I'm pretty sure that most of us who think about it at all, wonder how a God who is loving allows so much suffering. I think I may have raised this before but it is clearly something to come back to even if there are no terribly clear answers.
I do believe that a great deal of the suffering of our world is caused by us - by our own choices and actions. It seems to me that famine, war, injustice are humanly caused sufferings for the most part. Even so, there are sufferings that are natural and sufferings of loss for instance, that are simply part of being alive.
Really bad suffering is almost more than we can bear and we cry out in helplessness or anger or despair. What seems clear at times like this is that when we cry out and someone responds in love ; when another human being hears our cry and stays beside us or brings healing or just acknowledges our pain, our burden is eased a great deal. When this happens it is a reflection of the presence of that God whom we call Love. We might have wanted the pain to be taken away entirely but even having the burden eased by another's presence is a gift.
Which brings me back to Thich Nhat Hanh and his wisdom. We Christians are often accused (sometimes rightly alas) of glorifying suffering. I do believe that suffering is something we should do everything we can to overcome, to erase. But when it does happen there is something to be learned and Thich Nhat Hanh has put it this way:
Many people aspire to go to a place where pain and suffering do not exist, a place where there is only happiness. This is a rather dangerous idea, for compassion is not possible without pain and suffering. It is only when we enter into contact with suffering that understanding and compassion can be born. (From You are Here)
At the same time he also points out a way to help ourselves in times when all seems dark and negative. He says:
If the presence of the other is refreshing and healing to you, keep hold of this presence and nourish yourself with it. If there are negative things around you, you can always find something that is healthy , refreshing and healing and with your mindfulness you can recognize its presence in your life. (You are Here)
Whatever you may think of what he is saying, for instance, you might feel it is too simple or too hard, I do think it is worth thinking about and pondering. There might be a small step we can take here toward both continuing our efforts to overcome what suffering we can in our lives and in our world and also, when it exists, finding ways to see the possibility of growth.
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Labels and truth
Once again something from that wise man Thich Nhat Hanh has left me pondering. In this little piece he is speaking about how we label one another and the effect that has. He says:
As human beings we're exactly the same. But the many layers of labels prevent other people from seeing you as a human being. Thinking of yourself as or calling yourself a Buddhist ...or Christian, Jewish or Muslim can be a disadvantage.This can be an important part of your identity, but it is not the whole of who you are. People are caught in these notions and images, and they cannot recognize each other as human beings. The practice of peeling away all the labels so that the human being can be revealed is truly a practice for peace. (From: Answers from the Heart).
He could just as easily be speaking about many other and equally powerful labels we give one another: white/black/Asian, skinny/fat, old/young and so many more that become powerful by being laden with years/centuries of emotional burden. Difference/otherness seems to be so overwhelming in us sometimes that as he says, we don't see each other as human beings, as people more like us than unlike us.
He didn't mention the labels we give ourselves but I suspect they are just as powerful. If we see ourselves as stupid, ugly, too short, too tall, too whatever... we don't see ourselves as fully human. We sell ourselves far short of the reality of who we are.
The spiritual writer Henri J. M. Nouwen, in a talk he gave, spoke about the ways we seek our identity. He pointed out three ways we tend to 'value' and identify ourselves; ways that really don't touch the core of who we are. The three ways he says we most often value ourselves are 1) by what we do 2) by what others think about us and 3) by what we have.
When you think about what Henri is saying there seems truth both in what he identifies and in the insubstantiality of them. We know from our own experience that what we do is often quickly forgotten; that what others think about us can change from moment to moment and that what we have disappears quickly or loses its value and is just as quickly replaced by something else.
What Henri and I think Thich Nhat Hanh are saying, is that there is something much deeper and much truer at the heart of who we are. Henri puts it very simply: that our truest identity is that we are the beloved daughters and sons of God. Although that is not always easy to believe it is in fact the heart of our reality. What Thich Nhat Hanh then says is that when we strip away what is not our reality we will be much more able to live in peace with one another.
That is all so hopeful.
Don't forget, if you would like to comment on this just click on 0 Comments (or whatever number it says) and follow the instructions. Thanks.
As human beings we're exactly the same. But the many layers of labels prevent other people from seeing you as a human being. Thinking of yourself as or calling yourself a Buddhist ...or Christian, Jewish or Muslim can be a disadvantage.This can be an important part of your identity, but it is not the whole of who you are. People are caught in these notions and images, and they cannot recognize each other as human beings. The practice of peeling away all the labels so that the human being can be revealed is truly a practice for peace. (From: Answers from the Heart).
He could just as easily be speaking about many other and equally powerful labels we give one another: white/black/Asian, skinny/fat, old/young and so many more that become powerful by being laden with years/centuries of emotional burden. Difference/otherness seems to be so overwhelming in us sometimes that as he says, we don't see each other as human beings, as people more like us than unlike us.
He didn't mention the labels we give ourselves but I suspect they are just as powerful. If we see ourselves as stupid, ugly, too short, too tall, too whatever... we don't see ourselves as fully human. We sell ourselves far short of the reality of who we are.
The spiritual writer Henri J. M. Nouwen, in a talk he gave, spoke about the ways we seek our identity. He pointed out three ways we tend to 'value' and identify ourselves; ways that really don't touch the core of who we are. The three ways he says we most often value ourselves are 1) by what we do 2) by what others think about us and 3) by what we have.
When you think about what Henri is saying there seems truth both in what he identifies and in the insubstantiality of them. We know from our own experience that what we do is often quickly forgotten; that what others think about us can change from moment to moment and that what we have disappears quickly or loses its value and is just as quickly replaced by something else.
What Henri and I think Thich Nhat Hanh are saying, is that there is something much deeper and much truer at the heart of who we are. Henri puts it very simply: that our truest identity is that we are the beloved daughters and sons of God. Although that is not always easy to believe it is in fact the heart of our reality. What Thich Nhat Hanh then says is that when we strip away what is not our reality we will be much more able to live in peace with one another.
That is all so hopeful.
Don't forget, if you would like to comment on this just click on 0 Comments (or whatever number it says) and follow the instructions. Thanks.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Religion and Spirituality
I was just reading through the various blogs from which I pick up bits of news and there was an item about the Dalai Lama. It came from his Facebook page. There was an additional quote in the Huffington Post about it. Here is what the Dalai Lama is saying:
All the world's major religions, with their emphases on love, compassion, patience, tolerance and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.
The further quote elaborated on his vision of the difference between religion and ethics:
A metaphor the Dalai Lama likes to use goes like this: The difference between ethics and religion is like the difference between water and tea. Ethics without religious content is water, a critical requirement for health and survival. Ethics grounded in religion is tea, a nutritious and aromatic blend of water, tea leaves, spices, sugar and, in Tibet, a pinch of salt."But however the tea is prepared, the primary ingredient is always water," he says. "While we can live without tea, we can't live without water. Likewise, we are born free of religion, but we are not born free of the need for compassion."
There is a lot to ponder I think. I myself could not live without my faith but what he says about the difference between water and tea strikes me as helpful.
It does seem to me so sad that at the moment organized religions have, in many places, lost that ability to offer the nutrition that the Dalai Lama is speaking about.
But then today I was also experiencing a time of religious nutrition from my friend and colleague Sue Mosteller. I was watching a video of a talk she gave a few months ago which was ostensibly about Henri Nouwen the very fine spiritual writer and his meditation on Rembrandt's wonderful painting: The Return of the Prodigal. But there was so much else in the talk that is just full of hope that I want to share the link with you if you have the time.
http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/collegevilleinstitute_lectures/2/
And then of course don't forget to visit the website of the Charter for Compassion: http://charterforcompassion.org/
We need always to live ethically but I do think that it is much 'easier' to do that when one can be grounded in a deep awareness of the love that God has for us as we journey through all the troubled waters of life.
Don't forget, if you would like to comment on this just click on 0 Comments (or whatever number it says) and follow the instructions. Thanks.
All the world's major religions, with their emphases on love, compassion, patience, tolerance and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.
The further quote elaborated on his vision of the difference between religion and ethics:
A metaphor the Dalai Lama likes to use goes like this: The difference between ethics and religion is like the difference between water and tea. Ethics without religious content is water, a critical requirement for health and survival. Ethics grounded in religion is tea, a nutritious and aromatic blend of water, tea leaves, spices, sugar and, in Tibet, a pinch of salt."But however the tea is prepared, the primary ingredient is always water," he says. "While we can live without tea, we can't live without water. Likewise, we are born free of religion, but we are not born free of the need for compassion."
There is a lot to ponder I think. I myself could not live without my faith but what he says about the difference between water and tea strikes me as helpful.
It does seem to me so sad that at the moment organized religions have, in many places, lost that ability to offer the nutrition that the Dalai Lama is speaking about.
But then today I was also experiencing a time of religious nutrition from my friend and colleague Sue Mosteller. I was watching a video of a talk she gave a few months ago which was ostensibly about Henri Nouwen the very fine spiritual writer and his meditation on Rembrandt's wonderful painting: The Return of the Prodigal. But there was so much else in the talk that is just full of hope that I want to share the link with you if you have the time.
http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/collegevilleinstitute_lectures/2/
And then of course don't forget to visit the website of the Charter for Compassion: http://charterforcompassion.org/
We need always to live ethically but I do think that it is much 'easier' to do that when one can be grounded in a deep awareness of the love that God has for us as we journey through all the troubled waters of life.
Don't forget, if you would like to comment on this just click on 0 Comments (or whatever number it says) and follow the instructions. Thanks.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Male and female
Yesterday at church one of the creation stories from the book of Genesis was read. I say 'one of the' because I think there may be many people who don't realize that there are two creation stories in Genesis: one in Chapter 1 and the other in Chapter 2. They are, neither of them, meant to be seen as scientific fact. They are rather of the genre of myth which, as I understand it means we should not expect 'facts' but we might expect some deeper 'truth'. Anyway, my point here is not to talk about myths but to share something I 'heard' particularly clearly in that reading.
The part of the reading I want to say something about went like this:
So, God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Now I am pretty sure that most people if asked to identify God's gender would say that God is a 'he' - even though we know that God really has no gender. This passage is for me , kind of interesting. Although God is referred to throughout as 'he' the passage says that God created humankind in God's image, male and female God created them.
I know there are many people who have no problem with thinking of God as a 'he' - it is so entirely part of our language and imagery. But it has also created difficulties through history for women because for centuries men were thought to be the ideal image of God and women lesser. But this interesting passage says that God created humankind in God's image - male and female. I find that so affirming.
I personally, do not want, following this, to consider God female to redress the balance. I don't know how to think of God except what I know of Jesus. Now, okay, Jesus was male doesn't that mean that God is 'male'? I think not. Jesus is the human face of God. He had to be some gender to be human (which God is not) and in his time no one would have listened to him if he had been born a woman. That is what makes sense for me. The point is, that male or female Jesus shows us how to love and care for one another and to know our God. He gives us the means to do that as well in the Spirit of love that remains with us.
I am obviously a Christian but I am quite sure that Spirit lives in the hearts of all religions in the unique way God has chosen. I can only speak of what gives my own particular life meaning.
Don't forget, if you would like to comment on this just click on 0 Comments (or whatever number it says) and follow the instructions. Thanks.
The part of the reading I want to say something about went like this:
So, God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Now I am pretty sure that most people if asked to identify God's gender would say that God is a 'he' - even though we know that God really has no gender. This passage is for me , kind of interesting. Although God is referred to throughout as 'he' the passage says that God created humankind in God's image, male and female God created them.
I know there are many people who have no problem with thinking of God as a 'he' - it is so entirely part of our language and imagery. But it has also created difficulties through history for women because for centuries men were thought to be the ideal image of God and women lesser. But this interesting passage says that God created humankind in God's image - male and female. I find that so affirming.
I personally, do not want, following this, to consider God female to redress the balance. I don't know how to think of God except what I know of Jesus. Now, okay, Jesus was male doesn't that mean that God is 'male'? I think not. Jesus is the human face of God. He had to be some gender to be human (which God is not) and in his time no one would have listened to him if he had been born a woman. That is what makes sense for me. The point is, that male or female Jesus shows us how to love and care for one another and to know our God. He gives us the means to do that as well in the Spirit of love that remains with us.
I am obviously a Christian but I am quite sure that Spirit lives in the hearts of all religions in the unique way God has chosen. I can only speak of what gives my own particular life meaning.
Don't forget, if you would like to comment on this just click on 0 Comments (or whatever number it says) and follow the instructions. Thanks.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Trust goodness and integrity anyway
A while ago the Insight magazine of Rosedale United Church in Toronto had the following item. I have no idea who originally wrote it but it expresses so much of what I believe we need to try to do that I wanted to share it. It is called, 'Do it anyway'.
People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centred. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
It seems to me that this is a wonderful exercise in overcoming cynicism and apathy. We should trust our good instincts no matter what we think others will say or do. Goodness in our world is built out of very small acts that in the end will triumph. So, be true to your deepest instincts, anyway.
People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centred. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
It seems to me that this is a wonderful exercise in overcoming cynicism and apathy. We should trust our good instincts no matter what we think others will say or do. Goodness in our world is built out of very small acts that in the end will triumph. So, be true to your deepest instincts, anyway.
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