March 11 Insight: In What Way is THE WAY “The Way”?

In What Way is THE WAY “The Way”?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

That’s actually hard to say…because THE WAY (The Tao in Chinese) is supposed to be impossible to explain. But with American chutzpah, let’s give it a try.

The Tao (pronounced “Dow”) literally means, “the way.” It represents the source and the driving force behind all of reality. According to this way of seeing things, there is supposed to be a certain natural flow to the events of the universe.

According to an article posted by the British Broadcasting Company, “The Tao is the ultimate creative principle in the universe. All things are connected and unified in the Tao.” The followers of Taoism, an ancient Asian religion associated with the Tao, see their task as finding ways to live in harmony with the natural flow of things.

At some level, even though Taoism can be seen as a religion, it is also practiced as a philosophy of living by millions of people in Asia and other parts of the world.

Taoism arose in what is now China more than two millennia ago. It’s basic, sometimes paradoxical, precepts are associated with two great sages: Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. A key book of collected Taoist wisdom is the internationally popular book, The Tao Te Ching (pronounced Dow Tay Jing).

Here is an example of Taoist wisdom from Lao Tzu:

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them—that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

And from Chuang Tzu: “Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed in activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you received nothing. Be empty, that is all.”

Taoism is a philosophy of mutually engaging complimentary opposites: dark and light, action and inaction, hot and cold, male and female, black and white. This concept is often visually represented by the symbol of the yin and yang. The symbol is a circle equally divided into two swirling teardrops of black and white. The white teardrop contains a drop of the black, and the black a drop of the white. The teardrops seem to be trying to overwhelm each other. Yet, the understanding is that at the very moment the dark vanquishes the light, it gives birth to it! In the same way the light can give birth to the dark.

Religious Taoism has gods but no creator God as in Western religions. Religious Taoists see their gods as subject to the laws of the Tao, but do not see the Tao as a God to be worshiped.

According to the BBC, Taoism promotes harmony and union with nature; the pursuit of spiritual immortality; being virtuous (in an inconspicuous way); and working on self development.

Among the practices followed by Taoists these days are meditation and such spiritual movement techniques as Tai Chi (pronounced Tie-chee) and Qigong (pronounce Chee-kung).

For more information about Taoism visit:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/ataglance/glance.shtml

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What Do Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday and Pancakes Have in Common?

What Do Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday and Pancakes Have in Common?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

All of these are ways of preparing for Lent, the extended period of fasting practiced by Churches that comprise the majority of the world’s two billion Christians.

The word Lent comes from a Latin term that refers to Spring. These days, Lent is a nearly six-week-long period beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. For Christians, Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works. A key spiritual practice for Christians observing Lent is fasting.

The idea of fasting in preparation for Easter dates from the earliest days of Christianity, but began to have a specific form during the 4^th Century, CE. Originally, Christians may have simply abstained from eating meat during the Lenten fast. Later, they were asked to give up meat, butter, cheese, eggs and even chicken. Fish was the primary protein food allowed. Christians were required to fast for 40 days in the period from Ash Wednesday to Easter. If you do the math, you realize that there are more than 40 days during this period; Christians get Sundays off from the fast!

Why 40? The Biblical roots are deep, mirroring Moses’ 40 days on the mountaintop and Jesus’ 40 days and nights of fasting in the desert.

These days, the fast is more elective than required and those observing the fast may simply give up a favorite food such as chocolate. Others may take on special tasks of justice and mercy such as giving money to the poor or working at a soup kitchen.

In late medieval times, Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”), was the day before Ash Wednesday, a time when households had a feast to consume all of the remaining meat, dairy and poultry products in the home before the fast began. The practice spread to countries throughout Christendom.  In some countries, the pre-Lent feast (or festival) is now called “Carnival” and actually extends over a number of days and in some places, weeks. Louisiana is the only state in the US where Mardi Gras is a legal holiday. New Orleans, in particular, is noted for its Mardi Gras parades and wild street parties. However, the longest running Mardi Gras observance in the US is celebrated in Mobile, Alabama.

Mardi Gras traces its roots back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the wild Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia.

“Shrove Tuesday” is the term some Christians use to refer to what others call Fat Tuesday. The word “Shrove ,” derives from an Old English word that refers to the sacrament of penance and absolution. In earlier times many Christians went to confession as a way of preparing for Lent.

Oh, and the pancakes. Many churches (especially Episcopal) have pancake suppers on the evening before Ash Wednesday. Why? Because traditionally pancakes (and the sausage or bacon served with them) offered families an easy way of using up many of the foods that they would soon be giving up for Lent: eggs, milk, butter, sugar, and meat.

For more information about Mardi Gras visit”

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mardi-gras

Weekly Insight: What in the Name of Baha'u'llah are "Intercalary Days"

What in the name of Baha’u’llah are “Intercalary Days”?

(The February 25th 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

Intercalary (pronounced, in-terk’-uh-lerry) Days are four or five special days that are part of a very unusual calendar followed by practitioners of the Baha’i faith.

Before talking about Intercalary Days let’s take a brief look at the Baha’i religion and its nineteen month annual calendar.

Founded in 1844 in Persia (now Iran), the Baha’i faith is among the youngest of the world’s religions, but also one of the most widespread in membership—there are more than 5 million adherents spread among 236 countries.

According to the official Baha’i USA web site, “Baha’is view the world’s major religions as a part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Baha’u’llah (1817-1892), the founder of the Baha’i Faith, is recognized as the most recent in a line of Divine Messengers that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.”

Baha’u’llah’s core message was that humanity is one single race and that the time has arrived to reunite people throughout the world into one global society.

This one society, according to Baha’u’llah, should be guided by a set of principles for living drawn from the teachings of many religions and completed by insights from Baha’u’llah and other Baha’i leaders.

As one way of communicating these teachings, Baha’is follow an annual calendar of 19 months; and each Baha’i month is made up of 19 days. The Baha’i months are all named for attributes of God. These attributes comprise:Splendor, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion, and Loftiness.

The Baha’i year begins on the Vernal Equinox (usually March 21) and concludes with a 19 day month of fasting that starts in early March. The month of fasting is called “Ala,” or Loftiness. During this month Baha’is refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise until sunset.

If you do the math, you will note that the total of 19 multiplied by 19 equals 361—four days short of the 365 in the Western calendar (five days short in Leap years). This leads us to the Intercalary Days.

The term “intercalary” is a word that refers to the insertion of days into a calendar such as the Baha’i, to make it synchronized with the Western or solar calendar.

According to one source, “The Days of Ha” (as Baha’is refer to the Intercalary Days) are intended to mark the transcendence of God over His attributes. 

During these days, Baha’is are encouraged to celebrate God and His oneness by showing love, fellowship and unity with the people around them. In many cases Baha’is exchange small gifts as a way of illustrating God’s generosity. This is also a time of generosity and goodwill during which Baha’is participate in a variety of humanitarian activities.

For more information about Intercalary Days and the Baha’i Faith visit:

http://www.bahai.us/

Feb. 18 Insight: You May Be Practicing Ahimsa (and not even know it!)

You May Be Practicing Ahimsa (and not even know it!)

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

If you have made a commitment to not harming people (and other animate beings) and you spend a good bit of your time working to make the world a better place, you may be practicing Ahimsa (pronounced “ah-heem’-sah.”) It is a word from the ancient Sanskrit language that means “non-violence” or, more accurately, “non-injury.”

In English we have no positive word to express what Ahimsa actually represents. We are forced to express Ahimsa as the absence of violence—a negative—when Ahimsa actually requires positive action. Ahimsa doesn’t only mean that you don’t shoot, stab, or hit someone. It signifies that you are also careful not to use words to harm someone, and that you are careful to do things that are designed to make the world more fair and enjoyable for everyone.

Ahimsa is associated with at least three different religions from the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Many of us are familiar with Hinduism (and its many gods) and Buddhism (with its goal of ending suffering for all beings). But not as many of us know about Jainism. This third religion places an extreme emphasis on “non-injury,” extending Ahimsa to all living creatures. Jainism, in fact, makes Ahimsa its central ethical practice. Jains avoid killing anything that moves, even annoying bugs and deadly snakes. Jains are often seen walking down the street wearing surgical masks and carrying brooms to sweep ants and other bugs out of their way so that they don’t inadvertently breathe in gnats or squash bugs with their feet.

The word Ahimsa entered common usage in the West via the life and example of Mahatma Gandhi. For the Mahatma, Ahimsa was a key tool in his non-violent campaigns for equal rights and for Indian independence. All of Gandhi’s campaigns were undertaken with what he termed Satyagraha (pronounced saht-yah’-grah-ha”), or ‘truth power;” Ahimsa was the vital force within that power.

Prior to Gandhi’s use of the word Ahimsa, the word usually meant the absence of violence. Gandhi, however, took Ahimsa to a new level that was more demanding of those who sought to practice it. In Gandhi’s understanding, “Ahimsa precludes not only the act of inflicting a physical injury, but also mental states like evil thoughts and hatred, unkind behavior such as harsh words, dishonesty and lying, all of which he saw as manifestations of violence.” Moreover, Gandhi believed that Ahimsa carries a positive energy, compelling people to work for justice, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and free the wrongfully imprisoned.

Gandhi’s thoughts on Ahimsa informed the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders of the US Civil Rights movement. It also led the great physician, Albert Schweitzer, to his “reverence for life” philosophy.

But not everyone embraced Gandhi’s expanded view of Ahimsa. Some Indian leaders raised questions about whether one could unreservedly embrace Ahimsa when faced with situations that seemed to demand self-defense or require a “just war.” Others thought it inadvertently led to the partitioning of India.

For more information about Ahimsa visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa

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Feb 11 Insight: What Puts the 'Vision' in a Vision Quest?

What Puts the ‘Vision’ in a Vision Quest?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

A Vision Quest is a cultural and spiritual “rite of passage” practiced by young people in some Native American groups to mark their becoming adults and full members of the tribal community. The Vision Quest takes young people through a symbolic, spiritual process of “passing through,” and “being reborn”.

In this practice, young people—primarily young men—emerge out of adolescence and into adulthood. They do this by taking part in a ritual in which they leave their families and wander alone into an uninhabited wilderness area within walking distance of their community. Their wandering typically lasts one to four days. 

During this period of solitude the person undertaking the Quest often fasts from food and sometimes water, and usually goes without sleep. The Quest is often undertaken under the guidance of an elder from the tribe.

The sensory deprivations endured by the youthful ‘Quester’ may lead to waking dreams or hallucinations (one type of Vision) and to deep spiritual insights (another type of Vision).

One understanding of these visions is that during the period of fasting and sleeplessness the deep concentration leads the Quester to a state in which the mind becomes “comatose” or blank. Thoughts cease and the universe unfolds in the consciousness in a beautiful, non-verbal way.

 The Vision can bring the Quester profound insights into himself and the world. The insights usually relate directly to the young person’s future purpose and destiny in life. The Quest can help the young person develop new forms of spiritual communication and form complex, abstract thoughts not available to children.

During a Vision experience the young person may be visited by a spirit guide that takes the form of an animal such as a coyote or crow that communicates important information. This Vision creature may continue to visit the Quester from time to time throughout adult life.

At the end of the Vision Quest the person who left the tribe as a child returns to the group as an adult who is welcomed as a full partner in the community. As a full partner, the returnee may apprentice himself to another adult in the tribe to follow a “career” path that was revealed during the Quest. Such a path might be that of a medicine man, boat-maker, or crafter of bows.

There seems to be a yearning for people in many cultures and religions to find more profound ways to mark the rite of passage from childhood to adult life. And even though the Vision Quest is traditionally a Native American and Innuit practice, people from other cultures now attempt to complete the Vision Quest experience. One reason for this is the fact that rituals to mark the passage from childhood to adult life have somewhat evaporated from Western cultures. Observant Jews may guide their children through Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. Some Christians guide their children through “confirmation” when they reach their teenage years. Sadly, graduation from high school (a secular act) is now the key marker of transition out of childhood.

For more information about the Vision Quest ritual visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_quest

Feb 4 Insight: What Makes Someone an "Evangelical" Christian?

What Makes Someone an ‘Evangelical’ Christian?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

What makes Christians Evangelical? As always, it depends. According to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), what makes them evangelical is the fact that they “take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord.” They are Protestants, drawn from a wide range of denominations, such as Baptist, Reformed, Holiness, Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions.

The NAE web site points out that the word, “Evangelical” comes from the Greek word, euangelion, which translates literally as ‘good news,’ or gospel.

Evangelicals are all around us. In fact, more than 90 million Americans are identified as Evangelical. But that’s only about one fourth of the world population of these Christians. Evangelicalism is a world-wide religious movement. Over 42 million Evangelicals live in Brazil alone.

What makes Evangelicals distinctive within the world-wide Christian community are their core beliefs that humans are essentially sinful, and that the only way for people to be saved from hell is through belief in Jesus (whom they consider the “Christ” or Messiah) as their personal savior.

They further believe, along with other Christians, that Jesus was the one-and-only Son of God and that he was crucified as a sacrifice that washed away their sins, and thus assured them of an eternity in heaven.

But it is their acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord—rather than ethical behavior based on his teachings—that is key.

Christian historian David Bebbington points out four distinctive aspects of Evangelical faith. First, Evangelicals believe that we must have the life-changing experience of being “born again.” Second, Evangelicals have a very high regard for the Bible as their main authority. Third, they believe in the saving power of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Fourth, they believe that the Gospel of Jesus must be shared with everyone, especially non-Christians. This leads them to proselytize others, often beginning conversations by asking people, “Are you saved?”

The Evangelical movement began in the 18^th Century, CE, in England and the US. Among its earliest proponents were John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist denomination) and the famous American preacher, Jonathan Edwards.

Evangelicals are often confused with Fundamentalists, but the two are not the same. Fundamentalists (such as the late Jerry Falwell) are a sub-group of Evangelicals who take a literalist view of the Bible and often are religiously, socially, and politically conservative. Non-Fundamentalist Evangelicals come from across the political spectrum and generally emphasize outreach and conversion of new members.

Two prominent contemporary Evangelicals are Rev. Billy Graham and Rev. Jim Wallis. Using televised “Crusades,” Billy Graham has over the last six decades taken an ecumenical approach to the Evangelical movement. He has reached out to Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians, as well as to non-Christians around the world. His preaching has converted tens of millions of people. Jim Wallis and his Washington, DC-based Sojourners community have embraced Evangelical values but combined them with a strong emphasis on peacemaking and the addressing of racism, poverty and other ills through what has been termed the “Social Gospel.”

For more information about Evangelical Christians visit:

http://www.wheaton.edu/isae/defining-evangelicalism

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Jan 28 Insight: What Makes Those Whirling Dervishes "Whirl"?

Why Do those Whirling Dervishes “Whirl”?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

You might have heard someone described as moving so fast that they were spinning like a Whirling Dervish. Well, Dervishes don’t spin. In fact, I don’t think they Whirl. I think they “swirl.” (More about that later.)

Whirling Dervishes are members of a special Muslim group who are performing something that might be termed a ritual dance. Their attire is very striking: a long white gown (symbol of death) a tall brown stove-pipe-shaped hat (symbolizing a grave stone), and a floor-length black cape (representing a grave). Their outfits might sound grim, but the ritual they perform is beautiful, joyful, and emotionally uplifting.

The Whirling Dervishes are Sufis, members of a unique group of Muslims who are mystical in their beliefs and practices. Sufis are very generous to those around them and deeply emotional in their devotional practice. They are mystical in that their religious goal is, in some sense, to leave earthly existence behind and become one with God (Allah). Their devotion is sometimes so intense that they almost seem to be in love with God. Some Sufi poets write poems that at first glance could be thought of as romantic love poems.

One of the greatest of these writers was the 13^th Century poet, Rumi, who is currently the best selling poet in the US!). The birth of the Dervish order is tied to something this great poet did eight centuries ago.

In one story the Dervish dance was born as Rumi heard goldsmiths pounding out their precious metal in a rhythm that suggested the chanting of “There is no god but God.”In another tale (which I think is better), Rumi learns that his dearest friend has disappeared. He then puts his left hand on a pillar and begins to circle it, all the while reciting thousands upon thousands of lines of poetry that he is composing on the spot.

The Dervishes (said to be of the Mevlevi Order) build their ritual on this poet’s expression. And they begin to move in rhythmic motion.

Their motion isn’t at all like whirling (which suggests a spinning top). It is more like a flower opening in sunlight. Or perhaps the moon revolving around the sun.

Their ritual (called the Sema Ceremony) has four parts. It begins with chanting and flute music. Then the Dervishes bow to each other (acknowledging the Divinity in every person). Soon they begin to circumambulate the room with slow steps. After a while they lose their black capes. Then they begin the swirling motion, rotating on their left feet, raising their arms outward, right palms open and turned toward heaven, left hands pointing down to earth. The ceremony concludes with recitation of verses from the Qur’an and a prayer by the leader of the Dervishes.

The entire ritual lasts about an hour and comprises “Four Salaams.” These include 1) recognition of God; 2) understanding the unity of the Divine; 3) the ecstasy that comes from total surrender to God; and, finally, 4) the peace that comes from unity with the Eternal One.

To view a video of the Whirling Dervish Sema Ceremony visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHjFgOfoZ7M