Change
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JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
The sky is heavy pregnant water. Dark, rolling, grumbling, I am witnessing the birth of a morning storm. It stormed last night as well and the grass in our courtyards, the trees, and even the buildings, seem to be showing their deep appreciation. So, I am a little surprised at this morning storm. Rainy season rains are usually in the afternoon. We should appreciate rain. It is so cleansing. So vital. With it we are able to witness life bloom if we have eyes to see it.
Each season has its own delights. Sometimes they are subtle, sometimes gross, and sometimes not so delightful. Change is like that.
Our synagogue is now without a rabbi. I went to services reluctantly last night. I sat in the sanctuary and practiced zazen. When we practice, we notice. The stillness yields subtlety and opens our senses to it. This is why the mystics so appreciate stillness.
The sanctuary seemed large and empty. It is a new building, still cold and sterile. There was no rabbi on the bema. The lay person responsible for conducting the services was busily engaging the details of the evening, inviting other congregants to take a part. Services at synagogues are like that, tribal affairs. This is a religion of group relating within group and group to God. A rabbi, as such, is not essential.
Still, there as a deafening change. My heart was sore. I felt such a loss. I feel the change. It stormed over head as the congregation chanted the liturgy. The lay leader did a fine job.
Just as we learn to appreciate a storm and the rain that is brings, how we face change is critical to us, as well. Everything is change. Everything. We suffer so when we want to keep this as they are. Yet embracing change is so challenging as it requires us to face the unknown directly. Will this storm be dangerous?
In Judaism, as in Buddhism, we face change together, as well as change together. We learn through our practice that the rain and we are one. Storm is just a thought. Our thoughts produce our fears, and our fears drive our behavior. Yet, when we take refuge in our tribe or our sangha, we are One, nourished by each other.
May we each be blessings in the universe.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
The sky is heavy pregnant water. Dark, rolling, grumbling, I am witnessing the birth of a morning storm. It stormed last night as well and the grass in our courtyards, the trees, and even the buildings, seem to be showing their deep appreciation. So, I am a little surprised at this morning storm. Rainy season rains are usually in the afternoon. We should appreciate rain. It is so cleansing. So vital. With it we are able to witness life bloom if we have eyes to see it.
Each season has its own delights. Sometimes they are subtle, sometimes gross, and sometimes not so delightful. Change is like that.
Our synagogue is now without a rabbi. I went to services reluctantly last night. I sat in the sanctuary and practiced zazen. When we practice, we notice. The stillness yields subtlety and opens our senses to it. This is why the mystics so appreciate stillness.
The sanctuary seemed large and empty. It is a new building, still cold and sterile. There was no rabbi on the bema. The lay person responsible for conducting the services was busily engaging the details of the evening, inviting other congregants to take a part. Services at synagogues are like that, tribal affairs. This is a religion of group relating within group and group to God. A rabbi, as such, is not essential.
Still, there as a deafening change. My heart was sore. I felt such a loss. I feel the change. It stormed over head as the congregation chanted the liturgy. The lay leader did a fine job.
Just as we learn to appreciate a storm and the rain that is brings, how we face change is critical to us, as well. Everything is change. Everything. We suffer so when we want to keep this as they are. Yet embracing change is so challenging as it requires us to face the unknown directly. Will this storm be dangerous?
In Judaism, as in Buddhism, we face change together, as well as change together. We learn through our practice that the rain and we are one. Storm is just a thought. Our thoughts produce our fears, and our fears drive our behavior. Yet, when we take refuge in our tribe or our sangha, we are One, nourished by each other.
May we each be blessings in the universe.
Be well.