Meditation in Pentecost: Mind a Beginning? '23

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, 

but in the expert's mind there are few. 

~ Shunryu Suzuki* 

Dear Most Enlightened Creator, please help me to recapture my beginner's mind, the one that was insatiably curious, hungry for spiritual experience, searching for enlightenment, eager to sit with You in Christ through the Holy Spirit, to be filled with the pearls and diamonds of Your wisdom and teaching. I want to recapture the energy and the mystery and set aside much of what I now "know" through the academic, the intellectual, and from life experience. I want to learn in new ways with a fresh unfinished mind that is wide with wonder like those who have only just begun their first encounters with You. Take me out of my self, encourage me to breathe through my monkey-mind that jumps through the branches of distractions and never seems to settle in one spot long before turning and jumping again. Teach me to work on the inside, reaching deeply for the silent illumination that calls me back time and again, and to practice and to practice and to practice the silent non-thinking that allows me to simply “be” with You, until I apprehend the beginning even if not until my end.  amen.

*Shunyru Suzuki, a Sōtō Zen monk, born and trained in Japan, opened the first Buddhist monastery outside of Asia. He is widely known for his book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind which was the onset of the popularization of Zen Buddhism in the West. He founded the San Francisco Zen Center and affiliate temples. Contrary to popular understanding, Buddhism is not so much a religion as it is a philosophy based on the teachings attributed to the Buddha. It is not a theistic religion as it has no beliefs in a Supreme Being or any "god". The teachings are complementary to Christian beliefs in many ways and have been known and studied by illustrious Christian scholars such as St. Jerome, of the 4th century, who was the first to translate the Bible into Latin. His commentaries on Scripture are still widely read today and he spoke of The Buddha in some of his other writings.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Meditation in Pentecost: Sure'n Up '23

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh,” he whispered.

“Yes,” said Pooh.

“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw, “I just wanted to be sure of you.”*

Well, Dear God of all Hunny Bears and Other Sweet Creatures, 

     I’m having one of "those" days and weeks and even a month! It's been such a busy time, so very much stuff going on, some happiness here, a worry or two there, and a few other things. I might not have been paying as much attention to You lately as I could have, but here I am now, just sidling up to You. It seemed like it was past time for us to take a walk together and for me to check in. I just want You to be as sure of me as I am of You ~ ok, that might take some work on my part so here I am sure-ing things up with You. Thanks for being here even when I've wandered a little bit away. I'll try not to let it happen again but in case it does, I promise again to remember You quicker the next time and then I'll be sure to reach up. amen.

*Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet came from the fertile imagination of English-born playwright, author, and child's poet, A. A. Milne [1881-1956], who based the main character, Pooh, on the teddy bear of the same name belonging to Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne.   

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Meditation Moment in Pentecost ~ Conscious Amazement

Amazement

water color by Jamie Winter

Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ....get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.  Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.

~ Abraham Joshua Heschel* 

God of gods, Lord of kings, Revealer of mysteries ~

     Being amazed when I get up in the morning isn't usually first on my list of things to do although some mornings it's amazing I've gotten that far. But before I know it the day has gone and I've missed it. The way I'm going, my whole life will be gone and I really don't want to wait until that specific moment to discover what true amazement is all about.

    God of Creation, so much time has passed t0o quickly and I want to experience this life and all that is in it as an act of radical amazement. You have hung the heavens, filled the seas, planted the earth and gave us and all living creatures the breath of our lives. Help me see, feel, hear, taste, touch, and know the spiritual wonder in every possible moment...in the moments that are joyful, in the moments when I am lost, and in the moments that are so ordinary they seem to meld into the next without notice. Grant me, each day, the vision to see the splendor, the ability to savor each breath, and the insight to expand my consciousness of amazement as my spirit absorbs and lives into the essence of You. amen.

*Abraham Joshua Heschel [1907-1972], a Polish born American philosopher, theologian, and rabbi  is considered one of the leaders of his disciplines in the 20th century. He authored many books and was a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. A strong advocate of the American Civil Rights movement, Heschel lost close family members in the Nazi Holocaust of World War II.

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com