Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected FreedomHowever, if the clouds of fear and anger overshadow theradiance of our faith we can tremble badly, and possibly evencrumble. In this case it is important that we have alreadycultivated spiritual friendship. To have the blessing ofassociation with others with whom we share a commitmentto conscious relationship is an incomparably preciousresource. When we gather in spiritual companionship, aspecial feeling of relatedness is struck up in which we rightlyfeel safe. This relative security can be for us what conceptsand goals are for goal-striving spiritual technicians.As we progress in our practice each of us has the task ofchecking to see whether we are moving into or out ofbalance. But how do we assess how things are moving? If weare moving into balance, it means we can handle moresituations, we can accommodate states of greatercomplexity. If we are moving out of balance, it means we canhandle fewer and fewer situations: instead of spiritualpractice liberating us and opening us up to life, it makes usexclusive and painfully cut off.So it is wise to examine our practice and see if we can findin which direction we feel we move most easily, whichorientation of effort comes most naturally to us, what sort oflanguage works for us. We need to prepare ourselves withthe understanding that teachers of these different approachesuse different ways of talking. So listen to the teachings youreceive, contemplate that which you read in books, and seewhich orientation of effort makes sense to you. Once youknow, I suggest you go with what inspires you.Hopefully you can see how this contemplation is animportant part of our contribution to the shared task oftranslating practice. May we all feel encouraged toinvestigate the contribution we are making to this task at thisstage in its unfolding in the West. I am confident that our26