Saturday, April 12, 2008

Agnus Dei Vol. 6.1 Easter 08 Ecological Intercession

Biological life on this planet, as far as I know, exists solely within a thin surface layer of earth, water and air. Relative to the size of the planet, this zone of habitation is miniscule, fragile and exposed. Yet billions of different life forms thrive in this biosphere. This planetary surface is so thin in comparison to the rest of the mass of Earth that it might be considered insignificant if it were not for the fact that this is where we humans live. We have a vested self-interest, therefore, in the condition of this biosphere.

When I teach about the Prayer of the Lamb, I talk about how this is an ecological form of meditational prayer, that this spiritual practice interconnects within the ecological system, that the context for meditation is a context of the whole. We cannot separate out this activity of meditation from the rest of the environment.

Another way of expressing this is: “It’s not about me.” It’s about us. I may think that I meditate for my own good, and yes, that it so. But whatever is for my own good is also for the good of all because we are intrinsically interrelated. Indeed when we continue long enough in this spiritual practice we can come to experience, not just have an insight about, but know experientially the unity of all manifest being. Then the only way we can offer the Prayer of the Lamb is to pray “have mercy on us.”

The Prayer of the Lamb, “Jesus/Yeshua, have mercy on us,” begins with an appeal for mercy to intervene in our condition, our situation, our environment. It is offering an intercession for what is seen as a need, and in saying “have mercy on us” it acknowledges that I myself am also impacted by the need seen in another. And continuing in meditation we can come to realize that the mercy, compassion, care, wisdom and grace needed are already abundantly present and available. In truth there is no separation or alienation from the compassion of God, just as much as it is not possible for any organism to exist separate from its ecosphere.
A key scripture text to support this is the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being
4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
The darkness, may I suggest, is not some evil force or enemy, something that would pose a threat to the light, but nothing, no thing. What we objectify as darkness is rather our assumption that darkness is substantial and able to bind and limit life. It is our supposed separation and alienation from God. To quote my own teacher, “Darkness is a function of our ignorance about the truth of life. We think the world is dark, because we are dark in our awareness, and yet the world is all light, one radiant wholeness of love.” It is salvation to be freed of this self-limiting ignorance.

The condition of ignorance and darkness is within the state of awareness of the whole of our species. As our spiritual practice brings awakening, so too the compassion of this abundant mercy empowers us in our actions, translating meditation into compassionate service not only for other human beings but for the whole of the biosphere. The fruit of meditation is action on behalf of the whole bio-system intervening into the darkness of human hearts, shifting callousness, despair, rage, hatred, envy and greed into life-sustaining directions.

Each time you sit to meditate is a turning toward the light and a cooperation with divine self expression. Every time you meditate you are adding to growing awareness about the illusion of our separateness. Every time in meditation the individual, separate "I" of self identity is no more, and "we" as the miraculous union of all unique beings in the divine radiance of Yeshua becomes the substance of creation. Keep meditating!