Monday, 12/3 continued
Food: a note about life in the ashram and our basic vegetarian diet - delicious! Maybe it's just working up an appetite, but even in its simplicity there is an innate sense of health about it. Yesterday I enjoyed a raw salad of tomatoes and cucumbers, something I wouldn't even think of eating anywhere else in India. But here in the ashram there is not problem. And there are no lists of health precautions for food preparation. We all wash our own dishes, sometimes using a little solution of "good bacteria," rinsing our plates and spoons in cold water and wiping them dry on shared dish towels. There are no reported cases of food poisoning or stomach upset. Interesting...
This morning the temple bell rang three times and people gathered in the Kali Temple. Amma arrived and without any introduction began giving darshan to the ashram permanent residents. Even with a couple of thousand of them it appeared that Amma knew them all and was greeting each one personally. She had been away for some months, so you could tell this was special. The love and joy filled the air, and even as an observer I felt blessed. For us visitors our turn will come on Wednesday, they say.
Theological Reflection
In the general confession and the penitential rite of our Book of Common Prayer liturgies there is a pronounced emphasis on unworthiness due to sin. This is lacking in Amma's bhagans, which are the closest thing to liturgical prayer that I have come across here. There is confession of need and asking for help and comfort, but no guilt. There is the presumption that one is always worthy enough to ask for what you need.
Comparing the Daily Office and lectionary readings with the bhagans regarding context, the bhagans are more limited in scope, more individualistic, but God is much more approachable. It is in the seva that intention goes beyond self-interest. The Psalms and currently Isaiah in the Daily Office readings are explicit regarding the huge gulf between the divine and humanity.
Tuesday, 12/4
Rough night last night. The humidity was higher and it didn't cool off as much. About 3:30 I was under attack by a swarm of tiny mosquitoes. I got up and set up my "bug hut." But then I was awake until morning. So I meditated off and on for three hours. I also pondered how so many people, several that I know here, could give up everything to come live in this challenging country, with its challenging weather, and engage such a challenging life style as an intentional spiritual choice. In one sense this is encouraging testimony about people making positive life commitments that are a benefit to us all. What they do there has a global effect and also is a witness and encouragement for others for self-examination and leveling up.
Another aspect is that living like this is a calling. it is not self initiated. The desire to live this way is a result of having experienced the divine, the grace, the love, the encounter with one who will become the focus of attention and devotion. The desire is planted there by all this, is a result of the grace which calls into deeper relationship.
My call came from Jesus. I am clear about that, and the deeper, challenging call to intimacy there. My call is not to live here in India with Amma, but to be here and observe and learn.
Food: a note about life in the ashram and our basic vegetarian diet - delicious! Maybe it's just working up an appetite, but even in its simplicity there is an innate sense of health about it. Yesterday I enjoyed a raw salad of tomatoes and cucumbers, something I wouldn't even think of eating anywhere else in India. But here in the ashram there is not problem. And there are no lists of health precautions for food preparation. We all wash our own dishes, sometimes using a little solution of "good bacteria," rinsing our plates and spoons in cold water and wiping them dry on shared dish towels. There are no reported cases of food poisoning or stomach upset. Interesting...
This morning the temple bell rang three times and people gathered in the Kali Temple. Amma arrived and without any introduction began giving darshan to the ashram permanent residents. Even with a couple of thousand of them it appeared that Amma knew them all and was greeting each one personally. She had been away for some months, so you could tell this was special. The love and joy filled the air, and even as an observer I felt blessed. For us visitors our turn will come on Wednesday, they say.
Theological Reflection
In the general confession and the penitential rite of our Book of Common Prayer liturgies there is a pronounced emphasis on unworthiness due to sin. This is lacking in Amma's bhagans, which are the closest thing to liturgical prayer that I have come across here. There is confession of need and asking for help and comfort, but no guilt. There is the presumption that one is always worthy enough to ask for what you need.
Comparing the Daily Office and lectionary readings with the bhagans regarding context, the bhagans are more limited in scope, more individualistic, but God is much more approachable. It is in the seva that intention goes beyond self-interest. The Psalms and currently Isaiah in the Daily Office readings are explicit regarding the huge gulf between the divine and humanity.
Tuesday, 12/4
Rough night last night. The humidity was higher and it didn't cool off as much. About 3:30 I was under attack by a swarm of tiny mosquitoes. I got up and set up my "bug hut." But then I was awake until morning. So I meditated off and on for three hours. I also pondered how so many people, several that I know here, could give up everything to come live in this challenging country, with its challenging weather, and engage such a challenging life style as an intentional spiritual choice. In one sense this is encouraging testimony about people making positive life commitments that are a benefit to us all. What they do there has a global effect and also is a witness and encouragement for others for self-examination and leveling up.
Another aspect is that living like this is a calling. it is not self initiated. The desire to live this way is a result of having experienced the divine, the grace, the love, the encounter with one who will become the focus of attention and devotion. The desire is planted there by all this, is a result of the grace which calls into deeper relationship.
My call came from Jesus. I am clear about that, and the deeper, challenging call to intimacy there. My call is not to live here in India with Amma, but to be here and observe and learn.
No comments:
Post a Comment