SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 73

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SILENCE

+ Hospitality consists in a little fire, a little food, and an immense quiet.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

+ That’s because authentic hospitality does not mean that you have to make others into close friends.  They can remain strangers.  Not enemies.  But strangers because no one is required to reveal themselves to you or to anyone.  That comes with patience, with trust, with humility, gentleness, kindness over a period of time, perhaps more time than you would like.  Friendship can and does happen but it ordinarily requires time and definitely, at least from time to time, "an immense quiet."  

Our society has become frantic and loud.  We cannot create much intimacy, much depth, until and unless we learn how to be silent and trust significant periods of silence in our lives.  Will you make a commitment to create sacred spaces of silence so that genuine transformation can take place in yourself and in others?

 

+ Spirituality&Practice offers many resources on the Spiritual Practice of Silence and a wonderful photo and quotes gallery.

+ Spirituality&Practice offers many resources on the Spiritual Practice of Hospitality and a wonderful photo and quotes gallery. The meme above comes from that gallery.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 61

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ Masters of the Japanese tea ceremony use the term kokoro ire, or "inclusion of the heart's spirit." The best tea ceremonies have nothing to do with fancy surroundings or making a good impression; the determinant of success is the sincere and humble heart of the host.

-- Philip Toshio Sudo in Zen 24/7

+ In their book review of 24/7, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat say the author is “A master teacher of the way of enlightenment (who) makes everyday spirituality come alive.”  Here is an excerpt from the review:

With an ease that comes from spiritual maturity, Sudo delivers one marvel after another in this astute reading of zen truths residing in work, exercise, eating, laughter, and sleep.

Or as the author puts it — "Zen teaches that our approach to today determines our whole approach to life. The Japanese call this attitude Ichi-nichi issho: 'Each day is a lifetime.'

+ So, then, this state of humility we are working on could be considered everyday hospitality.  It is an attitude to be practiced 24/7.

+ Spirituality and Practice offers a wonderful 12s gallery of images and quotes on Humility
> http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/2#/37/12-humility

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

COMPASSIONATE POLITICS -- 1

+ The current homepage of Spirituality and Practice features a new book by Parker Palmer: HEALING THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY: THE COURAGE TO CREATE POLITICS WORTHY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. The Brussats write:

Anyone awake in contemporary American knows that something is desperately wrong with democracy and the political system. The list of messes and miseries is long and lamentable. What can we do? Parker J. Palmer urges us to practice politics from the heart. In this prophetic and practical book, he shows us how.

GO TO THE REVIEW | GO TO AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK ON HOSPITALITY