SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 351

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF PEACE

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+

The fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy, peace, patience,

kindness, generosity,

faithfulness, gentleness,

self-control.

Against such there

is no law.

-- Galatians 5: 22-23

+ Peace, in its most fundamental form, is the connection of one human spirit to another.

-- Desmond Tutu

This was the Gratefulness Word for the Day on May 25, 2016

+ This connection is available to us unconditionally.  There are no limits.  “Against such there is no law.”  The gift of freedom (coming soon as the last of the 9 Attributes of Heaven) is what makes it possible for us to create connections galore.  Peace expands as we realize the abundance of these connections and enjoy them.

Maybe you have heard this before:

We are

intimately,

intricately,

infinitely

connected

by a matrix of

unconditional,

unlimited,

uniting

LOVE

which is

miraculous,

mysterious and

marvelous.

+ Desmond Tutu is one of the great spiritual teachers of our times and he has guided us in these explorations before: SE244 | SE 314 | SE332

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of resources on the practice of Peace and plenty of resources on the practice of Justice. Also S&P provides a 12s Gallery of Memes on Peace and a 12s Gallery of Memes on Justice.  Also, there is plenty of resources on the practice of Connections and a 12s Gallery on Connections.
The meme for this post comes from the Connections gallery.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Peace page. Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Peace” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 314

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF JOY

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+ So, personally, I prefer the last five decades of refugee life. It’s more useful, more opportunity to learn, to experience life. Therefore, if you look from one angle, you feel, oh how bad, how sad. But if you look from another angle at that same tragedy, that same event, you see that it gives me new opportunities. So, it’s wonderful. That’s the main reason that I’m not sad and morose. There’s a Tibetan saying: “Wherever you have friends that’s your country, and wherever you receive love, that’s your home.”
-- The Dalai Lama in The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

+ Wow.  What faith in the steady process of our evolution toward more compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

This is the post scheduled for November 9, 2016, the day after the presidential election here in the USA.  So, as I write, I do not know the outcome.  And, it does not matter ultimately as much as we might think.  There are a lot of happy people on the winning side of the election and a lot of disappointed people on the losing side.  But what the Dalai Lama said in this wonderful book makes the point that our joy does not depend on the turn of political fortunes.  A verse in the Psalm read every Tuesday in the ecumenical lectionary says:

Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortals, in whom there is no help.

When their breath departs, they return to the earth;

on that very day their plans perish.

-- Psalm 146:3-4

The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu certainly have faced political winds which could easily have killed their bodies and even their spirit but they knew where joy really comes from and it is not in our political order.  These two wonderful “wise guys” teach this truth in their speaking and writing and definitely when you see them smile and laugh either in person or on a screen.  In SE244 I linked to a video where you can see and hear both of them speak.

Now there is a book which comprehensively presents these two amazing teachers in dialogue: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World.  The author who writes about this fantastic meeting of minds is Douglas Carlton Abrams.  He makes it possible for the reader to experience this encounter intimately.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of resources on the spiritual practice of Joy. Also, there is an S&P Twelves Gallery of memes on Joy.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Joy page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Joy” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Joy page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Joy” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 308

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF ABUNDANCE.

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+ This is the last post in our exploration of the heavenly attribute of Abundance.  Here is some essential wisdom on the theme by two contemporary prophets of the Emerging Church (McLaren) and Esoteric Christianity (Bourgeault):  

·         The first and greatest surprise – a miracle, really – is this: that anything exists at all, and that we get to be part of it. Ripe peach, crisp apple, tall mountain, bright leaves, sparkling water, flying flock, flickering flame, and you and me … here, now!

-- Brian D. McLaren in We Make the Road by Walking

·         To perceive oneself as one with everything is to directly experience the flow of divine abundance that holds everything together; to know directly (rather than merely deduce) the extravagant Trinitarian joy with which everything is at all times giving itself away and receiving itself back from the molten flow of love at the center of everything.

-- Cynthia Bourgeault

+ It is essential that we realize that we can expect to be blessed forever as we “directly experience the flow of divine abundance that holds everything together.” It is “a miracle, really.” It is “the extravagant Trinitarian joy.” It is the fantastic, amazing “molten flow of love at the center of everything” given to us freely, endlessly, infinitely and unconditionally.  We will encounter this abundance again and again as we explore the remaining eight attributes of Heaven. The next attribute we explore will be Joy. 

+ Although Spirituality & Practice doesn’t have Abundance per se as a practice, they do offer an abundance of resources  on many practices which are all about abundance including:  Gratitude |  Wonder | Connections | Attention

Also, many of their Twelves Galleries focus on abundance.  With the following links you can quickly  choose among them >
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/2
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/3
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/4
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/5
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/6

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Abundance page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Abundance” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 292

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is the final post on the style of The Way of Relationships as we continue to explore Heavenliness  through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There is 1 more Mandala style to explore after this one: Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ The Lord's Prayer shows us that loving God is loving the living beings we see and touch in our daily life. If we can love them, we can love God.

--  Thich Nhat Hanh in Living Buddha, Living Christ

This was the Spiritual Quotation offered by Spirituality & Practice on November 24, 2015.

+ I think it’s great to end this exploration of the Spiritual Style of Relationships with the teaching of a great Buddhist teacher who reveals here his appreciation of another wisdom tradition, Christianity.  Recently I came across a wonderful book by Thich Nhat Hanh: How to Sit. He knows how to make profound spiritual guidance simple and gentle.  He writes: “The first thing to do is to stop whatever else you are doing.” He is guided by a wonderful principle that I love so much: We are not human doings.  We are Human Beings.

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation. 

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice offers abundant resources on the practices of Love & Compassion: The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love | The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 290

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Relationships as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There is 1 more Mandala style to explore after this one: Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ Love One another.

-- John 13:34 and elsewhere in the Bible

+ In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

-- Matthew 7:12 NRSV

This is the Golden Rule which is taught by Jesus and is found in other places in the Bible and in many other wisdom traditions.

+ Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

-- Luke 10:25-28 NRSV

This is the Great Commandment which is based on 2 verses from the Torah: Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18.

+ From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

-- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NRSV

+ "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

-- Luke 6:27-38

+ The Bible is certainly a major source of guidance on creating and sustaining compassionate relationships.

 

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation. 

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice offers abundant resources on the practices of Love & Compassion: The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love | The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 278

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a 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.

+ .. recently, the Dalai Lama has proposed that there is a shared underlying purpose for both scientists and spiritual practitioners. Both yearn to discover the deepest truths of existence. Indeed, the Dalai Lama’s own Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism provides a twenty-year long curriculum that blends rigorous intellectual study with serious spiritual practice. Their method has remarkable similarities to other spiritually inspired intellectual traditions, like the Habad Hasidic tradition of Judaism and the Jesuit Order of Catholic Christianity. The Way of the Reason was exemplified in the ancient academy of Plato who saw logical inquiry as a means to eternal wisdom, goodness and happiness.

-- Edward Bastian

+ Well, as I pointed out in the last post, the only resource I have collected on the Way of Reason is what Ed wrote in his chapter on this style.  So, I offer  more of Ed’s wisdom on this style.  I would add to Ed’s mention of three great intellectual traditions among the world religions my own denomination which has a strong heritage of intellectual understanding: Presbyterian.  A great book written with immense thoughtfulness by a Presbyterian theologian is Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology by Daniel L. Migliore.  I studied under him back in the early 70s when I was a seminarian at Princeton Theological Seminary.  I will add this resource to my collection of resources on The Way of Reason.  So, now I have doubled my resources in this collection.  And I will go even further by adding that wonderful quote by Einstein which Ed lifted up in his introduction to this style: “Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind.”

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:

·         Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes)

·         15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process

·         2 hour lecture & conversation

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 266

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Prayer as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There are 3 more Mandala styles to explore after this: Reason, Relationships and Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

-- 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18

+ Prayer is none other than an expanding of our hearts in the presence of God.

-- John Calvin

+ For me, prayer begins with simply being still and listening to the wisdom which comes in mysterious and wonderful ways.  As a Christian I am called by the apostle Paul to pray unceasingly.  This is simple but not easy! It definitely requires practice, practice, practice and, then, more practice.  Practice throughout life.  Never stop practicing.  The goal is unceasing prayer.  We are connected to our full heavenly reality as we “pray without ceasing” increasingly enjoying the amazing experience of “expanding our hearts in the presence of God.”

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation. 

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 242

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with the 12 styles of the Mandalaprocess, we are exploring the style of Love and Compassion.

+ It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds. While indispensable to religious life, doctrines and creeds are only so as signposts. Love alone is the hitching post. Doctrines, let’s not forget, supported slavery and apartheid; some still support keeping women in their places and gays and lesbians in limbo. Moreover, doctrines can divide while compassion can only unite. In other words, religious folk, all our lives, have both to recover tradition and to recover from it.

 -- William Sloane Coffin in Credo

+ And we know there has been and continues to be too many examples of “bad religion” on our planet.  We are the wise and courageous pioneers called “both to recover tradition and to recover from it.” Do you have a passion for this?  What are you doing to transform your religion?  What can you do?  What will you do?  How can we engage people of all religions to become passionate about compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all?

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213.  They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice offers abundant resources on the practices of Love & Compassion: The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love | The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or  “Love” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 217

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

-- Micah 6:8 NRSV

+ Mysticism without devotion is like uncooked food, it can never be assimilated.

— Hazrat Inayat Khan in The Inner Life

This is one of the quotes found in the Spirituality & Practice guide to the practice of Devotion.

+ When the passion of the mystic for God is married to the passion of the activist for justice, a new fire is born.

-- Andrew Harvey

+ Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

-- Martin Luther King, Jr. often included this great statement of faith which he discovered in a sermon by Theodore Parker who was the rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston in the 19th century.

+ Justice is one of the nine heavenly attributes which we will be exploring soon.  Devotion is one of the 12 practices we have already explored but we can always come back to it and explore it some more.  In order to be faithful to God and to all of creation we need to be devoted to compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance with our all of our mind, heart, body and soul day after day, breath after breath.  Let us keep in mind that powerful mystical experience of Thomas Merton on the streets of Louisville which made him realize like never before that a spiritual life must include an unceasing devotion to justice for all.  See SE214.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers an abundance of resources on the practice of Justice and there is a 12s gallery on Justice.

+ Spirituality & Practice emphasizes the practices of Love & Compassion:

·         The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love

·         The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenlinesspage.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 190

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

so that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O LORD;

you cover them with favor as with a shield.

-- Psalm 5:11-12

+ We are exploring heavenly realms.  Heaven has no boundaries.  We are never really outside of these glorious heavenly realms.  We can always “take refuge” in heaven.  Physical death is not the gateway but allegiance to the ego is a self-imposed barrier which has to go.  Taking down that barrier is simple but not easy.  The rewards are infinitely delightful.  As we keep practicing, we keep taking down that barrier so that we can increasingly “take refuge” in the heavenly realms where we are always connected infinitely to everything there is in the whole creation.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 189

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+

A vision without a task is but a dream

A task without a vision is drudgery

A vision & a task is the joy of the world.

 -- On an English church sign

+ The Bible says: “Without a vision, the people perish.”  Yes, we need vision and we need to do the work required to make the vision a reality.  What is your vision of a better you and a better society?  Not that you or society isn’t wonderful right now.  Nevertheless, improvement is always possible and often required.  Obviously, our environment is suffering.  There are deniers who think everything is OK.  But it isn’t.  However, we can joyfully restore our environment.  Let’s do it.  And let’s enjoy the beauty of the earth right now.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy.

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 166

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ This is what I wrote on the Abundancetrek Simplicity page a few years ago:

Our planet's survival is tied to the practice of simplicity. This cannot be emphasized too much.

Our lives are often too complicated. We need to discipline ourselves to "simplify, simplify, simplify" as Thoreau put it in Walden. The first three disciplines of stillness, silence and solitude all create simplicity. The more diligently we practice these disciplines, the more we can simplify our lives. When we simplify, we are awake, aware and connected. We become more aware of our intimate and intricate connection to God and everything God has created. We become aware of the glorious fact that we are heavenly beings created simply by love and for love.

The Zen Buddhist discipline of zazen (sitting, centering, meditating), if practiced properly, leads to the natural, simple realization of our daily and glorious heavenly existence. In the introduction to ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND, Shunryu Suzuki says: "The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. The innocence of the first inquiry - what am I? - is needed throughout Zen practice. The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities."

The abundance of heaven can only be experienced by those who have learned how to simplify their lives.

I like the approach of Sallie McFague, a brilliant contemporary theologian. She emphasizes our need to simplify our lives in LIFE ABUNDANT: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril. She emphasizes our need to embrace sustainability. In "A Manifesto to North American Middle Class Christians," she advocates some "new house rules" for our house, the planet. "The basic rules are: Take only your share, clean up after yourself, and keep the house in good repair for future occupants." She points out that "ecology" and "economics" both come from the same word root which has to do with the laws for living in a household. She refers to the famous quote of Charles Birch: "The rich must live more simply, so that the poor may simply live." This responsibility applies to most of us living in the planet's 20 to 30 highly developed countries.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Simplicity Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Simplicity” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 156

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WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ The Kingdom of God is as close to us as some precious keepsake we've been looking for for years which is lying just in the next room under the rug all but crying out to us to come find it. If only we had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to be born both within ourselves and within the world.

— Frederick Buechner in The Clown in the Belfry

> http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/quotations/view/1870/spiritual-quotation

+ I think this is what I have been saying, isn’t it?  Aren’t you  glad that we are continuing to  explore Holiness utilizing the resources of the best website in the universe.  I have never read a Frederic Buechner book but I know he is a great source of wisdom for many preachers these days. 

Jesus often taught that the Kingdom of God is near.  At one point he even said that it is within us (Luke 17:21).  Mystics tell us again and again how immanent Heaven is.  Soon, when we move on to the Journey of the Soul, we will be exploring Heaven.  But, for now, this Journey of the Body practice of Holiness continues to appeal to me as worthy of further exploration.  What do you think?  

+Spirituality & Practice offers a variety of resources on Frederic Buechner. Here is a Buechner quote from his memoir Telling Secrets which is directly related to this practice because your story, my story, our story, his story, is a very holy story:

My story is important not because it is mine, God knows, but because if I tell it anything like right, the chances are you will recognize that in many ways it is also yours.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html