Friday, June 29, 2007
Zen.
Something that appeared in my life and is changing it.
I'm not the first Christian to discover this, either. Although at the present my meditation is done either alone or with a Buddhist group, Christians like Thomas Merton and Willigis Jäger have much to say about Zen. I've found, through my practice, a spirituality that I never had before, one that sustains me through difficult times, and I begin to know myself a little better as I go.
One thing I found that, for whatever reason, was never quite clear before is this: I cannot worship in a noisy environment, including almost any service where there are crowds. I need quiet. Otherwise, the service becomes for me a nice social gathering, but no more. It seems to just be the way I'm bent. The first time I sat in meditation, having read about it in a book, was a revelation. The first evening that I sat with a group for meditation was another. The quiet energy that I experienced in the presence of a group of people, none of which were making a sound, was profound: I had found something hoped and longed for over a lifetime.
I was coming home, a prodigal gone for so long.
I belonged.
Something that appeared in my life and is changing it.
I'm not the first Christian to discover this, either. Although at the present my meditation is done either alone or with a Buddhist group, Christians like Thomas Merton and Willigis Jäger have much to say about Zen. I've found, through my practice, a spirituality that I never had before, one that sustains me through difficult times, and I begin to know myself a little better as I go.
One thing I found that, for whatever reason, was never quite clear before is this: I cannot worship in a noisy environment, including almost any service where there are crowds. I need quiet. Otherwise, the service becomes for me a nice social gathering, but no more. It seems to just be the way I'm bent. The first time I sat in meditation, having read about it in a book, was a revelation. The first evening that I sat with a group for meditation was another. The quiet energy that I experienced in the presence of a group of people, none of which were making a sound, was profound: I had found something hoped and longed for over a lifetime.
I was coming home, a prodigal gone for so long.
I belonged.
# posted by goldpython @ 9:25 AM 
