Be aware of spirituality as you toil through the day
THE OLYMPIAN
Published: 10/31/09 12:00 am | Updated: 11/09/09 12:25 pm
An 11th century book on the ethical teachings of Judaism contains this phrase: Days are scrolls: write on them what you want to be remembered.
What will you write on your scroll today?
At a recent conference on mindfulness practice in Seattle, insight meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein said that, when asked how long we should practice each day, she always wants to reply, “From the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep.”
Every minute of the day is an opportunity for spiritual practice: for paying attention, for gratitude, for praise, for remembrance.
Here is how Coleman Barks translates one of the mystic poems of Rumi:
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. Ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep.’ ”
Of course, when Rumi uttered ‘Don’t go back to sleep,’ he wasn’t just talking about the literal act of sleeping. He was reminding us to live in awareness.
Don’t go back to sleep.
We can begin our day with an intention.
Buddhists talk about setting aspirations. “Do everything with one intention.’’
What is your intention for this day?
John O’Donohue wrote this aspiration in his poem “A Morning Offering:” “May I have the courage today to live the life that I would love.”
Several years ago, I wrote down this aspiration suggested by the
American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron at a retreat: “One day may I be able to open my heart a little more than I can today.”
But how do we cultivate spiritual awareness in the busy-ness of our days?
Times of transition present opportunities for everyday spiritual practice.
Those who follow
Islam use the phrase “Bismillah” before beginning something new: Bismillah, in the name of Allah, in the name of God.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, a teacher of mindfulness practice, suggests a simple mantra:
“This is it.” Whatever is happening is what’s happening. We can be present to our days as they unfold or we can be absent. This is it.
Many of us have mantras for situations of frustration. Some of these are curses, some are blessings. We get to choose. What do you choose?
Tara Brach, another Buddhist teacher, suggests taking a
“sacred pause” before a new activity begins to come back to ourselves, the breath, our bodies, to rest in awareness.
Walking from one place to another, desk to bathroom, car to office, presents opportunities for practice.
Whatever your mantra or prayer, you can send it silently to the people you pass on the sidewalk or in the corridor.
This is a heart-opening practice, reconnecting you to your source at the same time you connect to the stranger about whom you may have positive, negative, or neutral feelings. The stranger may be Jesus, as St. Benedict taught, or may have been your mother from another lifetime, as Buddhists teach.
Everyday activities are opportunities for everyday practice, even - or especially - the mundane.
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that, when done mindfully, washing the dishes is like washing the baby Buddha.
We can offer praise and gratitude whenever our senses take in beauty. Brach suggests that we
take an extra five seconds of awareness when we notice beauty.
We can practice gratitude at any time, even in the midst of difficulty.
We can practice compassion, wishing that we or others be free of suffering.
We always have the opportunity to practice remembrance - remembering that we are part of a much larger reality, remembering who we really are and where we came from.
What will you write on your scroll today?
Kathleen Peppard is the Lay Leader for the Community for Interfaith Celebration in Olympia. Perspective is coordinated by Interfaith Works and The Olympian. The views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by Interfaith Works or The Olympian.
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An Interfaith Perspective on Gratitude, Compassion, and Remembrance
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