WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS
+ This is the first post on the style of The Way of
Reason as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles
of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian. There are 2 more Mandala styles to explore
after this: Relationships and Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.
+ Here are the questions Edward
Bastian asks us to ponder as we explore the Way of Reason:
·
Do you
need a good reason before beginning a spiritual endeavor?
·
Do you
like to ponder the universal questions of existence?
·
Do you
regard reason as a foundation for a spiritual practice?
·
Do you
naturally ask the big ‘why?’ questions, rather than the more mechanical ‘how?’
questions?
And here is how he introduces his chapter on The Way of Reason:
The Thinker needs
to figure things out and create a reasonable foundation for all aspects of
spiritual practice.
WE ALL HAVE FRIENDS
who love to ponder such issues as the nature of human existence, the origin of the universe, the
purpose of life, the possibilities of life after death, the reasons for human
suffering and the existence of
God. Whether they know it or not, these people may be natural born
metaphysicians whose spiritual
archetype compels them seek universal truths that lie beyond the reach of
direct empirical
observation and scientific study. Often, such people find it difficult to
engage in prayer, ritual,devotion or
meditation without a well-thought-out reason for doing so. But once convinced
through reason, their
practice can be unshakable. The dark side of the way of reason is incurable
skepticism and negative judgments
about those who engage in a spiritual practice without a solid intellectual
foundation.
Albert Einstein,
one of the greatest thinkers of all time, said, “Science without religion is
lame, and religion without
science is blind.” He also spoke of a “cosmic religious feeling” that inspired
him to discover the laws
of God that govern the universe. He said, “I am of the opinion that all finer speculations in the
realm of science spring from a deep religious feeling.” Regarding this feeling, he wrote,“In my view,
it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and
keep it alive in those
who are receptive to it.” God, he said, “can be conceived only through the
rationality or intelligibility of
the world which lies behind all scientific work of a higher order.”* Perhaps
his most famous quote is,
“God does not play dice with the universe.”
+ This is not one of my strengths or even interests. But I do know we need people who are good at
it. Maybe this is your strength and / or
interest and I should probably try harder to appreciate the way of reason and
even be reasonable from time to time.
I have been collecting quotes and ideas and resources on
all of the 12 styles of the Mandala
process for several years. This is
the only style which has absolutely nothing except what Ed wrote. Maybe this means I am an unreasonable
person. Maybe I need to work on this
style.
I am introvert-intuitive-feeling-perceiving (INFP) on the
Myers-Briggs
personality indicator. The opposite
poles are extravert-sensate-thinking-judging (ESTJ). On the “F” to “T” continuum, the “T” barely
registers when I answer the Myers-Briggs
questions. Yes, maybe I need to work
on this style. Not maybe, I do. So, I intend to make the Way of Reason become
interesting, even fascinating, to me from now on.
Perhaps you have a style which is particularly lacking in
your life currently. Maybe you need to
work on that style as well as continue to develop your strengths and interests. What do you think?
+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual
Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward
Bastian are listed in SE206.
+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:
+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html
