Sunday, March 28, 2010

The violence of the daily

In her weekly e-mail update titled "Reflection Questions," leadership and life coach Marcia Hyatt quotes Trappist monk and world renowned spiritual author Thomas Merton

"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times," she asks us to reflect on the ways in which we succumb to the violence of our times.

How intriguing to find Merton relating "good deeds" to the "violence of our times." Certainly, the issues he mentions are ones that concern all who struggle to make good use of their time. Merton, however, is not accusing the works themselves but the way in which we perform those works.

In reflecting on this, I realize that I succumb to this violence each time I forget to be fully present to whatever it is I am doing. Each time I rush through the "now" to get to what should be an “attitude” but instead has become a “place,”: Inner quiet and focus.

Why quiet should be a place toward which I rush might stem from my monastic days when we were warned against the prayer of silence or centering which the church termed “the doctrine [heretical] of quietism.” Catholic Encyclopedia.

"Generally speaking [quietism is]a sort of false or exaggerated mysticism, which under the guise of the loftiest spirituality contains erroneous notions which, if consistently followed, would prove fatal to morality. ...In its essential features Quietism is a characteristic of the religions of India. Both Pantheistic Brahmanism and Buddhism aim at a sort of self-annihilation, a state of indifference in which the soul enjoys an imperturbable tranquility. And the means of bringing this about is the recognition of one's identity with Brahma, the all-god, or, for the Buddhist, the quenching of desire and the consequent attainment of Nirvana, incompletely in the present life, but completely after death."

Thomas Merton helped turn this doctrine on its head by reminding the Church of it’s ancient mystical traditions, diffusing the threat of "heresy," and introducing millions to lives of contemplation. Rather than warning against the falsity of eastern mystic traditions, "Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, D.T. Suzuki, the Japanese writer on the Zen tradition, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh."

Perhaps in "succumbing to the violence of our times," I've also "succumbed to the violence of" Church doctrine.

7 comments:

Robin said...

Beryl, thank you for visiting! I'm looking forward to perusing your blogs. And I do believe I read your book a couple of years ago.

My deep and heartfelt condolences with respect to your daughter.

Anonymous said...

"Why quiet should be a place toward which I rush." I've stolen that line from your post and have been playing with it toward a poem.

It describes a place I found myself the other morning, torn between want and silence. It was a good place to find myself.

A marvelous and searching post, Beryl.

Beryl Singleton Bissell said...

Thanks for your comments Robin and Peter. As usual, I'm spending most days in my writing shed with no access to internet so I will focus on the writing so I get to your comments late, but with joy.

Christin Lore Weber said...

Both of us are in the stillness. But finally I'm getting back into blogging, though on leave from the longer projects. Thanks, Beryl, for your visit and comment. I wonder why you couldn't get the music. There should be a little music icon at the bottom of the page (after the string of entries for April)-- not that you should need to activate it in any way; it should just start playing when you access the blog. Hummm.

Christin Lore Weber said...

Beryl dear, I've been here and then back here to re-read your take on Merton's thought. Both of you bring a sense of relief over not having to do, do, do. Recently I came across the notion that we moderns have forgotten how to be idle. I think of my dad, sitting on his haunches by the lake, whittling on a piece of birch, listening to the cry of the gulls.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Beryl, again for Your insight, I too still struggle at times with the teachings of my early catholic childhood. I fully embrace the teachings of Thomas Merton and other enlightened souls. I have fully embraced the teachings of Thomas Merton and other inspired souls on my road to self discovery and finding meaning in life. But sometimes, there is still that litte voice inside that says "You should't"

teri said...

Internet wanderings brought me here- I am so thankful for this post. Firstly sending you continued grace in the loss of your daughter...I am so very sorry.

And secondly I am thankful for the comment made by "anonymous". I hear the voices of my Roman Catholic upbringing- mostly my fretting mother not to get into that Eastern or New Age stuff. Your explanation of "quietism" will take some time to integrate .... but I feel a sense of relief. I will find time to explore your blog further and acquire some of Thomas Mertons books- teri

About Me

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Beryl is the author of The Scent of God: A Memoir published by Counterpoint NY in 2006 and A View of the Lake published by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. in 2001. She’s been living on Lake Superior for seventeen wonderful years, and spent 10 years writing two popular columns for the Cook County News Herald: Newcomer Notes and Putting Down Roots. Beryl is past president of the Schroeder Area Historical Society and a long-time chair of its Oral History and Marketing committees. She is a past board member of the Violence Prevention Center in Grand Marais and committee member for the Grand Marais Art Colony’s first ever annual North Shore Reader and Writers Festival. She’s been published in the Sun Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, Lake Superior Magazine, and The Trenton Times and in the anthologies, Surviving Ophelia published by Perseus Publications in 2001 and The New Writer's Handbook, Vol. 2, published by Scarletta Press in 2008 and was named Best of Minnesota Writers by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She is currently working on her third memoir: the sequel to The Scent of God.