This is the fourth and final installment of excerpts from a small book I wrote last year titled Monk of All Faiths. I based the format on Kahlil Gibran’s classic The Prophet. I’ve added subtitles for online readability. If you like what you read, the book is available in hardcover and ebook editions on Amazon. Enjoy.
Peace
A man said: “I am a warrior for justice. How can you talk of inner peace when there is no peace to be found in society?”
The monk responded with empathy: “The legendary founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu, wrote—six hundred years before the common era—that if we wanted to have peace in the world, we would need to have peace between nations; and that if we wanted to have peace in the nations, we needed to have peace in the cities; and if there was to be peace in the cities, we needed to have peace between neighbors; and if there was to be peace between neighbors, there needed to be peace at home; and, most importantly, if there was to be peace at home, there needed to be peace in the heart.”
In the Heart
The monk placed both hands on his chest.
“Peace in the heart. That is where it all begins. Without peace in the heart, how can we expect to create peace in the home, between neighbors, in cities, in nations, in the world?”
The question hovered in the air for a moment before he continued.
“There is no contradiction. Taking part in a political struggle does not mean that one cannot also cultivate peace in the heart. Peace begets peace, and hatred begets hatred.
As a student of history, I know that revolutions have been known to devour their children. Once the powerless become powerful, their high-minded ideals can go by the wayside, and their thirst for vengeance get the better of them.
Living in South Africa with people who lived through the apartheid era provided me with a powerful example of the opposite. All of us know the story of Nelson Mandela, a man who spent 27 years in prison and emerged with an open heart. Had his longing been for revenge, the story would have ended very differently. It was only because he had cultivated peace in his heart that he could bring about a peaceful transfer of power.
So, organize and work towards your goals of social equity, but never, for one moment, think that the cultivation of peace in the heart is a waste of time. Peace in the heart is the only way to bring about peace in the world.”
Holiness
A woman said: “I have to ask: Are you a holy man?”
The monk answered tentatively: “What is holiness? Is it a lifelong commitment to a spiritual path, a never-ending pursuit of goodness, an increasing feeling of oneness, an aspiration? If yes, then I might be considered holy.
However, if holiness is total abstinence from desires, never thinking a bad thought, absolute self-control, mastery over the emotions, and all-around puritanism and perfection, then the answer is no.”
The monk gathered his thoughts.
Wholeness
“Let me address the topic more broadly. Holiness rhymes with wholeness. Wholeness implies integrity, an alignment of thought, word, and deed. More people have fallen off imaginary pedestals of holiness because of discrepancies between what they think, what they say, and what they do than for any other reason.
When a person is whole, there is no need to pretend. If they don’t know something, they say they don’t know. They don’t pretend. And when they are still working on achieving admirable qualities, they admit that.
They don’t pretend.
A well-known yogi who was revered by his followers, once took me aside and told me that I should never buy into the mirage of my own holiness. He admitted to me that he stayed in his room half the day because people thought he was meditating all the time. He offered beautiful teachings, for sure, yet he was miserable because he could not be himself.
If holiness springs from integrity and wholeness, it is beautiful. If holiness springs from pretense, it poisons both the pretender and those who follow him.
Perfection is Only for the Divine
In my travels, I have found that holiness never means perfection. Perfection is only for the Divine, not for humans. All holy men and women still need to go to the bathroom. All of them struggle with the limits of being human. And yet, they provide us with inspiration. Their aspirations and dedication, their compassion and rich spiritual inner life, their tranquility and peace of mind are contagious. When they pluck the harmonious strings of their inner instruments, the melody it produces stirs something within. When they play their strings to the best of their ability, we are reminded of our own instruments. When their strings resonate with ours, it makes us aware of the possibilities that reside within.
My conclusion is that holiness that makes us feel small, weak, and dirty is not holiness at all. It is a display of superiority.
Real holiness nourishes our seeds of goodness.
Real holiness is free from pretense.
Real holiness aspires.
Real holiness inspires.”
Excerpt from Monk of All Faiths © Gudjon Bergmann 2021
All rights reserved.
Recommended books:
- Monk of All Faiths: Inspired by The Prophet (fiction)
- Spiritual in My Own Way (memoir)
- Co-Human Harmony: Using Our Shared Humanity to Bridge Divides (nonfiction)
- Experifaith: At the Heart of Every Religion (nonfiction)
- Premature Holiness: Five Weeks at the Ashram (novel)
- The Meditating Psychiatrist Who Tried to Kill Himself (novel)
Picture: CC0 License
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