Archive for February, 2008
« Previous EntriesSubtracting
Friday, February 29th, 2008God is not found in the soul by adding anything but by subtracting.
-Meister Eckhart
Chogyam Trungpa, Buddhist meditation master:
“When we begin to practice and to learn more, we may think we should be adding tricks or embellishments of all kinds to our practice. This is the approach of spiritual materialism.”
And:
“Spiritual discipline is not about advancement, but it […]
Give And Take
Thursday, February 28th, 2008When I went to buy groceries for a potluck last weekend, lilies were on sale. The instant I passed through the door, their heady scent grabbed me. Whooo-ee, what is this, in the middle of winter? Three bunches for $10! How could I pass it up? Naturally, I didn’t. So now they’re beautifully blooming just […]
Don’t Hold Back
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008Clinging to life causes life to decay; the life that is freely given is eternal.”*
Generosity is not about how much you give, it is a measure of how much you hold back, in this God is extremely generous as He holds nothing back.**
This statement hit me hard with its truth. No—capital T: Truth.
In how […]
Two Small Gems
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008African prayer:
O Father God, I cannot fight this darkness by beating it with my hands.
Help me to take the light of Christ into it. Amen.
And Meister Eckhart:
If people find themselves in this way in pure nothingness, is it not better for them to do something to drive away the darkness and the abandonment? Should such […]
A Right And A Good And A Joyful Thing
Thursday, February 21st, 2008Fear not to walk upon unbeaten tracks,
if such tracks bring you near to Him who is the truth.
-The Teaching of Kabir
While meditating this morning, a well-worn idea popped into my head about rules and following rules, as opposed to surrendering to God. Unfortunately, I didn’t simply watch the thought and let it go (I didn’t […]
Beginning
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008It may be when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.
-Wendell Berry
Where Breathing Is Prayer
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008Three quotes on breath and breathing.
Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.
Sit and be still
until in the time
of no rain you hear
beneath the dry wind’s
commotion in the trees
the sound of flowing
water among the rocks,
a stream unheard before,
and you are where
breathing is prayer.
-from Sabbaths 2001, Wendell Berry
In solitude, at […]
The Private I Does Not Exist
Monday, February 18th, 2008It’s probably no surprise that in many ways we are facing a crisis of spirituality in the West and we’re all moving in to fill this spiritual gap. Yet it seems to me that the self that we’re dealing with is the wrongly named self. What some would call the “private self,” I sometimes call […]
Let’s Unmire
Saturday, February 16th, 2008First, I want to reassure you all that I am not wallowing. My post the other day probably left some people wondering about my state of mind. I am not depressed or flailing (this time). I am, however, walking this Lenten journey and following where God is leading me. Sometimes that includes a little trip […]
Steamrolled By Scrooge
Thursday, February 14th, 2008The day before Ash Wednesday (that would be Mardi Gras), I was thinking about Lent and what my intention should be and decided to meditate for a bit and let the decision come from a deeper place. In other words, from a place that isn’t my mind. Well what came up was one word: give. […]
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