Wednesday, March 16, 2011
In a Time of Crisis
In times of great crisis, we often turn to the great wisdom traditions for spiritual sustenance and reassurance. Today, I visited a bookstore, only to discover that it (one of the great chains) had declared bankruptcy and that this particular store was being closed.
And so I searched for some texts that would speak at the deepest level--not superficial feel good books, but those that have been passed down from previous ages and that still open our minds and hearts to eternal truths.
I found two of this kind. The first was the "Bhagavad Gita," (tr. by Stephan Mitchell), a volume that we can read with profit again and again. For those who may not know, "Bhagavad Gita" means "the song of the blessed one." It is presented as a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, who are witness to a great war taking place before them. Some critics believe the war is meant to be taken as literal conflict, and other feel it is an allegory between the force of light and shadow. Here is a sample of the dialogue, with Krishna speaking::
Arjuna, all those who worship
other gods, with deep faith,
are really worshipping me,
even if they don't know it.
For I am the only object,
and the only enjoyer of worship,
and they fall back because they cannot
know me as I truly am.
(Here, I feel that "Krishna" is a symbol of final reality, divine essence, that which is ultimately unknown and unknowable and which nonetheless we know exists, no matter what name you give it or how you may worship)
The second book I pulled from the shelves was an anthology of poems by the Christian mystics. No matter what your personal faith, these poems speak a universal language, offered by those who have explored the deep heart of God and union of self with Self.
Consumed in Grace
by Catherine of Siena
I first saw God when I was a child, six years of age'
The cheeks of the sun were pale before Him,
and the earth reacted as a shy girl,
like me.
Divine light entered my heart from His love,
that did never did wane,
though indeed, dear, I can understand how a person's faith
can at times flicker,
for what is the mind to do
with something that becomes the mind's ruin;
a God that consumes us
in His Grace.
I have seen what you want;
it is there
a Beloved of infinite
tenderness.
I think that those of us who have experienced the K. bliss have been blessed to know what it is
to be "consumed in the grace" of the divine flow.
