Hierarchies in spiritual journeys
“The Zen teaching – and I repeat this again and again – is shared ishin denshin: from my soul to your soul.” Taisen Deshimaru-Roshi: ZEN in den Kampfkünsten Japans.
There cannot be hierarchies on our spiritual journeys, in our process of becoming more conscious. Consciousness is an intelligence that is not confined to me or you, to this or that. That is the reason why a “good” “teacher” invites you to be in relationship with him as a friend, as a fellow human being, and you both are on your individual journeys of becoming more conscious – together. Grounded in compassion and love for one another. The life process, life force, is moving all of us and doesn’t differentiate, doesn’t discriminate. We can choose to relate with it consciously – and that will accelerate our spiritual journey towards the essence of our Selves. The essence that is one with All That Is.
Heidi and I have been offering workshops, meditation groups, sharing circles for more than a year now. And of course there were questions and curiosity about how we do it, how we “teach”, how individual process is supported, and also if we offer “workshops for advanced meditators”. See, there is no such thing as “advanced stillness” when meditating. There is practice for sure, a certain kind of discipline of how we relate with life in every moment, and that is a choice that everyone needs to make for themselves. Ultimately, practicing being open, available for the moment, being present in the moment, relaxing the mind to not put filters, categories, hierarchies onto the present situation is the “goal” of spiritual practice.
In this state of being, life force, consciousness, can move through us freely and guide us to wherever and whatever necessary – and without judgement, without us, our minds, shutting down and out new experiences. Then we can be still and available in every situation. Then we can feel alive and guided by life in every moment. And then we have stopped cutting life into categories that will always be too small and create even more confusion for life to move freely through us and inform us.
You are capable to invite yourself to come home to your Self. And if you feel it would be fun, supportive, nurturing, to experience your Self in relationship with others doing the same, we invite you to meet on Fridays from 7-9 in the Studio in Frankfurt-Bockenheim.