In this issue:
True meditation is contemplative prayer. That is, true meditation is the natural rising of the deepest longing of our heart to the Eternal, and the subsequent communing with the Eternal.
There is also prayer in which a particular longing is expressed in words. This can be a longing for help, and it can be a longing to express gratitude. Every prayer is answered—and this is true whether or not we recognize the answer that is given.
Some prayers are answered with a simple “No.” If we ask that the consequences of our own actions be somehow magically erased, the answer is always “No.”--That is never going to happen. If we ask for something to be done for us so that we do not have to make a positive effort for ourselves, the answer is always “No.”
If we ask for some kind of selfish advantage, we may get what we want, but there will always be a stinger in the tail—so we are well advised to be careful what we wish for.
Here are eight prayers, each of which has come up for me at one time or another (or any number of times in most cases), and which have been spiritual life-savers for me:
“Please help me to bow.”
“Please help me to accept.”
“Please help me not to blame.”
“Please help me to forgive.”
“Please help me to keep an open heart.”
“Please help me to let go.”
“Please help me to do that which does the best for everyone in this situation.”
“Please help me to see the next true step that I can take, and to have the faith and courage to take it.”
I find again and again that I have to rediscover the simple fact that there is a Third Position between the opposites of trying to go it entirely on my own and thinking there is nothing that I can do. The missing piece in each of these opposites is the understanding that one can look for guidance from That which is greater than oneself. Thus, the Third Position (Middle Way) that transcends these opposites of complacency and inadequacy can be stated as follows: “I can find a way to do my spiritual training in every situation and I need the help of the Eternal, which is always available to me.”
We may think that we have not been good enough to receive the help of the Eternal. However, this is delusional thinking, for the Eternal never turns away from that which is part of Itself. To turn toward the Eternal with a sincere and open heart and with the naive trust of a child is the very essence of looking up spiritually. If we have been looking down, this looking up changes everything.
There is a verse in the Bible that I have always loved: “Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full.”
NEWS OF THE TEMPLES
North Cascades Buddhist Priory
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we have canceled the Ten Precepts (Jukai) retreat which was scheduled for the first week of April. A major consideration in making this decision is the fact that all of our monks and most of our lay retreatants are over sixty years of age, and therefore among those most vulnerable to the virus. Another major consideration is that most of our monks and lay trainees must travel some distance in order to attend the retreat, and, in general, the more people travel about, the more quickly viruses spread, and consequently the more quickly the resources of the public health system are stretched to their limits. And finally, our participants from Europe have been prevented from traveling because of the recent ban on all air travel from Europe to the United States. We hope that all will stay safe and healthy during this crisis.