I think one of
the traps of any spiritual practice is the habit of clinging to newly
discovered ‘truths’. We learn something new, have an epiphany or revelation
that leads us to a deeper understanding of our life and reality, and we solidify
it into a belief—the potential beginning of spiritual dogma.
It is,
therefore, important to hold our experiences lightly, gently, giving them room
to move, to re-shape themselves and reveal even greater depth and complexity.
Truth is most often relative, so it is vital that we maintain this sort of
openness.
All of which is
to say, I confess, that anytime I have found myself discovering what are
arguably liberating truths about my own nature, or the nature of the universe
of which I am a part, I also notice a tendency to cling to said truths like a
life-preserver.
I do at times,
in other words, take a bit of a desperate choke-hold that can only squeeze the life
out of said liberating bit of newly discovered vitality.
Knowing this
about myself, I now try to catch myself in the act and back off. I enjoy my moment of ‘enlightenment’,
but don’t treat it as though that is all there is to know, or be aware of. This
requires facing my fear of the unknown, and any insecurities I may feel in the face
of this vast Uncertainty in which we all have membership.
Holding things
lightly I think for me, especially means lightening up mentally and emotionally.
It is all too easy to get bogged down in the weighty nature of philosophical
and spiritual inquiry, which, then, generally misses the whole point of
bothering to inquire at all.
And the point of
such inquiry, as I see it, is to locate maps to life’s sweet spot—the
center from which we function with the greatest degree of relative equanimity, sanity and vitality.
I do not ever
expect to remain perfectly centered. I don’t think the nature of the universe,
composed as it is of all things dark and light, supports that expectation. So,
the ability to hold things lightly is particularly important for it allows me
to ride the waves, the inevitable ups and downs, with greater skill and ease
than is possible if I’m clinging desperately to some liberating notion that
provides only one small view of a much larger and complex picture.
Holding things
lightly, in other words, allows for mental and emotional breathing room—the
ground for relative equanimity, sanity and vitality.
