One of my favorite Zen stories about achieving enlightenment is a classic told about Tennō Dōgo, a great Zen swordsman in the eighth century. As the story goes, a disciple named Sōshin came to study swordsmanship with Dōgo, and his practice sessions consisted of the master attacking him at the most inopportune moments: while he was returning with his arms full of kindling, or carrying cups of tea, or kneeling in the garden tending to the vegetables. These random and painful attacks with the wooden training sword went on for years, at all hours of the day or night, until it became second nature to Sōshin to expect an attack from any quarter and at any time. He also began to use his own wooden sword to fend off the master’s blow quite naturally as he attended to whatever else he was doing. Eventually, the master noticed that no matter how or when he attacked his student, Sōshin would parry the blow without a thought. The master then explained to the student that his enlightenment had been reached without any conceptualization or intellectualization. He explained:
This story is from the July/August 2023 edition of Spirituality & Health.
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This story is from the July/August 2023 edition of Spirituality & Health.
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MY BODY IS A WONDERLAND
If a man is to live, he must be all alive, body, soul, mind, heart, spirit. —Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
MOMENTS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD
THIS PAST SUNDAY I CRASHED MY BIKE so hard I flew over the handlebars, landed on my head and back, and broke my helmet. Thankfully, my 16-year-old son Patrick was there to make sure I did not try to move my neck or body or let anyone else move me. It felt good that his words were so solid, helpful, and calm with so many people wanting to do something before the ambulance guys took over—and then a CT scan showed nothing broken.
DEBUNKING PROSPERITY MYTHS
Adopting a holistic view of prosperity brings true wealth, which has little to do with your bank balance.
A Hilltop of Happiness
I recently went to the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina, a spectacular hilltop retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains that opened 10 years ago. But I've been curious about the Art of Living and its leader, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, for decades. I first encountered followers of Gurudev at the International Spa Association convention in Las Vegas, where I met the creators of Shankara, an Ayurvedic skincare company that is now the heart of the Shankara Spa at the retreat center in Boone. Amidst the bustling Vegas convention, these followers of Gurudev created an island of calm.
HOW TO HOLD OUR ANGER WITH WISDOM
IN UNITY, WE HONOR JESUS AS THE WAY SHOWER. In The Revealing Word: A Dictionary of Metaphysical Terms, Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore expressed that Jesus “came to awaken us to the possibilities of his own nature.” He noted that Jesus “had an insight into those things that are ever mysteries to those immersed in the sense consciousness,” including “judgments based on outer appearances” that “produce discordant thoughts, jealousies, and a host of limiting beliefs.” Fillmore further stated that Jesus was the “representative of a thoroughly organized plan to help humanity into a higher realization of God and its relationship to Him.”So what about that time in the temple when Jesus lost his cool? Was that part of the “thoroughly organized plan” or “a higher realization of God”?
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THE POWER OF NAMING AN ANIMAL
“YOU NAMED HIM BOOGER?” I asked the shelter volunteer. My husband and I stood by a cage, already in love with the tuxedo cat it held. Although introduced to us as “Bub,” his official paperwork read: “Booger, 4 years old, special needs.” The text “Booger” was struck through, “Bub” written in its place. “We can always rename him again. He’s coming home with us,” my husband asserted, settling the matter.“Are you sure you want to take him? You know he’s special needs,” the volunteer queried.“So am I!” I declared. “What do we need to know?” We learned the cat had respiratory issues.
SPLINTERED PIECES
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