The Begging Bowl

Buddhist monks, in practicing their call to holiness, rely upon the alms of the lay faithful to provide them with food, clothes, and other needs. Often, these alms come in exchange for spiritual services the monks perform for the laity such as weddings and funerals. The posture a monk observes when receiving alms is holding the empty bowl in hand so that the almsgiver may place the alms in the bowl. However, when a monk turns the begging bowl upside down, rendering the possibility of giving alms impossible, the monk is withdrawing consent from the the spiritual practice of the community.

In Burma, the upside down bowl became a powerful symbolic action in response to the military junta's repression of the pro-democracy movement. In a devoutly Buddhist country, the withdrawal of the monk's begging bowl represents the denunciation of the systemic violence and oppression of the country's military leaders.

05 March 2008

faith



Dark enters further into the recesses of my soul. Yet...
in this darkness, light beckons. But what emerges is something best left hidden. So I thought.

Creeping, Crawling - grasping in the blinding night (or is it the brightness of the sun?) - I search for an answer. Or is it that I reject the answer given and thus keeping searching?

How desperately I want this unsettled fear to leave me, for it to be replaced by the Peace of something tangible, something real. But this fear, this violence, this is my past - my history - my life. Must I really let it go? Who, then, will I be? Or...*gasp*...who will I become?

It is in the darkness I am born. The pain of light entering my life, my mind, my soul marks the beginning. A transformation. A conversion. The suffering grace of a nonviolent love. Be this the love of Jesus? It is too much. I throw it off, in pride.

It is too late. The darkness can no longer hide what the light has already revealed. Pray that this cup may pass be by. I will go thirsty the rest of my days. But what is in that cup? What does it taste like? Can I just have a glimpse of what is inside before I take a drink? Or is the chalice so deep that darkness hides what is in there too?

I drink from it. Out of fear, desperation. Out of love. Out of the peace that so eludes me and my people. Who are my people? Why do we kill each other? Light - shine out to us. Warm our wearied, war-torn faces. Let us dance, while we still have the light, in the love and laughter of the great invitation. Gratitude at so great a gift. I am not worthy. Celebrate in Thanksgiving. And when the darkness comes again...Surely, it comes, for it always comes...Let us dance into the dark night until we collapse, wrenched with fatigue from so great a day, and rest up for the oncoming fight of our lives, one more time: No easier than the last, no harder than the next. But let us do so in the love of life and gift that is God, knowing that the invitation will come again soon.

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