30 Days of Thanks - Day 26 - Eastern Thought

I am thankful for Eastern thought and how it helps me to better contemplate and explore my own faith. I say 'Eastern thought' as opposed to 'religion' or 'philosophy' because I feel those Western concepts do not adequately incorporate those concepts I am talking about and may neglect to exclude those concepts that I am not talking about. What I do refer to are basic mental concepts such as true natures along with the fluctuations and interdependence of yin and yang.

By the latter (yin and yang), I mean that I recognize that our life is made up of seasons. Seasons of being great and seasons of being small. Seasons for being active and seasons for being passive. Seasons for being flexible and seasons for being immovable. Seasons of forcing and seasons of yielding. Seasons to be the wind and seasons to be the kite.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

One does not work without the other and excesses of either will ultimately lead to their collapse into the other (often my means which will be painful). I think we need to be open to the lead of the Holy Spirit to guide us through these times. Preoccupation with a 'comfort zone' sets us up for rude transitions, whereas God has walked a path before us so that we can enjoy and make the most of these times - if we will follow it.

I also mentioned that I connect with the concept of true (or inner) nature.

Benjamin Hoff quotes the writings of Chaung-tse in his The Tao of Pooh:

Hui-tse said to Chaung-tse, "I have a large tree which no carpenter can cut into lumber. Its branches and trunk are crooked and tough, covered with bumps and depressions. No builder would turn his head to look at it. Your teachings are the same-useless, without value. Therefore, no one pays attention to them."

"As you know," Chuang-tse replied, "a cat is very skilled at capturing its prey. Crouching low, it can leap in any direction, pursuing whatever it is after. But when its attention is focused on such things, it can be easily caught with a net. On the other hand, a huge yak is not so easily caught or overcome. It stands like a stone, or a cloud in the sky. But for all its strength, it cannot catch a mouse.

"You complain that your tree is not valuable as lumber. But you could make use of the shade it provides, rest under its sheltering branches, and stroll beneath it, admiring its character and appearance. Since it would not be endangered by an axe, what could threaten its existence? It is useless to you only because you want to make it into something else and do not use it in its proper way."

The apostle known as Paul had this to say on inner nature:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

- I Corinthians 12:4-30 (NIV)

In essence (no pun intended), we are all gifted with an inner nature - a place to fit and work and contribute - for the Kingdom of God. Part of the work of Christ was to free us from trying to be what we are not so that we can use this inner nature he has given us by working with the Holy Spirit. Part of what is wrong in this world is that we try to (or we insist that others ) function apart from the inner nature that the Father intended for us.

These are just a couple of (horribly brief and underdeveloped here) connections and I am thankful for the alternate perspective that has helped me to understand these important concepts better.