I reached a point in Buddhism, somewhere in the 70's, where enlightenment and integration broke down. My life was a mess. And it just wasn't working.
An Enlightened Mess
I was in an enlightened state when it hit me. God wouldn't make it so complicated (speaking of integration). You'd have to be a superman to do it, and I couldn't.
God would make a way where the mentally handicaped, the broken, and the diseased could know Him intimately. He wouldn't put it off for a hundred million lifetimes of reincarnation. It doesn't work. God wouldn't abandon us to such a life. But who is He?
So, I began my search again, and Jesus was at the bottom of my list.
Now, I'm remembering this, as I look at the Church.
We make things so hard, so complicated. The problem with religious people is that we pile it on: The steps you've got to take,
the words you've got to say in the right order, fasting, praying, self-denial, living holy. If you're good enough, and if you try hard enough, then maybe, just maybe, you might just catch a glimpse of Him.
Jesus cried, "It is finished!" Guess what? It is finished! The work is done. Jesus did for us what we could never do, and we still can't. All the well meaning programs, services, disciplines, prayers, liturgies, and practices will never get us in. At best they make us better, but never perfect.
Spirituality is the easiest thing you will ever do in your life. It's acceptance.
Spirituality is states and stages. It's being, not doing. Spirituality is dwelling in the eternal, and for us as Believers, it's 'abiding in the vine.' It is dwelling in the presence of God. It is dwelling in Christ and Christ dwelling in us. Jesus makes it all possible. And the truth is, we have all things in Christ, concerning our spirituality, and nothing apart from Him. We are co-heirs with Christ.
I honestly think people make it all so complicated because they don't know. Good relationships are simple. Dysfunctional relationships are always complicated.
Jesus says it clearly, and simply: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In Jesus we have full access to our Father.
The fact is, our actions flow out of our spirituality. Abide in the vine and bear much fruit...
