Are we really made for these times? Are we up to it spiritually? What does it take spiritually speaking to be up for times like ours? Can we ground ourselves in practices that work for us while not getting overly attached to any one practice as Meister Eckhart taught? Can we be curious about other ones whether from our own or other traditions?
We are considering some practices as laid out by Kaira Jewel Lingo from her tradition as a nun in Thich Nhat Hahn’s community in Plum Village, France, and other places around the world.
Here is one: Moving throughout your day notice the people, animals, plants, situation in your life and silently remind yourself, ‘This is me.’ On seeing a flower or a tree, ‘this is also me.’ Encountering other persons, ‘they are also me. I am also them.’
Another meditation of equanimity in times of distress is this: First, take a few minutes to feel your breathing and your body. Allow yourself to open and settle, right here, right now…Now visualize yourself in a large, open clearing or field with grass, trees in the distance, and a big sky above.
Sitting in the field, bring to mind a situation that’s causing you some distress.
Invite the problem that is breaking your heart in the world come with you into the field and sit right next to you. Draw a circle that embraces you both and offer this prayer:
May I open to this moment, just as it is.
May my heart be at ease with conditions of my life.
Repeat each phrase a few times softly.
Now enlarge the circle by ten yards in diameter. How does it feel to experience more space around you and your problem? What is happening in your body?
Repeat this phrase:
As much as I would like things to be different,
Things are the way they are in this moment.
Now enlarge the circle to 30 yards in diameter. How do you feel?
Practice this phrase: May I open to the flow of joys and sorrows with understanding and equanimity.
Now let the circle grow to encompass the entire field–lots of space. Where do you wish to be in the field? Go there. Where is your problem in relation to you? Repeat these phrases or not. Let them go if you prefer:
May I open to this moment just as it is
May my heart be at ease with conditions of my life.
Now sit in the middle of the field again and let your problem be near or far away. Watch the sun as it sets over the treetops giving yourself over to the beauty of this moment. The problem is doing the same.
You must of course maintain your strength, your clarity, your purpose to resolve the problem, but you do not need to waste your energy in frustration, fear, and anxiety about it. Breathe in the beauty, the serenity of the moment: ‘May I open to this moment, just as it is.’
Return to your body in the present moment, gently open your eyes and move your hands and feet. And recite this Plum Village song:
And when I rise, let me rise
Like a bird, joyfully
And when I fall let me fall
Like a leaf, gracefully
Without regret.*
* Kaira Jewel Lingo, We Were Made For These Times: 10 Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption, pp. 93-97.
See Matthew Fox, “Meister Eckhart Meets Buddhism via Thich Nhat Hanh,” in Fox, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times, pp. 35-56.
And Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing From Global Faiths, “From Fromlessness, Nothingness”; “Meditations and Mindfulness,”, pp. 157-170, 189-217.
And Rev. Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo, The Lotus & The Rose: A Conversation Between Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Christianity.
And Fox, A Way To God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey.
And Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision For a New Generation.
Banner Image: No separation: meditation by the sea. Photo by processingly on Unsplash
Queries for Contemplation
Do these practices assist you to be more present to the crisis at hand in your life and the greater communities’ life? Do they deepen your sense of equilibrium? What other practices do that for you?
Recommended Reading
Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Time
While Matthew Fox recognizes that Meister Eckhart has influenced thinkers throughout history, he also wants to introduce Eckhart to today’s activists addressing contemporary crises. Toward that end, Fox creates dialogues between Eckhart and Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Heschel, Black Elk, Karl Marx, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, Dorothee Soelle, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Lily Yeh, M.C. Richards, and many others.
“Matthew Fox is perhaps the greatest writer on Meister Eckhart that has ever existed. (He) has successfully bridged a gap between Eckhart as a shamanistic personality and Eckhart as a post-modern mentor to the Inter-faith movement, to reveal just how cosmic Eckhart really is, and how remarkably relevant to today’s religious crisis! ” — Steven Herrmann, Author of Spiritual Democracy: The Wisdom of Early American Visionaries for the Journey Forward
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
The Lotus & The Rose: A Conversation Between Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Christianity
How can we move away from “us vs. them” thinking as our surroundings feel more divided and polarized than ever? Co-authors Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo discuss how Tibetan Buddhism and Mystical Christianity answer this question from unique points of view, with many commonalities and practical tools to break down the barriers between us.
“The Lotus and the Rose is an extraordinary example of what can happen when spiritual leaders from different traditions open up and speak from the heart.” — Paul Chaffee, The Interfaith Observer.
A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey
In A Way to God, Fox explores Merton’s pioneering work in interfaith, his essential teachings on mixing contemplation and action, and how the vision of Meister Eckhart profoundly influenced Merton in what Fox calls his Creation Spirituality journey.
“This wise and marvelous book will profoundly inspire all those who love Merton and want to know him more deeply.” — Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism
Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
Authors Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox encourage us to use our talents in service of compassion and justice and to move beyond our broken systems–economic, political, educational, and religious–discovering a spirituality that not only helps us to get along, but also encourages us to reevaluate our traditions, transforming them and in the process building a more sacred and just world. Incorporating the words of young activist leaders culled from interviews and surveys, the book provides a framework that is deliberately interfaith and speaks to our profound yearning for a life with spiritual purpose and for a better world.
“Occupy Spirituality is a powerful, inspiring, and vital call to embodied awareness and enlightened actions.”
~~ Julia Butterfly Hill, environmental activist and author of The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods
4 thoughts on “Are We Made For These Times? More Practices from Kaira Jewel”
“We Must All Drink from ‘the Cup”
Jesus dreaded the physical torture that He was being asked to endure out of love. He was even sweating blood as He prayed to the Father. It was not something that He could draw close and distance Himself from. Maybe in the psychological world of our minds, but humans do not possess such ‘magic’ in the physical world that eliminates pain and suffering that we are to endure. How long will we ‘coddle’ ourselves as if we were still children?
For many, these times are the spiritual and physical battles of our lifetimes. The ‘times’ cannot be pushed away or distanced ‘mentally’. We will have discomfort with human and personal sacrifice that will unfold for the ‘greater good’. Pray in faith, in love and in endurance as this is ‘One Cup’ that will not pass us over. Accept it, no matter how bitter we believe it to be and drink from it. We know our source of strength, the ‘One’ who has preceded us in pain and suffering, and with love, unity and grace, has ‘won’ the battle. We need to take heart and comfort in that as we drink from ‘the Cup’ of the new and everlasting covenant. That is our power, that is our strength. – BB.
The Twelve Blessings – a cosmic teaching and practice – is a profound and beautiful way to awaken ourselves to the vastness of creation while radiating spiritual energy (Love) to the world, the Mother Earth, the Mighty Sun and beyond. It transports us from the ordinary to the sublime and brings healing to the world. Visit http://www.12blessings.org to learn more.
Another perspective on this, from Teshale Nuer: “I must get enough sleep, to have the energy to defeat the Nazis. I must eat well, to keep my body healthy to defeat the Nazis. I must manage addictive processes, go to therapy, see the sunshine, smile at babies, give strangers directions, repair burned bridges, go to doctor appointments, teach, be creative, make love, etc. all JUST to defeat the Nazis. Every single thing you do, it can be and MUST be an intentional movement toward defeating Nazis.”
Yes! Thank you for introducing us to Kaira Jewel Lingo and her recent book, “We Were Made for These Times: 10 Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption.”
My personal prayer/meditation is: “Being~becoming the Divine Flow of LOVING, Healing, Creative, Diverse ONENESS in the Sacred Process of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT….”