we relate with the Mystery. These reflections
are based on a non-dualistic approach to life, creation, the cosmos and the
Mystery. There is no either:or and thus no separating the way we relate in all
aspects and situations.
All of the 3 principles require a great deal of self-awareness,
a compassionate heart and a realisation of the inter-connectedness of creation.
For me, it begins with the latter. As I grow older and develop my 2nd
half of life spirituality, the realisation of the inter-connectedness of creation
is both challenging and exciting. It seems that both science and the mystics
are in close agreement about this underlying truth. There are many references to the underlying
unity that co-exists in our remarkable diversity. The following quote is taken
from the Bhagavad Gita, a renowned book in Hinduism and said to contain the
essence of the spirituality of this great tradition.
‘The one who sees that the Lord of all is ever the
same in all that is, immortal in the field of immortality- they see the truth.
And when one sees that the Mystery (God) in
themselves is the same Mystery in all that is, they hurt not themselves by
hurting others: then they truly go to the highest Path’
Bhagavad Gita 13:27-28
Realising that there is an underlying unity in diversity
is, for me, an important starting point. I grew up in Catholic Ireland with a
firm foundation in the peculiarly angst ridden Irish Catholicism. I don’t
regret the grounding it has given me. It is part of my Celtic roots. My parents
also helped. My father came from a Northern Irish family with a mixture of
Catholicism and Protestantism. He was essentially a religious cynic, a result
of his upbringing. Interestingly, he
often spoke to me about Mahatma Gandhi and I vividly remember him speaking about
Gandhi’s assassination. He remarked ‘Son they always kill the good ones’.
This started my interest in India, its peoples and its Faith Traditions. Much later in
life, when I met my wife Angela, I was to renew this interest and get involved
with Sister Ishpriya and the International Satsang Association.
My mother was a strong Catholic but also had a
broader view of the world and religion. Doubtlessly this came from her mother
who became a widow at a very early age and was fiercely independent. My
Grandmother and Mother had Protestant friends and also Jews, a rarity in
Catholic Dublin. Consequently, my
Catholic upbringing was diluted by these influences and I thankfully never
succumbed to the prevalent Roman Catholic attitude of acting and feeling
superior.So my early upbringing gave me an interest in other
religions, cultures and peoples and thus influenced my approach to life and
spirituality.
Now the Mystery at the heart of Creation is
ultimately unknowable through our own power. The Mystics of all Faith
Traditions infer that this Mystery draws us in. In Christian terms this is
referred to as ‘grace’. However,
every relationship is two way. In order to relate we must be open to relating.
For many of us, relating to an Unknown Mystery can seem difficult and at times
puzzling. We can often seem ‘lost’
and unsure. One of the ways we can ‘check
out’ our relationship with the Mystery is to reflect on how we relate to
and with others.
Relationships are based on trust, mutuality and our
willingness to be present to the other. Some of the important qualities
required in relationships are, empathic compassion, a willingness to listen
deeply to the other and the ability to respond from the heart. These are the
qualities that can also assist us in relating to the Mystery. All spiritual
practices (Sadhana) are designed to develop and support these qualities. Each
person needs to adopt and integrate suitable practices that support their
spiritual journey. These can vary from formal prayer to longer periods of formal
sitting meditation. In the final analysis, all practices involve staying awake,
practicing mindfulness and remaining in the present moment. To truly relate to
the other we need to remain present to their ‘presence’.
These reflections have focused on our psychological
and spiritual need to grow in self-awareness and to form a firm or secure base
from which to explore our relationship with the Mystery at the heart of
Creation. For me, transformation is a life long and evolving journey. We are
all on a pilgrimage journey back to the Source of all life. All the main Faith
Traditions use the analogy of pilgrimage or journey. In my own Celtic
Tradition, this notion of Pilgrimage is it’s of the 4 main principles, often
referred to as the 4 Ps of Celtic Spirituality. I believe that we are all in a
state of ‘becoming’ and this ‘becoming’ is a constant evolution of spiritual
consciousness. In other words ‘transformation’ is a series of spiritual
insights that occur as we develop and deepen our relationship with the Mystery.
This Mystery is ultimately Unknowable and beyond
human understanding. The sage of Daoism (Lao Tsu) puts it very succinctly when
she/he writes ‘The Dao (Way
or Name) that can be known or understood is not
the True Dao’. For me this is an extremely wise statement. We
are made in the image of the Mystery and not vice versa. Trying to name or
relate to a God or Mystery that we make in our image can so often lead us down
the wrong path. History shows this has led to fundamentalism, wars, cruelty and
oppression.
Ultimately we are all on a journey back to the Source
or Mystery – we are essentially rooted in this Mystery and this journey
involves us in a transforming relationship that will ultimately lead us
back to our true home.
‘Knock and door will open – Seek and you will find’
‘And I say to you – Stay Awake! ‘ (Jesus the Christ)
