Speaking of Spirit

Photo Credit: Linda M. Rhinehart Neas (c) 2017 What happens when we take the time to mindfully pause - when we stop long enough not to react spontaneously to a given situation? What do we discover in the space between breaths?  Dr. Tara Brach suggests , " Through the sacred art of pausing , we develop the capacity to stop hiding, to stop running away from our experience. We begin to trust in our natural  intelligence , in our naturally wise heart, in our capacity to open to whatever arises. Like awakening from a dream, in the moment of pausing our trance recedes and Radical Acceptance becomes possible."  Dr. Brach is a Buddhist teacher, author and clinical psychologist. She writes that when we pause, an activity that has a beginning and an end, we take control of our lives. She says that pausing allows us to see our fears and desires more clearly; thereby, enabling us to make better decisions. In my life, I have had moments of sacred pausing where I bec...

I have been taking an online course from Harvard Divinity School on World Religions.  This month, we have been studying Buddhism - its origins, but mostly its scriptures. In the process of learning the fundamentals of Buddhism, I stopped to do a bit of gardening.  The sun was out; the temperature was a lovely 78 degrees; and Rog and I were once again re-configuring our gardens. I made the decision to garden after several hours of reading about the various Buddhist forms (Pali and Mahayana) and their scriptures, which number in the thousands.  My brain was too full.  I needed a break, saw the plants waiting to be put in the garden, then thought, "I can plant one or two and go back to studying." One thing led to another as I moved around the flower bed.  I planted, weeded, transplanted, moved rocks, arranged garden ornaments - all in a sweet bliss of simply "being."  When I stood to survey what I had done, I realized that the sun was over the west...

Image via Wikipedia Over the past few weeks, we have listened to several parables that Jesus used to teach his followers.  Parables, simple stories that taught a moral or spiritual lesson, were a common means of teaching during Jesus' day.  Jesus was a master storyteller! Other great teachers used stories, as well.  Here is a parable from the Buddhist traditions: The 84th Problem A man once came to see the Buddha to get help with his problems. After the man had told the Buddha one of his problems and asked for help, the Buddha replied: "I cannot help you get rid of that problem." The man was surprised that the Buddha could not help him in this regard, but he told the Buddha about another problem; he thought to himself that the Buddha should at least be able to help him with that problem. But the Buddha told him "I cannot help you with that problem either." The man started to get impatient. He said: "How can it be that you are the perfectly Enligh...