To join contemplation and action, heaven and earth - this is the supreme creative act, the lifetime masterpiece we are meant to become. When the outer work arises from an inner ground of stillness, our very being unveils beauty that transforms the world.
For most, the journey begins in passionate engagement - learning through doing, stumbling and rising, bold experiments gradually refining perception. But only when we start questioning our habitual viewing platforms do we open to contemplation's vistas.
How can I listen for the sacred Voice? How to let my words and deeds emanate spaciousness rather than constriction? How to stay undefended of heart and mind, even amid hell-realms? These are the exploratory questions that initiate the contemplative path.
For contemplation brings heaven's unified sight to bear on our earthly landscape. But it requires letting go of ego's myriad illusions about control, perfection, being right. We must release our soul's protective armor, our unconscious drives to divide reality into acceptable and unacceptable.
Authentic contemplation receives this very moment without filters - not transcending reality but drinking it down to the last drop, embracing the difficult openness of what simply is. This unflinching presence is how we gain true freedom to move what must be moved in this world.
To hold the tensions of heaven and earth with unwavering poise - this is the great art's challenge. For it demands cultivating a tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to forgive and contain our anxieties around not-knowing. We must relinquish our need for certainty in order to encounter life's holy Mystery.
Those who master this breathtaking balance walk as contemplative activists. Inwardly replenished yet dynamically engaged, they become both divine receptacles and World Servants, pipelines for grace's liberating flow. In their wholeness of being, action and restfulness become one.
This unifying presence is how the greatest art is achieved - when life itself becomes luminous spiritual creativity. Each breath, each gesture arising undivided from the silence at creation's heart until heaven and earth merge in one radiant manifesting of the sacred human experience.
Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. Close your eyes gently and take a few deep breaths. Inhale slowly and deeply, feeling your breath fill your body. Exhale completely, releasing any tension.
Imagine yourself standing at the crossroads of two paths. One path leads upwards towards a mountain peak, bathed in soft light. The other path winds downwards to a vibrant valley teeming with life.
Consider these paths as representing the contemplative life (the mountain) and active engagement in the world (the valley). Most often, our journey starts with action, learning through experience.
Now, shift your focus to the mountain peak. Feel a sense of stillness descend upon you. Questions begin to arise within you – "How can I connect with a deeper purpose?" "How can my actions come from a place of peace?"
These questions are the doorway to contemplation. They open you to the vastness of the sky, a symbol of the unified view offered by stillness.
As you stand at this crossroads, acknowledge any illusions you might hold – the need for control, the fear of imperfection, the desire for clear-cut answers. Recognize them as armor you wear, preventing true connection.**
Release this armor and allow yourself to simply be present. Observe this moment – both the beauty of the mountain peak and the dynamism of the valley below.
See yourself drinking deeply from the well of experience, accepting reality without judgment or filtering. This unflinching presence is the ground from which authentic action arises.
Now, imagine holding both the mountain peak and the valley in your awareness – the stillness and the action, the heaven and the earth. This is the art you are here to cultivate.
Embrace the unknown, the space where certainty dissolves and holy mystery arises. This openness is the fertile ground for transformation.
Visualize yourself walking a path that encompasses both the mountain and the valley. You are a contemplative activist, a channel for grace to flow through you.
From this state of wholeness, your actions become infused with a radiant presence. Each breath, each gesture becomes an expression of sacred humanity, a luminous artwork unfolding.
Take a few more deep breaths, feeling the unity of action and stillness within you. When you're ready, gently open your eyes, carrying this sense of wholeness into your world, ready to be a living masterpiece.
