On my two-week vacation up north in a cabin, I often turn
within. “What’s happening with me right now?” I try
to listen to myself in a deeper way. To hear my journey from a deeper level
then my ordinary, repeating stories and I often turn to writing. I pull out
my Spriritual Journey- Journal Book and start writing. The book I turn to
a lot is “Life’s Companion, Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest” by Christina
Baldwin. It’s an old book, published in 1990. I often use it during
transitions in my life. I worked yesterday with chapter 20, “Becoming
Persons of Power.”
within. “What’s happening with me right now?” I try
to listen to myself in a deeper way. To hear my journey from a deeper level
then my ordinary, repeating stories and I often turn to writing. I pull out
my Spriritual Journey- Journal Book and start writing. The book I turn to
a lot is “Life’s Companion, Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest” by Christina
Baldwin. It’s an old book, published in 1990. I often use it during
transitions in my life. I worked yesterday with chapter 20, “Becoming
Persons of Power.”
Baldwin
begins her chapter by saying:
begins her chapter by saying:
“Life is relationship: we
are empowered and empowering all the time.
Empowerment means to give others what they need, and to allow others to give
us what we need. …. Empowerment is
mutual.” P. 287
are empowered and empowering all the time.
Empowerment means to give others what they need, and to allow others to give
us what we need. …. Empowerment is
mutual.” P. 287
I
think I began this time with this chapter because I just completed in early July
a Zen Transmission Ceremony for one of my senior students who, through this ceremony,
is now acknowledged as a Zen Teacher. It
is an empowerment ceremony made 800 or more years ago (in Dogen’s time and parts
of it before Dogen from China) and surprised me by its power and depth. What surprised me the most – I felt it as mutually empowering. I had to let go of all my personal stories
of weakness and self-doubt, and become Vairochana Buddha sitting on the lotus seat
and find the place in myself that can do this without doubt. This ceremony empowered me!
It was mutual empowerment. As
often is said, the student brings forth the teacher.
Now, on my time alone, I am trying to digest what happened to me during this
empowerment ceremony and integrate it into my historic self. So, during this self-reflective time, I am investigating and
praying to let go of all the ways I disempowered myself, which has been a refrain
of feedback over the years of my teaching life.
think I began this time with this chapter because I just completed in early July
a Zen Transmission Ceremony for one of my senior students who, through this ceremony,
is now acknowledged as a Zen Teacher. It
is an empowerment ceremony made 800 or more years ago (in Dogen’s time and parts
of it before Dogen from China) and surprised me by its power and depth. What surprised me the most – I felt it as mutually empowering. I had to let go of all my personal stories
of weakness and self-doubt, and become Vairochana Buddha sitting on the lotus seat
and find the place in myself that can do this without doubt. This ceremony empowered me!
It was mutual empowerment. As
often is said, the student brings forth the teacher.
Now, on my time alone, I am trying to digest what happened to me during this
empowerment ceremony and integrate it into my historic self. So, during this self-reflective time, I am investigating and
praying to let go of all the ways I disempowered myself, which has been a refrain
of feedback over the years of my teaching life.
“When we
take up the spiritual quest, we invite creative forces to interact with us and to
impact our lives in ways we cannot predict and will not control. We find ourselves in a relationship with power, needing to become
a person of power, not ego power, but spiritual power.
take up the spiritual quest, we invite creative forces to interact with us and to
impact our lives in ways we cannot predict and will not control. We find ourselves in a relationship with power, needing to become
a person of power, not ego power, but spiritual power.
Spiritual empowerment is evidenced in our lives by our willingness to tell
ourselves the truth, to listen to truth when it’s told to us, and to dispense truth
as lovingly as possible when we feel compelled to talk from the heart.” P. 293
ourselves the truth, to listen to truth when it’s told to us, and to dispense truth
as lovingly as possible when we feel compelled to talk from the heart.” P. 293
This is what I’ve found to
be true. To become empowered, you
have to let go. Ah, the paradox! We
have to work with ourselves and with the outer forces as mutual partners and therefore
things often go in ways we don’t imagine.
I have learned to lead by going with the flow but also to listen to the small
voice within. This is the voice I hear while journaling, and sometimes I have to
stand up for this small voice’s point of view and its needs. Then the small voice
becomes the big voice. We have to
both be connected to the particulars of our life and our decisions and also merged
with the large mind which is the dynamic system that is occurring all around us. This is Zen practice.
be true. To become empowered, you
have to let go. Ah, the paradox! We
have to work with ourselves and with the outer forces as mutual partners and therefore
things often go in ways we don’t imagine.
I have learned to lead by going with the flow but also to listen to the small
voice within. This is the voice I hear while journaling, and sometimes I have to
stand up for this small voice’s point of view and its needs. Then the small voice
becomes the big voice. We have to
both be connected to the particulars of our life and our decisions and also merged
with the large mind which is the dynamic system that is occurring all around us. This is Zen practice.
Empowerment
means:
means:
·
The willingness
to confront and be confronted
The willingness
to confront and be confronted
· To support and be supported
·
To encourage
and be encouraged
To encourage
and be encouraged
·
To be
sourced from love and concern P. 291
To be
sourced from love and concern P. 291
It is very hard to speak your truth from the heart
or in reverse to listen when someone else is giving feedback. The cost of empowerment is social discomfort. That has been hard for me to live through and yet, it is a true
gate to learning equanimity, patience and egolessness.
or in reverse to listen when someone else is giving feedback. The cost of empowerment is social discomfort. That has been hard for me to live through and yet, it is a true
gate to learning equanimity, patience and egolessness.
It is difficult
to live through what we might call our obstacles.
Especially in a sangha, or as the teacher, where our problems are often seen
publicly. We sometimes let this humiliation
or “failure”, disempower us. But Baldwin
has wonderful words of encouragement or empowerment in those times:
to live through what we might call our obstacles.
Especially in a sangha, or as the teacher, where our problems are often seen
publicly. We sometimes let this humiliation
or “failure”, disempower us. But Baldwin
has wonderful words of encouragement or empowerment in those times:
“Empowerment
within comes from the little voice of our own heart, and from our willingness
within comes from the little voice of our own heart, and from our willingness
·
To interpret
events positively
To interpret
events positively
· To keep realigning ourself to our visions
·
With
our deep acceptance
With
our deep acceptance
· With our trust in the relationship to the sacred
Empowerment within is like a gyroscope, righting our course and righting
it again.
it again.
It is how we deal with our challenges that
make us empowered.
make us empowered.
We look at our role models and ask:
· Could we be as courageous?
·
Could
we take such a clear stand?
Could
we take such a clear stand?
· Could we make this or that sacrifice?
· How could we handle such success? Such failure?
Such tragedy?”
Such tragedy?”
The next thing that Baldwin emphasizes is getting
to know the boundaries of power and the boundaries of “helping.” Otherwise, we disrespect others and become exhausted from our
attempts to manage others.
to know the boundaries of power and the boundaries of “helping.” Otherwise, we disrespect others and become exhausted from our
attempts to manage others.
“Exchanging of empowerment give us what we
need – but no more.
need – but no more.
The empowerer doesn’t
overstep the bounds and try to do for the other person what that person needs to
do for him/herself. Empowerment does
not rip off someone else’s challenges and do them ourselves because it makes us
feel noble or powerful to “help”; empowerment isn’t a means of busily avoiding the
harder challenges of our own lives; empowerment is saying and doing what we know
in our hearts is right – and not letting the mind’s rationalizations goof up the fair
exchange of power.” P. 289-291
overstep the bounds and try to do for the other person what that person needs to
do for him/herself. Empowerment does
not rip off someone else’s challenges and do them ourselves because it makes us
feel noble or powerful to “help”; empowerment isn’t a means of busily avoiding the
harder challenges of our own lives; empowerment is saying and doing what we know
in our hearts is right – and not letting the mind’s rationalizations goof up the fair
exchange of power.” P. 289-291
In closing, I’d like to repeat
myself- empowering myself often means letting go.
And Baldwin concurs when she writes;
myself- empowering myself often means letting go.
And Baldwin concurs when she writes;
“There is a necessity of
“volunteering to lose control” over many aspects of my life that I had previously
assumed required my attempts to maintain control…. Over and over, I have
to replace control with faith. To
become a person of power is to become a person of faith.” P. 297
“volunteering to lose control” over many aspects of my life that I had previously
assumed required my attempts to maintain control…. Over and over, I have
to replace control with faith. To
become a person of power is to become a person of faith.” P. 297