Jay Simple Inner Truths

A New Vision Of God, Loving-Kindness And The Meaning Of Our Lives
1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-62309-552-9
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 160 Seiten

'There are certain simple inner truths that are beyond the desperate grasping and desires of our egos, but that are not beyond the reality of our everyday lives.' Often in our lives, we find ourselves riding on the surface of the ocean of events, struggling against the turbulent waves, looking for some lasting stability, but not finding any. Sometimes, however, we are surprised by the beauty or wonder of life in ways that take our breath away. Perhaps for the briefest of moments, our thoughts and feelings are stilled as we stand in awe of the beauty of nature, the wonder of a child's birth, or some random act of kindness that touches our heart. In the face of these flashes of stillness, we may wonder where the meaning of our lives can be found and whether these flashes truly point to anything greater. In Simple Inner Truths, Steven Jay shows how we are, in fact, being touched in our everyday lives by the presence of a divine wonder that is beyond any thought, concept or belief, but that is closer to us than we are to ourselves. The touch of this sacred wonder is fully present right now, this very moment, with and for each of us, and is gently calling to each of us to move out of the darkness of our delusions and begin, as best we can, to move into the light of a gentle, divine radiance in our everyday, regular lives. Drawing on wisdom from Eastern and Western religious traditions, as well as from his own spiritual insights, Steven Jay shows concretely how we can walk an authentic spiritual path, opening our hearts to the divine presence in ourselves, in others, and in all of life, and how such a spiritual path can transform our lives. The journey to this transformation requires some humility, and a lot of kindness to ourselves and others, but it will lead us to unbounded loving-kindness and the beginnings of real wisdom.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jay, Steven

Leseproben

Introduction

A Personal Journey

There are certain simple inner truths that are beyond the desperate grasping and desires of our egos, but that are not beyond the reality of our everyday lives. There seems to be as many beliefs about the nature of reality as there are people and cultures. But, beyond those beliefs, or underlying many of them, we sometimes sense the presence of an unnamable wonder and mystery. And the touch of that wonder can bring us to the edge of our very selves and transform our lives.

This mystery is “ineffable,” meaning that it cannot be described in words or held in any thought or feeling we may have. As a result, it is sacred or, if you will, divine, in the sense that it is not tainted by our limited ideas and emotions, our dualistic thinking, or our often parochial viewpoints. Beyond thought and ideas, it can touch our hearts and minds and open us to a much larger perspective of the universe.

This ineffable sacredness, however, is not beyond our everyday lives. Rather, it weaves through all of life, through each moment. It is there beside us and within us, right now, if we only take notice. Day to day we tend to be caught in our narrow thoughts and worries, but in reality we are connected, intimately connected, to that larger mystery and a reality greater than we can ever imagine. It is not some abstract, intellectual idea, but a quiet reality in each moment. Look within, and it is there; look without, and it is there too. But, try to define it and hold it, and it seems to disappear.

We live surrounded by unbounded wonder. But, rather than opening our eyes and hearts to the awe and deep mystery all around us, we prefer instead to keep our eyes tightly shut, grasping after a dream reality we create inside our own minds. We think that, if we can just gain control over the ever-changing and impermanent dream images that drift through our lives and minds, we will somehow find some lasting meaning and happiness. But we remain lost in our own darkness, missing the preciousness of life and the wonder that surrounds us.

Sometimes, however, our minds and hearts suddenly grow still and clear – perhaps, for instance, in the face of the beauty of nature, the grandeur of a star filled night sky, the wonder of a child’s birth, or some random act of kindness that touches our heart. If we allow ourselves to sit even momentarily with that clarity, we may begin to realize two rather simple, but profound inner truths:

First, that there is, in fact, an unnamable sacredness to life that cannot be held in any thought, belief or emotion, but which is somehow closer to us than we are even to ourselves; and

Second, that the touch of that sacredness can change our lives, help us see beyond the limits of self, and open our hearts to wonder and loving-kindness.

Awakening from the Dream

So how do we wake up from our dream, connect with the divine wonder in our everyday lives, and begin to live an authentic spiritual life that will bring us and those around us some lasting peace, joy and love? In short, we need to follow a spiritual path that helps us to quiet our minds and open our hearts to the wonder of the moment and the preciousness of all life, including our own. Then, with the resulting stillness and open-heartedness, we can begin practicing, as best we can day-by-day, mindfulness, loving-kindness and wisdom. Many of the world’s spiritual and philosophical traditions describe very similar steps to awakening spiritually – although sometimes in very different language. Those steps can perhaps be briefly summarized as follows:

First, and at the very beginning, we need to start with our own inner selves and follow a spiritual path of loving-kindness and compassion each day towards ourselves. We need to go gently, working with kindness and patience, as best we can. It is important that our efforts are authentic and real; and, so we need to make sure that we focus honestly and with some understanding of ourselves, where we stand in the present moment. Projecting some image of a spiritual person that we think we “should” become leads to frustration and judgment of ourselves, and this only undermines our ability to open our hearts and minds to the presence of that unnamable sacred wonder.

Second, with this gentleness towards ourselves, we need to begin cultivating a little spiritual humility and acknowledge the very real possibility that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and experiences, no matter how wonderful we think they are, cannot contain the immeasurable reality of the divine. No matter how hard we may try, in the end we simply cannot hold or possess the greater divine reality. The deep mystery and preciousness of the universe, of our own lives and of the lives of those around us, cannot be reduced to some set idea, belief or feeling.

At the same time, however, it is crucial that we also acknowledge the possibility that, even if we can’t possess that greater reality in our minds or hearts, it is not beyond the substance of our everyday lives. Rather, we can know the sacred wonder by opening our inner selves to the divine presence and allowing some loving-kindness to flow through us and out into our everyday lives. While opening our hearts and minds in this manner can often seem to be beyond our reach – the stuff of the lives of saints, mystics and meditation masters – we can nevertheless acknowledge the possibility that everyday people, such as ourselves, can bring the touch of wonder, kindness and love into our lives in our own ways that are real and down to earth.

We all have the potential of growing, bit-by-bit each day, into a gentle humility that nourishes an openness to wonder and to the importance of simple acts of love and kindness. We can acknowledge the possibility that we can do this without running off to some mountain top, but in our real lives where we live here and now. Indeed, we have untapped spiritual depths and, even if we can’t possess the sacred wonder, we can open our souls to its touch, a little bit more each day, and come to know wonder, joy, loving-kindness, and wisdom here in the “real” world.

Third, having seriously acknowledged these possibilities, we can begin to cultivate a little stillness and begin to watch and listen for the reflections and rumblings of the divine presence all around us and within our very own selves. In doing so, we may begin to realize the presence of an awe and mystery beyond words that is touching us all the time in the concrete moments of our lives, if we but pay attention. The touch of that presence is wondrous, but opening our minds and hearts to it takes some courage, for it requires us to begin letting go a little of the ideas, beliefs and biases to which we so often desperately cling. We are not accustomed to opening our hearts to a greater reality that we cannot possess and then going to go to the edge of our very selves with an open-handed faith.

Fourth, as we begin to notice the presence of the greater reality and the presence of that sacred wonder, our values in our daily lives begin to shift. Slowly, the impermanent swirls and possessions of our dream selves become secondary, as we realize that everything we can possibly grasp in our lives is fleeting and transitory, and will die or be lost. But, wonder, love, wisdom and, yes, simple kindness, shine with an inner light that transcends the impermanence, even as it touches and supports the concrete moments of our lives.

In other words, our first priority in life shifts from achieving things materially, spiritually or emotionally, to appreciating the wonder of each day and opening our hearts to divine love. While we need not abandon the things of this world, they become a lower priority to responding to the opportunities presented to us each day to grow spiritually. We then measure success, not by what we have achieved materially or even spiritually, but by how much we have followed our spiritual path each day.

Finally, bringing all of the above together, the great spiritual traditions urge us to let go a bit of our desperate strivings for ego, power, possessions, safety and truth, and instead practice – again, as best we can bit-by-bit in each moment – turning the arrows of intent and desire outwards in loving-kindness, acceptance, humility and some stillness. True peace and wisdom arise from following that path, not from holding fast to a set belief or running after the things of this world that only dissolve with time.

At their core, these steps require cultivating mindfulness, practicing loving-kindness, and seeking wisdom: that is, to cultivate some mindfulness of the wonder of the moment and the preciousness of all life; to practice following a loving and kind spiritual path as best we can in our daily lives; and to seek a non-judgmental wisdom based on the humble recognition of the presence of the greater, unnamable wonder and mystery that we can know only through the practice of loving-kindness.

The journey along such a spiritual path, however, is a personal one that each person can travel only in his or her own way. Other people can point out possible ways to awakening to the presence of the divine radiance. But, in the end, each of us must still look for ourselves.

My Personal Journey

For me, I have struggled to follow a spiritual path since I was a boy. While I have had some outward success in my life according to the ways of the world, inside I struggled for many years until I finally had to face bouts of extreme depression and a long “dark night of the soul” that sapped my joy in life and badly affected those I loved.

Ultimately, however, I found my way out of the inner darkness to a deeper, joyous...