Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Buddhist
A Brief Meditation on Being of Some Use in this World, and Why

A Brief Meditation on Being of Some Use in this World, and Why

Last updated on: November 1, 2011 at 3:05 pm by James Ford

A Brief Meditation on Being of Some Use in this World, and Why 2011-11-01T15:05:12-07:00 James Ford

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Over at Carl McColman’s Anamchara: the Website of Unknowing, one of my favorite Christian blogs, Carl reflects briefly on chapters seventeen and eighteen of the anonymous Medieval mystical text the Cloud of Unknowing. There the author reflects on the story of Martha and Mary and how Martha, who has been doing all the work while Mary has been sitting with Jesus, wants Jesus to instruct Mary to get to work. Instead Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better part.

Carl considers the traditional understanding of that passage in scripture as well as in the Cloud, which is that the contemplative life is superior to the life of engagement. Then Carl suggests the reader look at how we take all the parts within ourselves and while conceding that contemplation is superior argues that for the most part we are called not to one or the other, but to a mixed life of contemplation and action.

Christianity holds a special place in my heart, and on alternative Tuesday mornings and third Thursday evenings, with some choking on the words I could say I’m a Christian. It is my natal lineage. Still, I’m really most informed, through and through by my now forty odd years of Zen practice. And if pushed would most of the time describe myself as a liberal Zen Buddhist. (There is so much in that word liberal, and the idea of liberal religion, which I find best expressed within Unitarian Universalism. But that’s for another post. These are my basic theological assertions that allow my life as a UU and as a person on this planet…)

And, I, like so many, also struggle with these two things, contemplation and action and their relationship, if any…

My natural inclination is toward contemplation.

And through the vagaries of mysterious karma I live the life of a parish minister, in which supporting the contemplative part of my life is a bit harder than being involved in the this and that of a spiritually inclined community that I am charged with fostering as well as being called to take stands in the public forum regarding the issues of the day as they are informed by a “spiritual” perspective.

What precisely that means is not usually clear. Other than how I must carefully guard the contemplative parts of my life. And, that the active is not really separate from the contemplative in any essential way. They really are joined.

As we find in another passage in the scriptures, we see all things through a glass darkly. But, here I disagree with what follows next in the text. There is no later when all is made clear. Clear and darkly are mixed irrevocably now. Now clear, now dark, now some shade of both, all swirling together in a wild dance. And that dance is life itself, or that dance is life and death itself – as that is the one thing.

Probably the best description of our situation I’ve read was from the Zen priest Shunryu Suzuki. I forget where I first found it, but as I was searching for a citation was delighted to see it quoted by the American Tibetan nun Pema Chodron in her Practicing Peace in Times of War. “All of you are perfect just as you are,” said the old roshi. But then added, “and you could use a little improvement.”

I think that’s our situation. The world is perfect as it is. That’s the insight of the spiritual eye. Everything just as it is, is. No judgment, no second thought. Just this. And, and, and, at the very same time, it needs work. Lord, it needs work. That’s the other eye. Starving children, oppressions and exploitations of every sort, greed, hatred and endless certainties all leading to small and great hurts, the suffering world crying out for justice, for mercy, for some action.

The Buddha said we must work out our salvation with diligence.

And the bodhisattva way is knowing no one is saved unless all are. And, I’m pretty sure a child who starves to death at six months of age is being robbed of something that we all have an obligation to do something about.

Because, in the last analysis we’re all one family, one thing, with binding obligations on each other.

I’m not calling for a leveling of all things. I address that in a bit. I am calling for mutual responsibility.

But first the one thing.

I think the diligence we’re called to is to cultivate the inner perspective, which ultimately is to see how we are that one family, we are one thing, form and emptiness together, and then a small step away from even that distinction.

The best phrase for that place I’ve ever heard is don’t know. Only don’t know.

It is the great and engaged agnosticism, the open heart and open mind. Curious, open handed.

And then there is the other thing, the life of separateness which is also true.

And to not turn away from decisions and actions. To use that hand without clutching too tightly, without crushing the living reality.

So, what does it look like this full life?

It is going to be a dance.

And, here’s the situation on the ground which is going to be part of the dance.

One is all economic systems and all political systems are contaminated. They include high aspirations and I’m sure genuine insights, but they are also informed by greed, hatred and endless certainty. But not to be excessively judgmental, as we are, too.

Still, the prevalent ideologies socialism, capitalism and its currently popular variation libertarianism are informed by false perspectives. The cluster of socialist views in varying degree ignore the need for the individual to be creative and free in action. The cluster of capitalist and libertarian perspectives ignore in varying degree our need for each other and our deep familial connection. And they appeal to false gods. There will never be a worker’s paradise and there is no unseen hand righting wrongs.

And all political systems are informed by a generally useful but ultimately false view of who is us articulated as the nation state. And today there is a newer system in the international corporation which overlaps with nation states, but is informed by the same false views of identity.

And that’s where we live. The economic systems and political systems that are here are what we deal with.

That’s what’s on the dance card.

Sometimes I despair of being of any real use. The forces involved are great, and I am very much aware of how small I am.

And, I know I need to act.

I can’t sit out the dance. There is no other place to be.

It is in my nature to be and to act.

It is in my nature to dance.

As is it yours.

So, what to pay attention to?

The major action we’re called to by our relationship with the world is the alleviation of suffering. Addressing the human need to work, to have a living, to have adequate food, clothing and shelter, to have access to education and health care are the tasks at hand. And like on to it is to care for our planet and to find ways to walk gently on this good earth.

Those are the critical actions we’re called to engage.

But how?

Here’s one set of dance instructions, the ones I feel most helpful.

First, don’t know, or rather it is an action: not knowing. And, then when engaging to try and not be tricked by the demons of greed, hatred and certainty that live in my heart, that are part of who I am. And when I am tricked, to notice as quickly as possible. And to re-orient my actions.

As open as possible.

As caring as possible.

Now Mary.

Now Martha.

Dancing.

Sitting.

Doing.

And then to let go, as they say, of the results.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 9, 2010

Hallelujah, Again...

Next Post

July 11, 2010 Agnes on the Relative Merits of Received Wisdoms

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Christmas Carol Abolitionist African-American Ahmadiyya Alan Watts Aldous Huxley Allen Ginsberg Amedkar Jayanti American politics American Zen Anaheim Zen Sangha Anglican Annie Besant April Fool Armageddon Art and Religion artificial intellegence Atheist Awakening B R Ambedkar Barlaam & Josaphat Beatnik Between Bhagavad Gita Bible biography birthday bodhisattva Bodhisattva Precepts Book burning Book of Common Prayer Book of Mormon Brahmo Samaj Buddha Buddhism Buddhist Buddhist Lord's Prayer Butterflies Calendars cartoons cat ChatGPT Chicken Tortilla Soup choices Christian atheism Christian mysticism Christian origins Christian Science Christian Zen Christianity Christianity and Buddhism christmas Christmas Truce Christopher Isherwood Church of Later Day Saints Cinco de Mayo circus covenant critical thinking culture D. T. Suzuki Dalit Buddhism Daniel Defoe Desert Fathers and Mothers dharma talk Dogen Donald Trump Dongshan's Five Ranks Dorothy Day dream Duty Easter ecology Edwin Arnold emptiness Empty Moon Zen Network Episcopal Church Eternal Now Ethics evolution existentialism Faith fantasy Fathers Day film film review fire Five Ranks Folk music food Form and emptiness Four Seals Francis of Assisi Francis Xavier Free thinker friendship George MacDonald Gerald Heard Glenn Taylor Webb God Good Friday Gospel of Gospel of Mark Gospel of Thomas grace Graduate Theological Unioin Graduate Theological Union Guanyin H R Blyth Hakuin Ekaku Hanamatsuri Hanukkah Harada Yasutani Zen Heart Sutra Henry David Thoreau Hermann Hesse Hinduism History and Religion history of religion Holy Spirit home Hospitality Icon Ides of March Isaac Newton Islam Islamic mysticism Jack Kerouac James Luther Adams Jiddu Krishnamurti Joan of Arc Johannes Gutenberg John Donne joke Judaism justice karma kensho King James Bible koan Koun Yamada Kyoto School Lewis Carrol Liberal Christianity Liberal Religion Life Plan Community Liminal literature Literature and Religion Liturgy Lord's Prayer Love Mahatma Gandhi Mahayana Martin Luther King Jr Mary Baker Eddy Mary Magdelene Mary Oliver Mayflower Compact Meditation memories memory metaphor money money and religioin Mormons Mother's Day movie review mysticism mythic Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church New Thought Nichiren Buddhism Nonduality not knowing Omar Khayyam Pacific School of Religion pagan Palm Sunday Passover peace Pentecost perennialism Phantastes Philip Kapleau philosophy Pilgrimage poetry Poetry and Religion politics Prayer Precepts Printing Press prophecy prophetic spirituality psychology Pure Land Queer religion queering religion Quietism Ram Mohan Roy rebirth recipe Relationships and religion religion religion and history Religious syncretism Resistance Retirement Retreat review Rissho Kosei Kai Ritual Robert Aitken Roshi Robert Ingersoll Rohatsu Romani religion Rosie the Riveter saints samadhi SanboZen Sangha Satyagraha science science and reigion science and religion science fiction seminary sermon Sesshin Sex and Religion Shinran Sikh Sikh tradition silence Social Justice Socially Engaged Buddhism Society and religion Soto Zen soul spiritual community spiritual practice Spirituality Sufism Suicide superstition Taoism Television Teresa of Avila Thanksgiving theological schools Theosophy Thomas Merton Time Transcendentalism Transcendentalist Trinitarian Trinity Uncategorized unitarian Unitarian Christianity Unitarian Universalist Universalism Vajrayana Vedanta Walking war Willa Cather William Ellery Channing wisdom women and religion women in religion World Teacher Writing zazen Zen Zen Center Zen inspired retriement zen meditation Zen Precepts Zen women

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the rider of the Black Horse in Revelation hold in his hand?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A bow A sword A book A pair of scales