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Meditations with Matthew Fox
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The Baghavad Gita and Upanishads
on Peace and Repose |
We have considered Meister Eckhart’s teachings on peace and repose which seem especially meaningful not only at this time of winter and advent but also in our times of rancor and noise all around us in the media and in political discourse
and posturing. |
We have also found these same theme developed in Buddhism and in indigenous teachings of Black Elk. In the Hindu tradition, the Baghavad Gita teaches this: The
Lord dwells in the hearts of all creatures, and he hurls them around on the wheel of time. | One of 24 Wheels of Time in the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple, Orissa, India. Each 9-foot, 9-inch-diameter wheel has eight spokes and acts as a sun dial
with engravings showing human activities at different hours of the day. Wikimedia Commons. |
Isn’t this what Eckhart was teaching also, that the repose of God is found in all beings and all beings are busy seeking out the repose of God? In the Upanishads we learn that …there is a Light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens….This is the Light that shines in our
heart. |
“Om Mani Padme Hum,” (Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus), the short mantra of Chenrezig, a.k.a. Avalokiteshvara in India, as Kuan-yin in China, and as Kannon in Japan. Chant by
Lama Gyurme, thanks to Spasserbente (Denmark). Video by LilaSakura. | Doesn’t this echo the teachings of Black Elk? Furthermore, In the center of the castle of Brahman, our own body, there is a small shrine in the
form of a lotus-flower, and within can be found a small space. We should find who dwells there, and we should want to know him. |
Notice that our bodies are not something to control and lord
over—they are “the castle of Brahman.” And within them is a “small shrine in the form of a lotus-flower.” How like Eckhart’s “spark of the soul” is this small shrine? For him the “spark of the soul” sets a divine
fire in our hearts that burns the whole world. It is a fire of love and compassion as Aquinas taught, “compassion is the fire that Jesus came to set on the earth.” This spark of the soul is a manger, a birth place for God,
for the son and daughter of God that we are all here to birth. Especially in this season of advent and Christmas. |
Who does dwell there? The Upanishads
continue. The little space within the heart is as great as this vast universe. The heavens and the earth are there, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars; fire and lightning and winds are there; and all that now
is and all that is not: for the whole universe is in him and he dwells within our heart. Is this the One we encounter when we quiet down and go inside? | “Shiva Nataraja” (Lord of the Dance) combines Shiva’s roles as creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe within the never-ending cycle of
time. Wikimedia Commons. |
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If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faith Traditions, pp. 155f. Banner Image: The flame in this lotus candle holder echoes the spark of the soul. Photo by Alli on Flickr. |
Queries for Contemplation Do you sometimes feel that the “little space within the heart is as great as this vast universe”? What follows from that? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of
theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each. “Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich
silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he leads a new course hosted by The Shift Network: Answer the Call for an Uncommon Life Through the Mystical Teachings of St. Hildegard. New 16-module video training with two live Q&A events starts Monday,
November 28, 12:00 PM PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Christian Mystics: 365 Readings and Meditations. Thursday, December 15, 4:00pm-6:00pm PT Register HERE. Join Robert Holden and Matthew Fox for A WINTER OF IMAGINATION – a mystical journey in three 75-minute webinars that reveal the spiritual invitation and deeper meaning of Advent,
the Solstice, and Christmas time. Thursdays 12/15 ("Advent for Mystics"), 12/19 ("A Solstice Meditation"), and 12/22 ("Soul of Christmas"), 12 pm PT/3 pm ET/8 pm UK. Register HERE. Creation Spirituality Conversations |
In a podcast episode with the Earth and Spirit Center, Matthew Fox reflects on how creation-centered spirituality, and the marriage of the divine feminine and sacred masculine, can help us respond with hope
to the troubles of our apocalyptic times. Listen HERE. | |
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