A Journey of Faith

For a religious person faith is an important part of their identity and yet the religion we belong to is for many people an accident of birth and were any of us to have been born in another part of the world, at another time in history, our religion would have been different. The religion we follow is the result of happenstance. And would we be the worse off for that? Does it really matter what religion we believe in or follow when all religions have produced their saints (and of course their sinners). What is important is whether our religion is a vehicle for faith and a meaningful way for us to grow in love, justice, compassion, honesty, all the virtues that make our life worthwhile and allow us to make a positive contribution to the world in which we live. It’s easy to focus on the externals of religion and not let the practice take us deeper into what it means to be human.

For me call is at the heart of faith. And what I mean by call is that impulse deep within us that attracts us to a future that can be better, or different from the present. It is like a magnet drawing us ever forward to explore life, seek truth, show love, serve others. Life doesn’t stand still and each day offers the possibility for change, growth and development. We are on a journey, and our personal journey is a part of the much greater journey of humanity itself and indeed the cosmos. To participate in this journey means to accept life with gratitude but also to honour its pain and incompleteness, and to contribute what we can to its well-being.

A good depiction of this journey is for me the 10 Zen Buddhist ox-herding pictures. These metaphorically illustrate the journey to enlightenment.

1. the journey begins with a sense of dissatisfaction, a realisation that there is a more to life.
2. there is an indication of where meaning and enlightenment might be in the glimpses of the ox’s footprints.
3. this is followed by glimpses and sightings of the ox itself.
4. then we manage to catch the ox, but it is a struggle to keep hold of it.  
5. after much wresting we find harmony, sitting atop the ox and viewing life from its perspective.
6. we are able to ride the ox home and feel very at ease in it
7. then we realise there never was an ox to be sought after and are content in the knowledge that what we were seeking was always in us and around us
8. now the ox and the seeker have disappeared. It is total immersion in the world, realising that we are not a distinct, separate entity but as Rumi would put it, ‘Not a drop in the ocean, but the whole mighty sea in a drop.’
9. we return to the beginning – no ox, no man, just life of which we are part – it is as TS Elliot says, to know it for the first time
10. then finally a return to ordinary life, to the marketplace to become a bestower of blessings.

The ten ox-herding pictures dramatize the Buddhist teaching that enlightenment reveals the true self, showing it to be the ordinary self doing ordinary things in the most extraordinary way. Although I am not a Buddhist I recognise a truth encapsulated in the teaching and respond to it. For me it illustrates well the journey of conversion, the development of the life of faith, the attraction and call at the heart of religion and of life itself. But we need to stop to recognise this call. We need to be open to it and we might not hear it amid busyness and noise. We need silence, space, deep listening to our hearts and our circumstances. We need to recognise how much we fill up our inner space with noise, distractions, material goods. We need time out.

Religions are good at giving opportunities for time out to reflect on self, to pause and to listen. In Judaism it is Shabbat that allows for this and it would be so healthy for us all to have such a day each week. Next week begins lent and Ramadan followed at the beginning of March by the Baha’i fast. For the next six weeks there will be millions of people fasting each in their own way. For Muslims and Baha’is this is to abstain from food or drink during daylight hours; for Christians it could be discipling self by letting go of some comfort or obsession, giving up alcohol, meat, sweet deserts, social media, television. It could be decluttering, learning a new skill, doing voluntary work. The fasts are important and the discipline is good but only if they lead to conversion of heart, offer an opportunity to reflect on life to consider our pattern of living and open ourselves to personal and spiritual renewal, not just for our own sake but for the sake of the world. As millions of believers around the world embark on these times of fasting I think  it is good for those of us fasting to remember and unite our efforts with all those who are sharing in this spiritual exercise. There will be a lot of specific good energy around in the next six weeks and a concern for the future of humanity. Can we harness it so that it so that we are aware of it and become blessings of peace and reconciliation for others?    

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