Final Essay for the course, "Doctor of Spirituality."
This essay is in fulfillment of my responsibilities in order to acquire my certificate of completion.)
In embarking on this course I was initially dismayed in that it did not appear to be what I was looking for. As per the instructor's suggestion I read through the whole course trying to keep an open mind. There was much that was interesting but did not speak to me. There were things that certainly did and ultimately I would have to say that I am glad I attempted this class because it made me consider a wider definition of the term, "spirituality."
I too looked up the definition of spirituality. Of all the definitions the one that I gravitated to the most was, "sensitivity or attachment to religious values." The more spiritual reading I do in all faiths the more I see that at a deep and fundamental level all faiths hold the same basic values. In his talk, "Compassion in Global Politics," given at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the 14th Dalai Lama concluded by saying, "Without love, human society is in a very difficult state; without love, in the future we will face tremendous problems. Love is the center of human life." I believe Jesus said the same, as did the Buddha, the ancient Hindu seers, the authors of the Upanishads, Mohammed, Gandhi, to name a few in a very long list. So then, to me spirituality is about love and service. How do we embody these in our own life and how do we bring others to them?
Mahatma Ghandi said about the path to spiritual development, "I know this path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God's word is, "He who strives never perishes." I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, through my weakness I fail a thousand times, I shall not lose faith." The pursuit of spirituality is a joyous and arduous road. The practice of love and service flies in the face of our egos because it demands a selflessness that according to the great buddhist masters takes many lifetimes to achieve and a great christian mystic, St. Theresa of Avila tells us that "patience is the key." So with this course I continue my striving.
I am a member of the Blue Mountain Meditation Center founded by Eknath Easwaren. He teaches an eight point program that includes meditation, repetition of a mantram, slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, putting others first, reading in world mysticism and being part of a satsang (association with those who are spiritually oriented.) I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and so I retain some of my beliefs from that faith. At best I would describe myself as a Christo-Buddhist. This gives you a picture of where I come from in terms of spirituality and spiritual practice.
About to the course. I was very interested to read the section on the Laws. The law of free will was especially interesting since I had just been listening to a course on the Dead Sea Scrolls through the Teaching Company. The instructor talked about the disagreement in the ancient Hebraic world about this. One sect, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, believed in predestination only. Another sect believed in free will only and the Pharisees believed in the doctrine of Compatibility, which says that much is predetermined but we have the free will to alter the course. I go with the Pharisees and I agree with this course instructor who states, "a goal of our higher selves is to voluntarily and willingly surrender our egos to be a perfected spirit, (I would say as it is said in the Illumined Man from the Bhagavad Gita "to be united with the Lord of Love.) hanging up the soul overcoat of Manifestation regardless of how many lifetimes it takes." And also, in the Law of Gender I see a reflection of the cosmic web, the unity of all things and agree that we all live and move, and have our being within God and are all striving to be reunited with that genderless force.
As for the other laws, In the law of good will I resonate with the second sentence. It reminds me of the opening to the Dharmapada in which the Buddha says, "Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think." In that same opening chapter he says, "Hatred cannot be overcome by hatred. Only love can do this. It is an unalterable law. Many people don't know that they will die soon. For those who do all quarrels cease." If more people understood the need for good will our world would be a more harmonious and peaceful place. In the middle east there are legions of people who believe in the jihad as God's directive. They believe their violence is a form of good will. How do we relate cross-culturally to belivers who hold such views? The law of grace escapes me. The illustration used led me to write in the margin of my printed copy of the lesson..."and if she did get a ticket how would that not be a blessing?" The law of group life manifests love and service. It asks how we can benefit others, how we can affect our communities, the world. There is a practice in Buddhism called Tonglen in which we begin by wishing happiness and freedom from suffering to our intimate family members. Then we begin to extend it out to our extended family, our friends, our community our nation and finally to all other sentient beings in the world. The Buddhists believes that this positive force has a wide, positive impact on the world. As per the law of healing, I felt there was not enough detail or references to make it understandable. It sounded a little jargon like. I have no debate at all about the law of higher will. The law of Intention reminded me of the parable from the New Testament of the Pharisee praying in the temple. The law of inverse proportions confounded me. What about DNA and genes? If we choose our lives do we choose our deaths as well? The law of knowledge and the law of love need much more development to be truly understood. Laws 50 through 54 did not resonate with me but the law of mantras and the law of meditation did because they are so close to the practice I follow. Likewise the law of non-attachment and the law of one. The law of non-intervention disturbed me. Does this mean that slavery should be allowed to continue; that Doctors without Borders should be disbanded or we should do away with International Peace Keepers? Does it mean that the caste system in India is moral or that the oppression and abuse of women is all in the nature of things? Finally the law of patience and the law of patterns. The law of patience is so important in the difficult path of spiritual development. Without it we flounder. Such wise masters like Pema Chodrun remind us of this as does the Dalai Lama. The Law of Patterns to me is just another way of taming the senses without which we can't quiet the mind. In "The Illumined Man" Krishna says to Arjuna, "When we can walk through the world of the senses both from attachment and aversion free, we find a peace in which all sorrow ends and we live in the wisdom of the self."
The laws were of the most interest to me in the course but there were other sections of the course that drew my comments in the margin as I was reading and reflecting. In lesson 17 on Energy I found myself disturbed by the sending of negative energies back to the sender. I would rather send a blessing back to the sender and follow the mission of our seminary to do no harm. One of my comments in the margin was, "If you are doing this then you have felt the tug but not realized that you have been hooked by "shengpa", the Buddhist term for strong emotion. What if, instead of returning the negative energies to equally harm the other person, you send a blessing instead. "May you be free of pain and suffering." It's like a mental tai chi where you channel the energy around you so that it can dissipate harmlessly without introducing more negative energy into the world. We create much of what is negative in our lives by our perception and interpretation of events. These interpretations are running through our biased minds which are caught in the grip of ego and unconsciousness. If we learn to control our own minds I think it will be clearer where negative energy is coming from.
I did try very hard to read communicating with spirit but it was a bit too far out for me. I was very interested in Kundalini and other energies enough to read further in these areas as I know very little about them. They seem so foreign to this western mind but there is so much that the mind and body are capable of that other cultures are more advanced in. The Chinese system of acupuncture is based on energy flow. I don't know exactly how it works but I do know that it is the only thing that healed my severe tennis elbow and my whip lashed neck. There is definitely something to this that I would like to know more about.
The final chapter in the lessons introduced me to ascended masters I had never heard of before. I know from my own studies that many Buddhas choose reincarnation so that they can lead others to enlightenment. There is a dedication I say at the end of my morning meditation: "By whatever merit has accrued by this practice, may it go toward the enlightenment of all beings and may it become one drop in the ocean of the activities of all the Buddhas as they work tirelessly for the liberation of all beings." I look forward to read in greater depth about the masters presented in this chapter.
This is a sketchy essay I know. Perhaps it is a bit rambling but I hope it conveys not only that I read through the material but also tried to reflect on it, see how it connected with my own spiritual practice and spurred me on to further, more in depth reading. I hope this is the format you had hoped I would follow. If not please advise. I would like to thank the instructors for putting together this course and being interested in my commentary.
Submitted by China R. Dusk
**********************
This essay is in fulfillment of my responsibilities in order to acquire my certificate of completion.)
In embarking on this course I was initially dismayed in that it did not appear to be what I was looking for. As per the instructor's suggestion I read through the whole course trying to keep an open mind. There was much that was interesting but did not speak to me. There were things that certainly did and ultimately I would have to say that I am glad I attempted this class because it made me consider a wider definition of the term, "spirituality."
I too looked up the definition of spirituality. Of all the definitions the one that I gravitated to the most was, "sensitivity or attachment to religious values." The more spiritual reading I do in all faiths the more I see that at a deep and fundamental level all faiths hold the same basic values. In his talk, "Compassion in Global Politics," given at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the 14th Dalai Lama concluded by saying, "Without love, human society is in a very difficult state; without love, in the future we will face tremendous problems. Love is the center of human life." I believe Jesus said the same, as did the Buddha, the ancient Hindu seers, the authors of the Upanishads, Mohammed, Gandhi, to name a few in a very long list. So then, to me spirituality is about love and service. How do we embody these in our own life and how do we bring others to them?
Mahatma Ghandi said about the path to spiritual development, "I know this path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God's word is, "He who strives never perishes." I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, through my weakness I fail a thousand times, I shall not lose faith." The pursuit of spirituality is a joyous and arduous road. The practice of love and service flies in the face of our egos because it demands a selflessness that according to the great buddhist masters takes many lifetimes to achieve and a great christian mystic, St. Theresa of Avila tells us that "patience is the key." So with this course I continue my striving.
I am a member of the Blue Mountain Meditation Center founded by Eknath Easwaren. He teaches an eight point program that includes meditation, repetition of a mantram, slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, putting others first, reading in world mysticism and being part of a satsang (association with those who are spiritually oriented.) I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and so I retain some of my beliefs from that faith. At best I would describe myself as a Christo-Buddhist. This gives you a picture of where I come from in terms of spirituality and spiritual practice.
About to the course. I was very interested to read the section on the Laws. The law of free will was especially interesting since I had just been listening to a course on the Dead Sea Scrolls through the Teaching Company. The instructor talked about the disagreement in the ancient Hebraic world about this. One sect, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, believed in predestination only. Another sect believed in free will only and the Pharisees believed in the doctrine of Compatibility, which says that much is predetermined but we have the free will to alter the course. I go with the Pharisees and I agree with this course instructor who states, "a goal of our higher selves is to voluntarily and willingly surrender our egos to be a perfected spirit, (I would say as it is said in the Illumined Man from the Bhagavad Gita "to be united with the Lord of Love.) hanging up the soul overcoat of Manifestation regardless of how many lifetimes it takes." And also, in the Law of Gender I see a reflection of the cosmic web, the unity of all things and agree that we all live and move, and have our being within God and are all striving to be reunited with that genderless force.
As for the other laws, In the law of good will I resonate with the second sentence. It reminds me of the opening to the Dharmapada in which the Buddha says, "Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think." In that same opening chapter he says, "Hatred cannot be overcome by hatred. Only love can do this. It is an unalterable law. Many people don't know that they will die soon. For those who do all quarrels cease." If more people understood the need for good will our world would be a more harmonious and peaceful place. In the middle east there are legions of people who believe in the jihad as God's directive. They believe their violence is a form of good will. How do we relate cross-culturally to belivers who hold such views? The law of grace escapes me. The illustration used led me to write in the margin of my printed copy of the lesson..."and if she did get a ticket how would that not be a blessing?" The law of group life manifests love and service. It asks how we can benefit others, how we can affect our communities, the world. There is a practice in Buddhism called Tonglen in which we begin by wishing happiness and freedom from suffering to our intimate family members. Then we begin to extend it out to our extended family, our friends, our community our nation and finally to all other sentient beings in the world. The Buddhists believes that this positive force has a wide, positive impact on the world. As per the law of healing, I felt there was not enough detail or references to make it understandable. It sounded a little jargon like. I have no debate at all about the law of higher will. The law of Intention reminded me of the parable from the New Testament of the Pharisee praying in the temple. The law of inverse proportions confounded me. What about DNA and genes? If we choose our lives do we choose our deaths as well? The law of knowledge and the law of love need much more development to be truly understood. Laws 50 through 54 did not resonate with me but the law of mantras and the law of meditation did because they are so close to the practice I follow. Likewise the law of non-attachment and the law of one. The law of non-intervention disturbed me. Does this mean that slavery should be allowed to continue; that Doctors without Borders should be disbanded or we should do away with International Peace Keepers? Does it mean that the caste system in India is moral or that the oppression and abuse of women is all in the nature of things? Finally the law of patience and the law of patterns. The law of patience is so important in the difficult path of spiritual development. Without it we flounder. Such wise masters like Pema Chodrun remind us of this as does the Dalai Lama. The Law of Patterns to me is just another way of taming the senses without which we can't quiet the mind. In "The Illumined Man" Krishna says to Arjuna, "When we can walk through the world of the senses both from attachment and aversion free, we find a peace in which all sorrow ends and we live in the wisdom of the self."
The laws were of the most interest to me in the course but there were other sections of the course that drew my comments in the margin as I was reading and reflecting. In lesson 17 on Energy I found myself disturbed by the sending of negative energies back to the sender. I would rather send a blessing back to the sender and follow the mission of our seminary to do no harm. One of my comments in the margin was, "If you are doing this then you have felt the tug but not realized that you have been hooked by "shengpa", the Buddhist term for strong emotion. What if, instead of returning the negative energies to equally harm the other person, you send a blessing instead. "May you be free of pain and suffering." It's like a mental tai chi where you channel the energy around you so that it can dissipate harmlessly without introducing more negative energy into the world. We create much of what is negative in our lives by our perception and interpretation of events. These interpretations are running through our biased minds which are caught in the grip of ego and unconsciousness. If we learn to control our own minds I think it will be clearer where negative energy is coming from.
I did try very hard to read communicating with spirit but it was a bit too far out for me. I was very interested in Kundalini and other energies enough to read further in these areas as I know very little about them. They seem so foreign to this western mind but there is so much that the mind and body are capable of that other cultures are more advanced in. The Chinese system of acupuncture is based on energy flow. I don't know exactly how it works but I do know that it is the only thing that healed my severe tennis elbow and my whip lashed neck. There is definitely something to this that I would like to know more about.
The final chapter in the lessons introduced me to ascended masters I had never heard of before. I know from my own studies that many Buddhas choose reincarnation so that they can lead others to enlightenment. There is a dedication I say at the end of my morning meditation: "By whatever merit has accrued by this practice, may it go toward the enlightenment of all beings and may it become one drop in the ocean of the activities of all the Buddhas as they work tirelessly for the liberation of all beings." I look forward to read in greater depth about the masters presented in this chapter.
This is a sketchy essay I know. Perhaps it is a bit rambling but I hope it conveys not only that I read through the material but also tried to reflect on it, see how it connected with my own spiritual practice and spurred me on to further, more in depth reading. I hope this is the format you had hoped I would follow. If not please advise. I would like to thank the instructors for putting together this course and being interested in my commentary.
Submitted by China R. Dusk
**********************
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