Spiritual Practices

I enjoy teaching the material I teach.  I find it relevant to life and trust the students will discover the same thing for their life.  I am not confident that what I teach will help them get the kind of job they want.  But I am very confident they will not have a very meaningful life if they don’t start reflecting on the things I teach.  As most of us know, life is more than a job---more than even a career.  And even if we feel called to do what we do, simply doing that is not sufficient to the good life. 

This is why one of the spiritual practices essential to the good life is to live virtuously.  The classical virtues---like love, courage, justice and the others---have been around a very long time.  They are aids to good relationships.  Without them, we will be heading for quicksand.  And so one of the practices I want students to work on is living a life of virtue.  If effect, this kind of life produces people of character.  And if we can do that, there will be fewer bad characters running around in our world! 

One of the classes I teach that gets at the heart of spiritual practices is Contemplative Spirituality.  It may well be my favorite class now.  I always smile when students first come into the class.  Most of them have no clue what is ahead for them.  The kinds of books I use are not the kind most of them are reading---even if they read at all. 

My goal for them is that they can begin to figure out what being contemplative means for them.  And then they are asked how they will go about living contemplatively with whoever they are and whatever they are doing as a college student.  It is not something you can put off till you are old or mature or whatever.  Why wait? 

A key to living contemplatively is working with some spiritual practices.  In some ways a practice is much like a discipline.  A practice usually entails a kind of goal.  And it requires some steps---typically “doing” steps that help you work toward the goal.  And it takes time.  Obviously one does not become a distance runner over the weekend, nor do you become an accomplished piano player with a couple lessons.  Normally, a spiritual practice takes repetition in order to see development and improvement.  

One of the books I ask them to read is Gerald May’s Will and Spirit.  It is not an easy book, since its subtitle tells us it is about a psychology of being contemplative.  The book forces the students to think about emotions and fear and so much more.  To be contemplative certainly requires that we are reflective.  We need to spend time reflecting on our experiences in life.  We need to learn about ourselves and not simply assume we know who we are.  Again, this is not a one-time event.  Reflection is a process---an ongoing process. 

People like Gerald May can help us with this.  He can help us see what spiritual practices make sense for our lives and how to begin to implement them into our daily regimen.  It is fitting that he be seen as a doctor of spiritual growth.  It is not as easy as taking a pill---a spiritual vitamin.  There is a purpose and a path for a spiritual practice. 

For example, May helps us see the point of the practice.  He says, “The ultimate aim of spiritual practices is awakening; that is, to know our true Self and our relationship to the sacred.” (4)  It is interesting he capitalizes the “S” in the word, Self.  Not only do I have a big “S;” you do, too.  Even this kind of sentence provokes reflection and discussion.  Why does “S” get capitalized?  What does it mean to begin to see yourself as a big “S” self?  This begins to get us to see and know ourselves in a different way.  Big “S” people begin to have a sense of more potential and, ultimately, more worth.  

Big “S” people need to live a life of virtue.  They cannot be folks who lie, cheat and steal.  Big “S” people will learn to see that everyone else is capable of being a big “S” self, too.  We will need the spiritual practices to grow into our big “S” self.  Too many of us have been conditioned and have chosen to be petty selves.  We learn our ego often takes us down the road of pettiness instead of up the road to preciousness. 

Most of us need to be awakened---awakened to our own truth and the truth of our culture.  In the words of Jesus, many of us will need to experience a rebirth---to be born again and again.  We are capable, but first we have to move away from all the ways we have been culpable.  In May’s words, this entails coming to know, value and deepen our relationship with the sacred.  For many of us, this means God.  But there is for all folks a sacred.  We need to find it and learn to favor it in our lives.  

There are benefits to this way of life.  Gerald May assures us there are “gifts,” as he calls them.  He says, “Gradually the heart begins to open, fear and anger melt, greed and jealousy dwindle, happiness and joy grow, love flowers, peace replaces agitation, concern for others blossoms, wisdom matures, and both psychological and physical health improve.” 

That’s a good deal!