Spiritual-ship & Bursting Bubbles
As I started walking on the spiritual path, or so I thought, I recognized more and more triggers within my space, against the world and myself, and my unwillingness towards my own liberation. I questioned the circles I was in, blaming my not progressing on those who seemingly held me back or caused me constant fear and confusion. And wished to only associate with spiritual beings sharing my same pathway.
And then I looked around and started trying to change the world. I asked friends to come for meditation. To read certain good books. Go for more retreats. Forgive more. Watch their mind more. Listen to spiritual talks more. Go for this teacher and that teaching. And on and on I went around to preach what I indeed believed in.
But as I sank deeper into the awareness of the discomfort of judgment, wrong views, and meanings toward every situation, as the willingness to see all my brothers and sisters wholly innocent was becoming more natural, one day, it dawned on me that we have always been on the spiritual path, no matter what we seem to do. And no one needs to take the blame for each other for certain suffering or delay.
Because it is all just bubbles containing the whole separated mind and conditionality of existence. The bubbles also are imprinted with your meaning towards yourself and others, your experiences, skill set, "past" pains, and "future" hopes. Each is contained in others in some very intricate mapping. And in that holographic mind maze, at each bubble of the moment, each person plays a specific role in the whole salvation/ liberation plan. Even those who are not on the path, those who are drowned in ambitions, rage, revenge, self-pity, or those who don’t look at all spiritual. Their role in this particular bubble is to teach you to recognize your call for love, your unresolved guilt and fear, and your unforgiving thoughts towards your brothers and yourself. Or they may just play a support role to help nurture you and bring you to the right time right place for your growth. Or they just are learning spiritually in a different way. Or at some point, they may be inspired to join us on the same pathway. Even if they may be playing the perpetrator, and look very evil, they are there to help you recognize how much you have not forgiven the evil or the victim in you. And even if in this bubble they play that evil role, in another bubble they are your best teacher or lover. It all depends on what constructs that time-space moment.
And when we say we are on the same boat, we truly are. Each of us is part of the same "boat", or the "(son)ship", sailing from the shore of the ego and delusion to the shore of Love and Eternity. We are just sitting at different decks, different rooms, and different sides looking at different parts of the sea we are cruising on. Some people sit to wait for sunrise, some people sunset, and some look at fish swirling around the ship. Some sit in their room and play games. The names of the games can be religion, healing, worldly gambles, love and hate, hide and seek, or noble path, forgiveness, and many more. And it is just that, the images of life on the ship, while we each go on bursting bubbles. In our own time and space, we just need to bust the different conditionings that hold us back from remembering and accepting Love. But without each other on board, both the heroes and villains, who will help us see, we can't burst no bubbles.
I recognized then that I truly cannot judge nor fix anyone. Neither can anyone, including myself, try to be more, or less, spiritual with my convincing. Because each is exactly where they need to be. In Dhamma/ Holy Spirit/Higher Wisdom’s plan for awakening in the seeming linear timeline of evolution, which is unknown to me.
I can hear a quiet voice in me now that says, you need only extend love, as it is what each and everyone deserves always.
In grace,
TP Linh
10 May 2022