Tag: religion

Me, a Saint?

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The Pope is in England for the start of the process of making John Henry Newman a “saint”. Newman was a good man and a very fine thinker, personalifying a gentle, open-minded search for truth. The school I went to in Ireland,  founded in 1867, was influenced by his principles of education. Most wisdom traditions hold up examples of people wo can act as an encouragement to us, such as the Bodhisattvas in the Buddhist tradition or the Saints in the Catholic and Orthodox history. Sometimes, however, the focus is on their extraordinary deeds which can lead us into thinking that full contentment is only to be found there. In this light, I like this quote from Thomas Merton:

For me to be a saint means to be myself.

Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is,  in fact,

the problem of finding our who I am and discovering my true self.

Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

When we fall down

Karl Duffy1 Comment

We are often conscious of our failings and our lack of ability to do some of the things which we have to do. This can cause confusion and doubts in our mind. Sometimes we just have to sit with that. Mindfulness does not mean calmness. Being aware of our confusion is also mindfulness. We work with each moment as it is, even those we would probably prefer not to have.

Sometimes too we stumble and fall. Things can get too hard for us. In those moments we start over, trying not to add any judgement to the event, just being gentle with ourselves.

A monk looking for some guidance and encouragement went to Abba Sisoius and asked:

“What am I to do since I have fallen?” The Abba replied “Get up”

“I did get up but I fell again.” “Get up again.”

“I did, but I must admit that I fell once again. What should I do?”

“Do not fall down without getting back up”.

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

What we can see in difficult moments

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I bought a lovely book of poetry last week, called Mala of the Heart: 108 Sacred Poems. I find that they express a profound sensitivity to the deeper aspects of life. I will post some of them from time to time over the next while. This one speaks to me at this moment. Sometimes difficult experiences put us in touch with what lies beneath the surface, namely, the soul, or our deepest self, and help us in our search for identity or meaning.

Don’t surrender your loneliness
So quickly.
Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight
Has made my eyes so soft,
My voice
So tender,

My need of God
Absolutely
Clear.

Hafiz (1320-1390 A.D)

A world in tatters

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I love desire, the state of want and thought
of how to get; building a kingdom in a soul
requires desire. I love the things I’ve sought- you in your beltless bathrobe, tongues of cash that loll from my billfold- and love what I want: clothes, houses, redemption. Can a new mauve suit
equal God? Oh no, desire is ranked.

To lose a loved pen is not like losing faith.Acute
desire for nut gateau is driven out by death,
but the cake on its plate has meaning,
even when love is endangered and nothing matters.
For my mother, health; for my sister, bereft,
wholeness. But why is desire suffering?
Because want leaves a world in tatters?
How else but in tatters should a world be?
A columned porch set high above a lake.
Here, take my money. A loved face in agony,
the spirit gone. Here, use my rags of love.

Molly Peacock Why I am not a Buddhist

How we look for certainty

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One day Mara, the Buddhist god of ignorance and evil, was traveling through the villages of India with his attendants. He saw a man doing walking meditation whose face was lit up in wonder. The man had just discovered something on the ground in front of him. Mara’s attendants asked what that was and Mara replied, “A piece of truth.” “Doesn’t this bother you when someone finds a piece of the truth, O evil one?” his attendants asked. “No,” Mara replied. “Right after this they usually make a belief out of it.

Jack Kornfield, Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart

The Spiritual  journey is not about finally getting to a place that’s really swell. Thinking that we can find some lasting pleasure is what in Buddhism is called samsara, a cycle that goes round endlessly and causes us to suffer greatly…. Instead,  this very moment is the perfect teacher, and lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are. However, most of us do not take these situations as teachings. We run like crazy. We use all kinds of ways to escape. There are so many ways that have been dreamt up to get us away from this moment, to soften its hard edge, deaden it so that we do not have to feel the full impact of the pain that arises when we cannot manipulate the situation to make us come out looking fine.

Pema Chodron, When Things fall apart.


Where is God?

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God changes appearances every second.

Blessed is the man who can recognize him in all his disguises. One moment he is a glass of fresh water; the next, your son bouncing on your knees, or an enchanting woman, or perhaps merely a morning walk.

Nikos Kazantzakis