Step 1. “You are the light of the world.” In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers that people do not light a lamp and then cover it. Once we know light, it is unnecessary to take our cues from the shape of the lamp, the smell of the oil, the condition of the wick, the state of the house the lamp may be in (or may not). It is enough to not-hide light by not focusing attention on accoutrements. Without any hiding, it may be unnecessary to “know” light–it may simply be quite naturally bright. We can say this is true about attention, or we could say this is true about spirit. Siddhartha Gautama told his followers, “Be a lamp unto yourself.” (Anatta vichara, ujjayi breathing, bare awareness, thinking nonthinking, contemplative prayer, understanding, perspective.)
Step 2. “You cannot make the grass grow any faster by pulling on it.” There was a Zen teacher who once said that when he was young, he was a tiger. As he grew older, he felt more like a housecat. He commented that he was happy to be a cat. The parts of this step are about removing extra force–force in beliefs. When we put too much energy into believing instead of observing, we end up trying to support our delusions, or force our perspectives onto the world or people around us. We end up forcing those beliefs onto ourselves as well then. By observing our current thoughts we become aware of what is occurring in our conscious verbal mind right now. By questioning our degree of endorsement of this occurrence, we recognize that force along one line of thought may be unnecessary, and it is possible to open our minds to other options that may be offered by our surroundings. In this step, we may recognize that we tried to jump to explaining without having enough of an accurate description. The moral demand in the past may have been to be humble in such cases, but from a perspective that focuses on attention instead of demands, it is simply pragmatic to return to more observation before attempting to understand and explain. (Samatta/tranquility, mindfulness, cognitive therapy.)
Step 3. Ezekiel 37:15 says: “I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” When we choose breath, we bring awareness to breath, to flow. We also bring our awareness to what is happening in our real body now instead of what may be happening in imagination alone. By bringing awareness into the actual situation or moment, we bring our life into this moment as well. This is often called mindfulness. Psalm 39:5 says: “Each man’s life is but a breath.” If we don’t take an optimistic or pessimistic view of this statement, then how is your current breath? How is your life right now? If we live as if this breath is our life, it becomes so, we realize that it is so–at least for right now. Are we reborn with each breath? The Bible also says “Live as the lilies of the field.” I don’t think that is a suggestion that we be careless. If we allow thinking into this careful and immediate attention, if we allow the possibility that thoughts can be mindful thoughts, we may check what we are thinking, check how our body is with this breath, and then embrace relaxation or reality. This embrace is an affirmation of life, and affirming life allows us to move forward with faith, strength, clarity, grace, or joy. (Deep breathing, mindfulness.)
Step 4. Once we have moved away from a position where our attention is stuck or pessimistic, we become active in a new way. We become active with newness or aligned with newness, openness, willingness. It is not satisfying to just have these nice thoughts and emotions, though. Eventually, the nice subjective experience moves on or the world “intrudes”. Attention or spirituality remains grounded, real–by acting. It is very helpful to begin by recognizing that actions may be graceful, but that recognition alone is not enough. The recognition is the possibility of grace. Putting it into practice is graceful, vital. We affirm or establish our willingness by the actions that prove it. We welcome the future by what we do in the present. We create the social world by what we are capable of embracing in action. There may be no spiritual or moral demand that can come from outside of you that motivates you to act, but if you find dissatisfaction in your life or problems in your world, it may be possible to bring out or uncover grace. (Behavioral interventions, visualizing brightness/abundance–world as mandala, mindfulness, vipassana, petitionary prayer.)
Step 5. Very often this step is not made explicit, or it is not emphasized thoroughly. We usually want some sense of progress or improvement. Without the sense that our efforts have some beneficial effect, it is difficult to maintain those efforts. It is possible to maintain actions by having a very concentrated focus on momentary attention. This way, even if we feel tired or forget for a moment what we were working towards, or if we have a moment where we feel hopeless, we bring our attention in a very brief time period back to a sense of clarity. This is possible, but not generally understood or practiced. More often, people look to measure progress in some way, and they look for social support in communicating that progress. Whether we do this in an individual or social manner, though, it is similar in the sense that we find a way to keep on with what we find to be right. By “right”, we may have beliefs about what is correct or just, or we may follow a more internal sense of balance or wholesomeness. This step is about persistence, resilience, maturity, and completeness. One of my favorite Biblical quotes comes from the beginning of James: “[K]now that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This “not lacking anything” may not be about having everything. It may be that, when one matures, it is less necessary to growl and look tough and take what one wants. It may be that one becomes much more appreciative of just luxuriating in the sunshine. (Concentration, samadhi, koan study, tonglen, work [especially without attachment to results], hatha yoga, mantra.) Some times, or with some people, the fifth step is passed over or ignored or not made explicit. And we can go a certain distance by going directly from step four to step six, but without including step five, we are more likely to run into some obstacle that we cannot overcome. This is part of why it is important to affirm and reaffirm our faith or intention. It is possible to do so with more internal methods–such as meditation–and it is possible to do with more external methods–such as bowing and praying five times a day. If we begin with what appears to be obvious or dogmatic, it will become more subtle with practice. If we begin with what appears to be more subtle, it will become more established or powerful with practice. Regardless of appearances and opinions, it may not be very helpful to attempt to judge others’ actions without sharing those actions.
Step 6. In step six, we move from “practice” into the actual doing of what we have practiced or repeatedly affirmed. Just as we might practice musical instruments by repeating certain drills, it is helpful to practice intention. But there is a point where our intention enters the instrument, and music results. Before then, there may be glimmers of music in our practice. Music and practice may have all of the same obvious movements. As Rumi said, “There is a part of me that even the angel Gabriel cannot know by trying to know.” We all have separate instruments in that we all live somewhat separate lives. If I have not been practicing with your instrument, I may not know the difference between practice and playing–we beat on drums but not on violins. People who beat on violins seem unskilled, while those who are tentative with drums seem unskilled. But when everyone is playing, we may have an orchestra or we may have jazz improvisation. When intention enters the instrument, music results. What results when music enters the man? (Flow, bare awareness, dhyana, balance/subtlety, anicca, clarity, koan study, dance, compassion, hatha yoga.)
Step 7. Just as it is impossible at times to tell the difference between practice and playing, it can be impossible to tell the difference between step six and “step” seven. In relatively fluid processes, intellectually creating “steps” can help with the practice and understanding. But at some point, we move beyond steps and into the fluidity. The steps are part of the process, but from far enough along in the process, we can recognize the smoothness of even those initial steps. The first beat of the drum or gong may sound true, and the first beat may be very similar to the last. And so the last step is the continual unfolding, the dance of creation that has been occurring all the way through the process. If we pretend that we are ready to jump right into this seventh step, though, we may try dancing without having developed balance, persistence, openness, maturity, practice, and competence. In such cases, it may still be a parade, but the emperor has no clothes. When we have developed some maturity, we spend some time naked, some time clothed, and the decision of which to enjoy now shows unpretentious discrimination, taste, and accord with our surroundings. (Dream yoga, vichara, shikantaza, self as deity/world as mandala, tantra.)
Copyright Todd Mertz