“A university professor went to visit a Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! No more will go in!” the professor blurted. “You are like this cup,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.” If we are to grow spiritually, we must all empty our minds, our cups, of all the preconceived ideas, concepts, techniques and methods that prevent us from receiving the new.
Jesus said “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:22).
As a Unity minister, I find many people who discover Unity teachings find them to be liberating. They find people who attend Unity services to be friendly. An oasis in a challenging world. They can sense the friendliness and goodwill. Some who join intend to commit to a spiritual practice and become part of our spiritual community. And then….something arises within the mind that Spiritual Author, H Emilie Cady calls “chemicalization.”
We are all creatures of habit, and our old thought patterns, and conditioned thinking crop up overshadowing our intentions. Many rationalize and find excuses justifying why their spiritual practice has been put aside.
The key to moving through any challenge is contrary to what you may think. In fact, it is about not thinking, and not struggle with those thoughts, feelings, ideas, and beliefs, but just noticing they have arisen once again. Rather than struggle with them, if we acknowledge them and observe, we will see that they are also passing through, like clouds drifting in a clear blue sky.
To live from a clear and open mind is to use your mind to witness, to observe without commentary. This takes practice and discipline. However, if we keep thinking, talking and acting the same way, we are like the university professor who cannot stop talking long enough to receive the wisdom of seeing another way because his mind is overflowing with past learnings, and structures of knowing that may no longer work.
Our mind is an instrument that can get clogged with pollution of opinions, judgements and other debris of the world. If you have ever watched a rainstorm, afterward the rain clears away the humidity in the atmosphere, bringing a scent of freshness.
Likewise, if we train our mind to be still and to sit in our discomfort. letting our tears flow while watching our thoughts and emotions, we notice they have soon passed, and in their wake is a lightness, clarity, and aliveness.
Affirm:
“All things come to pass.”
Blessings, Rev Janice
