Hello everyone
A friend's father in law passed away recently. I didn't know the old man at
all and don't know my friend's wife either except thru what he has spoken of
her. But I promised to do a meditation for him that day at dusk, which I had
learned when my own father passed away not all that long ago. Well, I made
this promise in good faith, for in the morning it was sunny and a very nice
day, but by the afternoon rainclouds had rolled in and the weather had
turned bad for outside meditation.
I rationalized to myself that my friend wouldn't know if I did the
meditation today or not. As thunderstorms moved in, I told myself I would
wait and do the meditation tomorrow or the next day. Sure. What would be the
difference? But something bothered me a great deal about that deception, for
it was not really about my friend at all. It was about me and my own intent.
I had made a gesture to my friend and I was obligated to fulfill that
gesture. I could feel it in my gut.
Strangely enough, as twilight neared the rain stopped. Far to the west the
clouds parted and the sun came out, just as it was setting. I went out to my
garden and though the grass was still wet, I sat down anyway and the water
on the grass was warm. The storms had brought a warm front in with them and
a gentle breeze blew over me, filled with the scents of spring, of fresh
rain and of some great mystery that I couldn't quite put a finger on.
I realized then that my water meditation I intended to do had in some
fashion been anticipated by the earth. Now I am sure there are many
rationalists among you who will say that it was merely coincidence that the
weather cleared just at the appointed time for my meditation. And my
realization of anticipation by the earth was not a rational act at all, but
in fact simply goofy and naively simple. The earth certainly doesn't care
about one little man doing a meditation for someone he doesn't even know in
the first place. To say that it does must certainly be the height of
arrogance!
Coincidence? Perhaps. I should also tell you that there was another reason
why I promised to do the water meditation for my friend's father in law. The
time of his death coincided almost exactly to the minute of the time of my
birth forty four years ago. What does it mean? I haven't a clue. But there
is something very Dynamic all around us, all the time. Something we fail to
notice unless we take the time to notice. For in these little irrelevancies
there are magic moments of awakening and insights.
The Power of Prayer is something that cannot be explained rationally. If we
wish to call this Power "God" or "Atman" or "Dynamic Quality" all these
labels will fit and yet not fit either, for they are merely rational labels
for something we will never understand rationally. The mystic taps this
Power in many fashions and that is why the mystic is more Dynamic than the
rationalist. Still, this Dynamic potentcy that the mystic sees must be
ordered in some fashion, just as the breaking clouds at sunset ordered my
meditation.
It is just this that prevents us from capitalizing static quality, I
suppose.
Best wishes to all,
glove
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