Spiritual Guidance Blog
We Don’t See The World As It Is, We See The World As We Are
by Robert Meagher on 12/03/19
I want to share a recent, personal experience that made it
clear to me that I don’t see the world as it is. I see the world as I am. This
great spiritual teaching is echoed throughout many traditions and could be
simplified to share that the world we see outside of us is merely a reflection
of our inner state of being. On a deeper level, perhaps, the teaching is rooted
in the law of cause and effect. The majority of people may think that something
is happening outside of them (i.e., a war, an atrocity, an argument, etc.) and that
they are affected by this thing that is happening outside of them. Said another
way, how I am affected (influenced) is an effect (result) of what I perceive as
the cause (i.e., a war, an atrocity, an argument, etc.). In truth, however, I
am the cause and what I see outside of me is the effect (result). Everything I
see is the result (the effect) of my thoughts (the cause). And my thoughts
originate from me. I am the cause. What I see (the effect) is a physical
manifestation of my thoughts (the cause). Allow me to share how this law of
cause and effect can work with a recent, personal experience.
I had come out of a meeting feeling a myriad of
emotions—mostly frustration and irritation. Frustration and irritation,
however, are merely flavors of a more insidious feeling—anger. I ruminated on
my anger until I uncovered what I was truly angry about. Check!...I got that
out of my system, right? The residue of my feelings remained for another hour
or so, so I decided it was best I go for a walk to further contemplate my
feelings in the hopes of expunging my anger over the past events.
As I approached a busy downtown intersection, a pickup truck
was moving through an intersection at a snail’s pace, due to heavy traffic at
this intersection. The pickup truck was forced to stop without having
progressed all the way through the intersection. As a result, the truck was
blocking the pedestrian crosswalk. A pedestrian, frustrated at the truck
blocking the crosswalk (impeding them from crossing the street), decided to
take their frustrations out on the truck. The pedestrian started to hit and
kick the truck. Loud bangs could be heard as the pedestrian struck the truck
with their hands and feet.
The driver of the truck, startled by the sounds of something
striking the truck, climbed out of the truck to realize a pedestrian was
hitting and kicking the truck. The unfolding exchange between the pedestrian
and the driver of the truck quickly escalated until the pedestrian and truck
driver got into a fist fight in the middle of the busy intersection. As the
fury on display escalated, a small crowd of people gathered to cheer and jeer,
depending on the person whose ‘side’ they were taking. Traffic was now stopped
in all directions.
As I watched the scene unfold, a great peace came over me. I
was being shown my anger; all its fury and ugliness was on display for me to
witness. It had never been more clear to me that my outer world was merely an
expression of my inner state of being. Because I felt a great sense of peace, I
blessed the scene and all its participants, as I gently walked away.
The anger I had felt from the meeting earlier in the day was the feeling I was carrying around with me. The anger manifested itself as an outward expression of anger between a pedestrian and truck driver. The pedestrian and truck driver were simply the mirrors on myself, and the teachers who chose to show me in that moment the ugliness of my anger.
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
The Spiritual Seeker vs. The Spiritual Adept
by Robert Meagher on 11/02/19
I have always enjoyed cooking and I have reached various
levels of proficiency with my cooking through the years. But a recent
transformation to a vegetarian diet (partially vegan), has gifted me with a renewed
interest and enthusiasm for cooking.
Even with my renewed enthusiasm for cooking, I would not
claim to be a chef. I do admire those people who can guide themselves, without
assistance from a recipe or cookbook, to create a meal based on their sense of
what foods, spices and other ingredients go together, complement each other,
and come together to create a gourmet feast.
Even though I have been cooking for many years, I still need
a recipe to guide me toward the desired meal I want to make. I do not have an
awareness of what ingredients go together and complement each other, the
proportions to use, and other elements required to create the outcome I desire.
I have a sense of the basics of cooking, but not the ‘essence’ of what makes
good food. What has been missing from my culinary journey is desire, dedication
and discipline.
I enjoy cooking very much, but I don’t have a burning desire
to become a chef. Because I don’t have a burning desire to become a chef, I
have never dedicated myself to the pursuit of achieving a certain proficiency
in the culinary arts. Basically, I have not cultivated a discipline when it
comes to cooking. I can do what I’m told (vis-à-vis a recipe or other
instruction), but I have not advanced enough on the path of cooking to claim
any mastery of the art.
As I was joyfully cooking some meals recently, it dawned on
me that the difference between a cook and a chef is analogous to the difference
between a spiritual seeker and a spiritual adept. The spiritual seeker is the
‘cook.’ The spiritual adept is the ‘chef.’
The spiritual seeker uses recipes and instructions to attain
a place or state they search for and / or strive to attain. The spiritual seeker
does not have an awareness of what ingredients go together and complement each
other, the proportions to use, and other elements required to create the
outcome desired. To become an adept, the seeker must have the desire,
dedication and discipline to obtain a proficiency in their chosen or desired
practice(s).
The word adept—from the French ‘adepte’ or Latin
‘adeptus’—means “who has achieved.” Wikipedia defines an adept as “an
individual who is identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge,
skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular [discipline]. The
adept “stand outs from others because [his or her] abilities.” More
specifically, the spiritual adept is a person advanced enough on their
spiritual path that they have become a master. The spiritual adept has an
awareness of what ingredients go together and complement each other, the
proportions to use, and other elements required to create the outcome desired.
The adept has gone beyond the basics of their practice to understand the
underlying ‘essence’ of the journey. The spiritual adept has demonstrated their
desire, dedication and discipline in their chosen practice.
Robert Meagher has
been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual
Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
Are Shortcuts Worth It?
by Robert Meagher on 10/02/19
Last month I took one of my day-long cycling adventures. I had not ventured on this particular route before so I looked at the map before I ventured out to determine the best roads for cycling. As I examined the map I noticed a route that I thought would result in reduced car traffic on the road and make the ride safer for me. I also noticed that the proposed route cut through some backcountry and resulted in what looked like a bit of a shortcut for one leg of the journey. With an anticipated 100km+ round trip cycling adventure, I didn’t mind cutting off a few kilometers along the way.
As I arrived at the point where the shortcut began, I joyfully turned off the main highway and began my trek. I felt somewhat relieved for turning off the main road because the car traffic was heavy. After only a few minutes of cycling on the backcountry road, lines of cars started to pass me. Car after car, after car after car. I realized the route had no less traffic than the main highway. I was to realize after 10km that the reason for the heavy car traffic was a ski resort that turned to a summer amusement park was attracting a lot of families on this beautiful Saturday.
Did you notice I
mentioned ski resort??? Where there is a ski resort, there are hills. And as I
approached this ski resort, the topography became more and more undulating.
Said another way…the cycle became more and more of a challenge. A few of hills
were among the steepest I had ever descended and ascended. The descents were
thrilling, but the ascents were grueling! I carried on, however. Shortly after
I passed the ski resort, the terrain levelled out and the next 10km were quite
picturesque and pleasant to cycle. I eventually came back out on the main
highway that I had left 25km ago, feeling a bit smug that I had cut off some
time from my adventure. After 7 hours of cycling, I arrived back home.
I had enjoyed the
adventure so much that I vowed to make the trip again. So a couple of weeks
later, I ventured back to the same route. But this time, I decided not to take
the ‘shortcut’ and stayed on the main highway for the entire trip. I was
pleasantly surprised that the longer way around was a much more gentle ride,
compared to the very undulating terrain the supposed shortcut had offered me a
couple of weeks earlier. And this time the round trip took me an hour less!...even
though I went a longer, overall distance! So…
Not only did the
supposed shortcut result in a much more grueling and difficult cycle, it
actually didn’t save me any time at all! As it turns out, it took me longer to
get to where I wanted to go! I laughed at my foible and the symbolism in the
experience.
Are shortcuts worth
it? In my cycling adventure, the supposed shortcut wasn’t a shortcut at all! I
expended more energy than the long way around and it didn’t save me any time.
It actually took me longer!
Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
Who Are You Pointing Your Finger At?
by Robert Meagher on 09/03/19
I was recently blessed with a blatant example
of finger pointing and the blessed teaching in this act. When we point our
finger at someone, it is crucially important to be aware of who we are actually
pointing our finger at. There is a beautiful teaching that says, “When we point
our finger at someone, there are always 3 fingers pointing back at us!”
After a recent weekly
study group gathering, a relatively new participant, and devout Christian, came
up to me and shared their dissatisfaction that the gathering had begun with
another participant chiming a Tibetan Singing Bowl during the opening
meditation. This disgruntled participant shared that the playing of the Tibetan
Singing Bowl was an ‘idol’ (i.e., a distraction to connecting with
Source/Divine) and had no place at the gatherings. Furthermore, the new
participant shared that he felt the playing of the Tibetan Singing Bowl would
be confusing for other participants and detract from the teachings shared
during the weekly study group gatherings.
The very next day an
interesting article came into my email ‘inbox’ from a spiritual-oriented news-feed.
The article was about a Christian monk who was on an extended retreat in a
Buddhist monastery. The monk recounted his difficulty with accepting some of
the rituals of the Buddhist community, including the “incessant chiming and
playing of bells and bowls and the praying to statues of Buddha.” The monk went
on to criticize the Buddhist faithful for worshipping “idols” like bells,
bowls, and Buddha statues, and denounced the practices as “a distraction from
direct union with God.” Toward the end of the article, however, the monk
revealed how he was graced with the awareness of his judgements and that he too
had his own rituals and idols he placed before God, including the worshipping
of his faith tradition’s prophet, Jesus. The monk knew that if he called for
someone else to drop his/her idols, he would have to drop his.
Will the relatively
new participant at the weekly study group gatherings have the same awareness as
the Christian monk in the Buddhist monastery? Time will tell. The new
participant may have indeed been concerned that other participants would be
confused by the playing of the Tibetan Singing Bowl, but is it possible that they
themselves were the confused one, and were merely projecting their confusion
onto others?
And so it is with
finger pointing, we are only ever pointing a finger at ourselves. Any grievance
expressed toward another is merely a projection of a grievance toward
ourselves. Look carefully at what you accuse the ‘other’ of doing, and you will
find that you are accusing yourself.
Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.
I Want Nothing From or For Anyone
by Robert Meagher on 08/02/19
A new awareness is emerging on
my journey. I want nothing from or for anyone.
I want nothing from anyone. At
the core this is a statement of expectation. This statement may be
misunderstood. So please allow me to clarify. If I need help, I will certainly
ask for it. But I will not expect a certain outcome from this ‘ask.’ What will
result from asking is what will happen. I let go of all expectation of the
outcome. This wanting nothing from anyone is also an awareness and trust in
life that I truly do have everything I need in and from life. What would I ever
want from anyone when I am perfectly whole, safe and resting peacefully in the
arms of God?
I want nothing for anyone. This
part of the equation was a more challenging one for me to accept. I tend toward
wanting to ‘be there’ for people. I have a natural tendency to want to help
people in need. The very idea of not wanting anything for anyone has challenged
my natural tendency to want to help people in need. What I have come to realize
is that I can trust in life. And a cornerstone of this trust in life is a trust
that everyone, without exception, is exactly where they need to be to take the
next step in their journey. To want something for someone may suggest that they
are ‘in need’ or ‘wanting’ for something. This perception of a need assumes
they are somehow lacking, inferior or, even worse, suffering. Nothing could be
further from the truth! To see the reality beyond the perception of lack,
inferiority or suffering is to know everyone is perfect, just as they are.
There is nothing lacking in anyone. There is nothing anyone could every want or
need. Their divine wholeness is without any concept of lack.
Wanting nothing from or for anyone is a practice in
non-judgement. Can I not judge a person, situation, or a situation that a
person finds themselves in, including myself? If so, I could not possibly want
anything from anyone. If so, I could not possibly want anything for anyone. If
I rest in non-judgement, I can simply allow what is, to be.
Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.