Rev. Ann C. Fox
(508) 992-7081
minister@uufairhaven.org
Unitarian
Universalist
Society of Fairhaven
When the Many Are One
a sermon by Rev. Ann C. Fox
November 9, 2008
Note: A short reading is attached, which you might like to read first
Part 1 – The Individual
There is a British comedy series on PBS called “Keeping Up Appearances.” How many of you have seen this? The leading lady is Hyacinth Bucket, who insists that the pronunciation of her last name is not “Bucket” but Bouquet [Boo-kay]. When she has just introduced herself as Mrs. Bouquet to someone, wouldn’t you know that a neighbor passes by and shouts, “Hello, Mrs. Bucket!” She also wants her neighbors and friends to think that she “knows” Lord and Lady So and So of the Manor outside town. When she goes out, her clothes, hat, bag, and shoes are perfectly matched for Mrs. Bouquet has an image to keep up, even to herself. The reason this comedy is so hilarious is because the time of the Mrs. Bouquets of the world has mostly passed, even though there are no doubt many who still want to “keep up appearances.”
We see this in our own lives most embarrassingly in our teen-agers who want certain fashions or electronics to “keep up appearances” with their peer group. They’re trying on new behaviors to see how it feels. They’re building up their self-esteem (they think) and risking the approval of their peers and also of you, their parents or grandparents. It can be a painful time. They’re playing aspects of the game of the human drama. They are creating illusions and getting away from who they really are. If taken too far, they could end up like a modern American version of Mrs. Bouquet. She and our teen-agers are trapped in the illusions of their own creation. And many, if not most of us, get trapped as well to an extent. We know this when we catch ourselves in a lie or an exaggeration.
“Maya” is an ancient Sanskrit term meaning illusion. Hinduism warns that getting lost in worldly pursuits causes suffering. We suffer because we are separated from our “innermost self,” separated from who we really are beyond the illusion of our ego self. The young person who has had loving and accepting parents has a much better chance of not becoming lost in an illusory self, at least not lost for long, or not for many years. The young person who was never quite adequate for his or her parents will have a harder time accepting her- or himself as he or she truly is for they have expended enormous energy on creating a false self in an effort to please their parents or others.
The busyness of our modern lives can trick us into being satisfied with a material world. (Are we human doings or human beings?) But when life slows down and we are alone with ourselves with nothing to distract us, are we joyful, bored, or fearful? Do we try to fill up the time so that we don’t have to face what it is like to be still and alone?
Even the most illusion-bound amongst us will at times be arrested by beauty—a sunset, a pastoral scene, the playfulness of a child or a pet, or a piece of music. Sometimes we can be doing some mundane thing like brushing our teeth, washing dishes, driving the car, and suddenly time seems to stop and we find ourselves in a place of unity; unity with what? We touch that Self that is part of all things, all people. It is beauty, love, and truth itself. It is what the Hindus and Buddhists call the big “S” Self. In this Self is the place of perfection, of peace, of bliss. This is why spiritual teachers tell us to have an intentional spiritual practice so that we can intentionally come into touch with this big S Self that is connected to all. At times of great distress, fear, or sadness, we are the most separated from this Self—this ‘who we truly are’ when the din of the world is silenced. How do we connect or reconnect, not only to our real Capital S Self but also to the world, for the world and the real Self are one in the same—the many are One?
We can sometimes get an hint of this expanded Self in church when a piece of music is particularly beautiful or the words and tune of a hymn is particularly engaging, or when something in a reading or sermon catches at our heart and we perceive something that is true for you at your deepest level. But when we go back to the human drama, we can be once more catapulted into our smaller self with all our concerns, anxieties, and fears, which are really self created illusions. How do we overcome our illusions? There are many ways but today, let us do a practice that can free the mind of illusion and that can also be done at any time, in any place. It is a meditative prayer that has been said for thousands of years and it ends in a silent meditation. It is called Metta, or loving-kindness meditation. This is how it works: First, we’ll say the prayer out loud, and then we’ll do it again silently. While I speak the words, will you take them in silently, deeply. Then we do the prayer for another person or persons, then for a community, and then finally for the world. We always begin with a prayer for the self to fill our own cup first. The idea is to benefit the self and all beings when our cup overflows. It is printed in your Order of Service.
Loving Kindness Meditation
(“Metta”* Meditation)
Say the following slowly, taking in each line.
May I have loving-kindness.
May I have peace and love.
May I be happy.
May I be free from harm.
May I have ease of mental well being.
May I have ease of physical well being.
May _______ have loving-kindness.**
May _______ have peace and love.
May _______ be happy.
May _______ be free from harm.
May _______ have ease of mental well being.
May _______ have ease of physical well being.
**Other “verses”: May [friend-in-need, community, Nation, and finally, the World, as follows]
May all beings have loving-kindness.
May all beings have peace and love.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be free from harm.
May all beings have ease of mental well being.
May all beings have ease of physical well being.
Bring all beings into your mind and be with them in the oneness and allow the meditation to take you where it will.
*Note that “Metta” is from The Buddha’s ancient language of Pali. It is a rich word and can be translated as “loving-kindness” or “loving-friendliness”
If you want to know more about this type of meditation, you are welcome to join our monthly meditation group here on Wednesdays.
Part II – The World
Perhaps you’ve heard of the man who prayed to God with the words, "O Lord, I want peace." God replied, “Okay, just remove 'I' and 'want' you will automatically have peace."
Let us move our perspective now from the individual to the world. Illusions are created not only by individuals but also collectively by nations. One grand and destructive one was that of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Nations and Empires rise and fall as a result of their illusions. Our life task as individuals and as a nation is to understand that our interests in the world always have to consider being part of the world arena whose well-being depends upon the well being of the other parts. Our task as a nation is to look beyond our own importance to see ourselves as part of a world that is awakening to its purpose—seeing itself as one humanity, where the many are one, and understanding that we must work together for the sake of nurturing a healthy environment to sustain all nations. We would do well to remember the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
We may have to be dragged into the reality of recreating a new economy and a way of living that that is more wholesome than ever before. We cannot look back to an earlier age because we are even now creating new models for a new coexisting. The recent election was much more about electing a leader to set us on this new path than only about solving our economic circumstances. It was also about changing ingrained structures of greed, corruption, and prejudice.
We were fortunate to have had two very fine candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. The fact that we have elected a president who is a person of color is evidence that the structure of racism is at last weakened significantly. This alone is cause for celebration. But Obama faces monumental challenges. However, I have no doubt in my mind that the creativity, determination, and compassion of the American people will help our government overcome all obstacles. We, Unitarian Universalists, will have an opportunity to fully affirm and promote our sixth principle—“the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.”
It is a time for hope and also for doing the good spiritual work that will sustain us in challenging times. Meanwhile, let us celebrate the step forward we have made as a nation. And let us remember that at “a deeper level [of ourselves] lies complete orderliness. Here, thoughts and impulses flow in harmony…” (Chopra, p.82) and this is the place where the many are One.
Reference
Chopra, Deepak. The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life, New York: Harmony Books, 2004.`
The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your
Life
by Deepak Chopra
Do you love your mind? I’ve never met anyone who did….Ancient cultures tend to echo the notion that the mind is restless and unreliable. In India, the most common metaphor compares the mind to a wild elephant, and calming the mind is said to be like tying the elephant to a stake. In Buddhism, the mind is likened to a monkey peering out at the world through the five senses. Monkeys are notoriously impulsive and fickle, liable to do anything without notice. Buddhist psychology doesn’t aim to tame the monkey so much as to learn its ways, accept them, and then transcend to a higher awareness that is beyond the fickleness of the mind.
Metaphors won’t get you to a place where you can love the mind; you have to find the actual experience of peace and calmness on your own. The secret for doing that is to free the mind. When it is free, the mind settles down. It gives up its restlessness and becomes a channel for peace….The mind is “wild” because we try to confine and control it. At a deeper level lies complete orderliness. Here, thoughts and impulses flow in harmony with what is right and best for each person.
How, then, can you set your mind free? You need to understand how it became trapped in the first place…. (pp. 81-82)
Opening Words
Chalice Lighting, Peace Candle, Earth Candle
Candles of Joy and Concern
Some years ago, I was invited to do the opening prayer at the AIDs walk in New Bedford. Bob Geier and Jim Coutinho had led this walk for more than 14 years. Bob and Jim had been together for 26 years when in 2005, surrounded by their family and friends, they got married in this church. On November 1st, Bob lost a battle with cancer. I light this candle in celebration of the life of Bob Geier. The AIDs walk won’t be quite the same, but Jim will make sure it continues.
© The Rev. Ann C. Fox