However, when there is a general imbalance, balance needs to be restored. In our culture generally, we have lost the art of contemplation. We have forgotten how to be still. We focus on the outer. We excel at doing. We are afraid of being.
I was first introduced to stillness in the early eighties when a new faculty member joined our college. He was a bit of a mystic. He wandered around in a black cassock. This was unusual for a Baptist college, even though he was a Methodist by tradition. One of his early ventures was to institute a day of silence and contemplation. For me it was complete agony! By lunchtime I had to drive into Manchester city center simply to hear voices and noises, and to be surrounded by action. I think I was afraid of what I might find on the inside. Over time I persevered. I have gradually learned the art of stillness, with more still to learn.
At the university, before each class I practice zazen breathing meditation with my students. It is good to see students learn the art of stillness. My hope is that many will make it a life practice. Yet, I know many of them struggle with it, at least at the beginning. Fidgeting, easily distracted, legs joggling, hands nervous, eyes anxiously gazing at the cell phone hoping for a new text message. The body's unrest mirrors the restlessness inside. Students have told me that their little zazen at the beginning of class is the only time they are quiet during the whole week.
My early forays into contemplation in the 1980s, and the experience of my students are symptomatic of the general cultural unfamiliarity with being. Hence, in our community understandings there is more about being than doing. We have attempted to address the imbalance. Those who are familiar with our community know that we are as active as any small group of people! Yet, in our activities we are discovering the spirituality of being.
+Ab. Andy