So, I will attempt to post again and see how it goes. My intentions from the last try still remain, but the focus this time should be...ummm...more focused. Time will tell, I suppose.
After reading so much about bhakti (devotional service to God) and being Thailand for over a week, where service in the form of merit-making is a daily activity for Buddhists, I've had a lot to try to put into practice while going about my daily business of...well...mainly walking around and seeing what comes up. Not to mention the very real compassionate undercurrent of the "jay" food festival and its devotional activities to Guan Im (as the Thai's say it), the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, that I discover each time I eat a meal a meal here.
I have been thinking constantly (but not obsessively) since I left home about how to rectify some of the transcendental goals of spiritual practices with daily, mundane life. The main teachings of compassionate, spiritual living in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism stem from the interconnection of all beings and the field of effects radiating from each action (despite the differences of whether a "doer" actually exists or not). Although it is taught that material objects and embodied beings are illusory, with the imbued soul, divine nature or consciousness as both shared and unchanging, the truth of our current situation is that we are forced to operate on some levels within the world of impermanent forms, i.e. the world of everyday life.
So many scriptures teach the very real dangers of attachment to ever-changing and fleeting "material" things, which in my experience have been, and still are, the direct cause of stress and unhappiness; expectations of outcomes being one that gets lot of my attention at various times. Still, waking-up each day we are greeted with what our senses provide for the mind, but how we react is up to us by exercising various levels of discrimination. I am just now learning that while this involves a lot of work, it is a very beautiful way to practice changing how the world is experienced.
At the Vedanta Society in Los Angeles, I was lucky enough to experience a talk by a visiting swami on loving the Holy Mother. In Hindu belief, the Holy Mother takes many forms, such as Durga, Kali, Laxmi, each highlighting different aspects of shakti, or the feminine power of motion and creation in the universe. Additionally, this power works in conjunction with the underlying, pervasive divinity, or male representation of power, to create the world we live in. This world can be called maya, or illusion, as it is created to hide the oneness of all with the differentiation of forms our senses tell us exist. My understanding of Swamiji's lesson was that in order to experience divine unity, we should directly approach the Holy Mother to express thanks for the beauty of the world as a way to directly understand the true nature beyond the world of diversity. This was a very interesting perspective, which set my mind in motion as to how to best embrace the many seemingly different beings around as a means to pay respect to the oneness of spirit that we all share.
From this, I started to get an understanding of the true connection between beings. At home, things seem so separate and compartmentalized, even beyond "our" inherently different bodies, conditions and spiritual constitutions. Here, Thailand has a more communal approach to living. The sidewalk is not just way to get places, it is a place to meet and eat. Rides, tables and food are shared; as are karmic-related offerings to Buddha, monks, temples and deities. In a way, the basis of life is giving and sharing. Obviously, there are negative elements as well, such as a general lack of concern for waste, pollution and some rights of living beings. However, the underlying belief in interconnection, spreading well-being through spiritual merit-making and general sharing permeate life in Thailand.
Seeing this everyday is extremely heartening, especially in those who communally operate and support the many "jay" vegetarian restaurants here. Each time I enter one, I am overcome with a complete sense of peace. Food is needed by every living being, but food prepared with loving-kindness and the higher purpose of offering respect for living souls is spiritually nourishing as well. To me, it represents a direct path connecting the material elements of the world with transcendental, universal compassion. As if the making and serving of food is an enlightening, spiritual practice. I felt this also at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, which despite including dairy in some dishes, serves vegetarian food that has been first offered to Krishna; its purity and love passed along to those who take the prasadam to sustain their bodily existence.
Operating on several levels, these compassionate actions and choices, in even the most basic need of eating, have shown me how clear motivation in this world of forms can lead to experiencing universal oneness; respecting the bodily existence of all other beings. Intentions, therefore, form a connection between seemingly separate beings in the everyday world, but lead to higher service on the spiritual level. So, by living in a way that shows respect to all, we can increase our potential for expanding beyond our narrow existence to realize the true nature of life. I see this as a direct means of paying respect to the Holy Mother that is responsible for the world of maya as a means to transcend it.
While just reading Karnamrita Das's wonderful book Give to Live, I found the same realization more succinctly written. Giving is "the nature of the soul, the function of the consciousness...I am a giver. My life is my treasure...Each day provides an opportunity to share what I have been given." By setting intentions for each action and decision, he continues, we can devote ourselves to giving materially, emotionally and spiritually to all beings for their benefit and our own higher self-realization.
Reading this came at a perfect time in my journey to help me unify my thoughts and observations. I am not only working to fully understand these concepts, but also to put them into constant practice; placing my intentions within the web of interconnection of both the worldly and the spiritual and giving selflessly, according to the nature of the soul . Since I am currently bound by the laws of this worldly existence, I will offer thanks to all beings for providing a means to practice and advance closer to my spiritual goals through actions rooted in motivations higher than simply satisfying material desires.
Give to live. Live to give. With clear intentions of compassion and peace, the outcome is bound to be beneficial to all beings.
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