Every morning when I pray/meditate and I recite my mantras and prayers, if I have done anything the day before that goes against what I have committed myself to, my intent, it always comes to the fore and I am able to sit with that and see what I need to do to prevent such actions in the future. This has been an invaluable aspect of my daily practice.
But not just in this way. When I was doing my morning prayer/meditation the other day, I realized an additional benefit. When I say my mantras and prayers, I am affirming my faith and by doing so, I am donning spiritual armor to protect me against all the negative forces that I will face that day, whether they are coming from my ego-mind or the world around me.
There is no end to the negative forces in the world that we encounter, or the negative forces that emanate from our own ego-mind. If we are not vigilant and/or don't have strength of faith, we succumb to these negative forces and suffer. It is daily prayer/meditation that provides the daily recharging of that strength which comes from faith.
As an ancient Chinese poem says, "When faith and mind are not separate, and not separate are mind and faith, this is beyond all words and thought." It is all about faith, as well as humility and love. This is what, to use Bach's words, is our "mighty fortress," "ein fester Burg," which translates more accurately as "a secure fortress."
There are many who think that one can walk the Buddhist or other spiritual path and still be a full participant in the world around us. No. The teachings of the Buddha and the nature of the world around us are like oil and water; they do not mix.
Instead, what we can do, and what this website teaches, is be true to our faith while interacting with the world around us, with our culture, on our terms. That means not being impacted by all the negative and, yes at times, evil forces in the world around us by not reacting with our emotions and fears. We can work in the real world, have friends in the real world, but we always approach everything we do or hear from the perspective of our spiritual faith. Thus we do not succumb to the negative forces around us and instead maintain our peace and happiness.
The challenges are never ending, but with the armor of faith we can be at peace and happy instead of suffering.
But not just in this way. When I was doing my morning prayer/meditation the other day, I realized an additional benefit. When I say my mantras and prayers, I am affirming my faith and by doing so, I am donning spiritual armor to protect me against all the negative forces that I will face that day, whether they are coming from my ego-mind or the world around me.
There is no end to the negative forces in the world that we encounter, or the negative forces that emanate from our own ego-mind. If we are not vigilant and/or don't have strength of faith, we succumb to these negative forces and suffer. It is daily prayer/meditation that provides the daily recharging of that strength which comes from faith.
As an ancient Chinese poem says, "When faith and mind are not separate, and not separate are mind and faith, this is beyond all words and thought." It is all about faith, as well as humility and love. This is what, to use Bach's words, is our "mighty fortress," "ein fester Burg," which translates more accurately as "a secure fortress."
There are many who think that one can walk the Buddhist or other spiritual path and still be a full participant in the world around us. No. The teachings of the Buddha and the nature of the world around us are like oil and water; they do not mix.
Instead, what we can do, and what this website teaches, is be true to our faith while interacting with the world around us, with our culture, on our terms. That means not being impacted by all the negative and, yes at times, evil forces in the world around us by not reacting with our emotions and fears. We can work in the real world, have friends in the real world, but we always approach everything we do or hear from the perspective of our spiritual faith. Thus we do not succumb to the negative forces around us and instead maintain our peace and happiness.
The challenges are never ending, but with the armor of faith we can be at peace and happy instead of suffering.
RSS Feed
