"Untitled (so far)" ©2013 Rev. David Seacord 16" x 20" Acrylic on Canvas
Everyman's WEEKLY Journal #22
©2013 Rev. David Seacord
April 28, 2013
Parables and Aphorisms
I was remembering a parable from India today that I heard told a long time ago. It was about a 'great and mighty king' who, out riding with his soldiers, came upon a wandering enlightened sadhu standing alongside the road. Everyone knew that the penalty for not bowing to the king was death, but the sadhu did not bow. The king was furious at this, and raged at the sadhu to prepare to die. The sadhu quietly said to the king, "If all you can do to get me to obey you is kill me, it proves that you have no true power." The king was stunned as the truth of this hit him. He got down from his horse and bowed to the sadhu, and became his disciple.
After a while, an aphorism languaged itself inside me: "True power never uses force."
Certainly the ego would prefer otherwise, as this thought reverses the ways of this world.
______________________________________
In another related insight, I am finding myself exploring the continuum between convenience (comfort) and discipline… meaning that I am very often choosing between 'the easy way' and 'being my word'. For example, I have a love of gardening and a commitment to the plants I care for (and which then care for me as food or simply being beauty). I also have a desire to have my plants be raised organically. Last week at the Sufi gathering at Wind Spirit Community the 'facilities' were waterless outhouses constructed above 55 gal. composting catch barrels. After you deposited, you covered it with sawdust/grass/leaves etc, and when the barrel was full, it was removed (to continue composting) and a new empty one replaced it. It was a great system. One thing of interest on the posted information sheet which informed guests about the system was the stated fact that urine (diluted 10 to 1 with water) is a great free fertilizer---as good or better than commercial varieties. Later, I checked this out online, and it was amply confirmed. So now I have created a discipline of collecting my urine, which is an inconvenient activity, at least to my mind. It requires a certain diligence to create and use a system to do that collection…(I am using recycled plastic laundry detergent containers because they are 1. large mouthed and voluminous, 2. opaquely colored and 3. also socially familiar, so being seen carrying one around occasionally is not likely to be weird, so to speak..). This is all fine in concept, but as always, the practice of it is where the rubber meets the road. As I, like you, have been trained to potty somewhat differently, I've been finding myself about to (or in the middle of) letting it flow into the stool, and then suddenly remembering my intention to collect this now-valuable fertilizer. Sometimes it's been 'too inconvenient' to interrupt myself go find the laundry bottle (the mind will say "what does it really matter" or, "just this once more" etc). Of course, this is a spiritual testing…. of whether I am about my commitment, or my comfort. And this is just one (hopefully somewhat humorous but educative) example. Similar testing is everywhere in my life… do I do yoga and sadhana this morning? am I eating my best choices? do I write this journal? do I work on a painting today or fix the roof or practice music or fix the brakes?
To me, what it comes down to is that life is most authentically lived as a present time continual choice, moment to moment. How we choose in those moments reflects back to us what our true commitments are. It's good to see this and be honest within ourselves about what is being seen, yes? It's important feedback. When an inspiration comes along it is basically 'receiving the gift of an expanded vision'. The path to actualizing that vision always requires committed action of a new kind. Inevitably, our old patterns will resist that, especially when the new actions are 'inconvenient'. Shedding the old skin takes what it takes, but in time, it can always be accomplished ("where there is a will, there is a way"). Here, I am grateful for the Sufi teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan: "It is not how many times one fails, but rather how many times one arises again after failing, that determines our destiny."
My experience is: the bigger the commitment, the more certain there will be failures. It is just part of the path. This is where our own self-forgiveness is our greatest spiritual ally. Therefore I suggest whenever error is recognized that we quickly forgive ourselves, clean it up as necessary, and then, return to the commitment. Whether you/I recognize it or not, by beginning again consistently, we are fulfilling our destiny.
Namaste, Sat Nam---
David
______________________________________________________________
FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says:
"Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc.
…. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage…
which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).
ALSO: If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code:
If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution. Thank you so much.
________________________________________________________
Addition links to other writings etc:
Rev. David Seacord
Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment