Sacred Life Sunday: Interbeing
January 11, 2009
Along with my drive to move outward, learn new things and meet new people this year,
I am feeling quiet- with a conflicting desire to move inward. Which one will grow stronger? Which energy do I really need right now?....... I feel a need for a little bit of both; however, the series of grey days have been very conducive to my desire to go inside.
I skipped the yoga and journaling workshop I planned to attend yesterday, because of the rain that made the day look practically like night, the achy tiredness of my body from a grueling work week and the contrasting comfort of my sitting chair and a good book. i stayed home, prepared healthy
salads for my lunch bag next week, watched a movie with DH and spent the rest of the day in semi-solitude- sitting in my chair slowly reading the last few chapters of “The Fruitful Darkness” by Joan Halifax.
So where am I now after my day of solitude? I am peaceful,content. I feel comfort from the sound of the raindrops- alone, but not lonely and I realize that I needed every inch of this solitude to “ work myself out.” Where am I now after reading this phenomenal book? Now that yields a much deeper answer.
I often listen to Dharma podcast while knitting or cooking dinner. Most of the talks are given by Joan Halifax with occasional guest speakers. Through listening to her talks regularly, I discovered that she came into Zen Buddhism through an unusual door: anthropology. Her passion for the ways of ancient spiritual practices took her all over the world and their influence seeps into her talks through poetry and stories. This program also lead me to read one of her earliest books: “The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey through buddhist practice and tribal wisdom.” Many sentences in this book made me stop reading and close my eyes for a while. However, the main theme that resonates throughout the book is how all things depend on each other for their existence. The earth is a fabric that we are woven into and all living things deserve our deepest reverence for we all exist between and through each other. Nothing new, but something we need to be reminded of over and over again. So for this year I’ve decided to focus on the word, “interbeing”
In the appendix of the book are 9 precepts of “The Order of Interbeing.” I love number 2 and have added it to my sacred space.
If we all understood the concept of interbeing at its deepest level, the rape of the earth would cease, we would more readily forgive each other and love would overflow to infinity.
