There are two aspects to our practice. One is to realize and to trust
that we already are what we want to become. And it helps to relax
into the practice, into life, into our true nature. So if we are the
kind of person that is always beating up on ourselves and condemning
ourselves, and judging ourselves, we might want to reemphasize the
first aspect of our practice.
In the Christian tradition, this teaching is expressed in the word
grace, having faith and trust in the grace of the Divine, that there
is nothing that we can do to alter the fact that we are loved and
embraced. And in the Buddhist tradition we express that in the
teaching that we already are what we want to become. Nothing can
change that fact. We already are a Buddha. We already are
enlightenment itself.
The second aspect of our practice, then, is to awaken to that truth,
through diligence, right effort, spiritual practice, mindfulness,
meditation. In the Christian tradition this teaching is expressed as
discipleship; to follow the anointed one, and to live a life of
holiness and love and wisdom and truth; not just simply believing, but
acting on it. And in the Buddhist tradition this is expressed in our
practices of diligently coming back to meditation, keeping the
mindfulness trainings of non-violence and generosity, and sexual
responsibility, mindful communication, and healthy consumption; to
come regularly together at Sangha to support each other, to express
our spirituality in concrete ways in the world through our right
action and right livelihood in the world and mindful parenting.
So if we're the kind of person then, perhaps we are a bit lazy and a
little bit too carefree, we might want to reemphasize the second
aspect of our practice and come back over and over again to the
discipline of meditation, mindfulness training, Sangha, right action,
right livelihood, and spiritual education.
Our practice has so many different layers about it, even if ultimately
it is only one thing, one reality. But that one reality is expressed
in many layers and ways in this relative reality that we live in in
our human story. So, part of our practice is to reach a place of
peace in our hearts through mindfulness and through breathing; through
coming back to the here and now.
With that peace can come clarity in our decision making processes, and
in our planning processes. Part of our practice is to realize that
there is an aspect of our mind that is much deeper and wiser than just
the surface intellectual mind that likes to plan. So we come back to
that deeper mind that can give much more clarity and insight in our
decision making process; and when we come to rest in that as our
identity, the greater true nature, then the planning mind, instead of
being the master over us, then is our servant. We can still use this
everyday mind, but now it is not controlling us. Rather it
now has its rightful place in serving us, serving our true nature.
But deeper than the happiness and the peace that we may find through
this practice, deeper than that, is waking up to who we really are.
Not identifying with the small separate self, not even identifying
with the happy separate self, or the peaceful separate self, but
waking up altogether from that identity; realizing our vast true
nature which is one with all. But to get to that realization deeply
we usually have to realize first, go from unhappy, disjointed,
frenetic self to happy, peaceful, stable self. Then from that place
we can let go of that self-identity altogether and realize the
vastness, true nature, Nirvana.
In truth, our practice is always about mindful parenting. We are our
own mothers and fathers practicing spiritual parenting of our heart,
of our mind, of our bodies, of our lives, of our world. We are the
father and mother of all things. We are the Buddha, caring for all
beings.
