An Organic Process That Changes Us Inside and Out
It is already happening, in other words. Radical spiritual awakening is uncommon, but awakened spiritual practitioners have a powerful gift to give. It can and should be given in service of social change and environmental justice, in fellowship with engaged activists. It might even catalyze a remarkable street and community level cultural renaissance.
If "imitating Jesus," "living as love," or "cultivating Buddhanature" (and transforming both subjective and objective experience) can become the sincere shared intention of grounded serious activists, it can sweeten and lubricate the days and nights of hard work. A feeling of celebration, gratitude or reverence lightens the load. This is not self-indulgence, in which bourgeois white people accessorize their egos with spiritual idealism. This is a spirituality that expresses itself through tangible service, humility, generosity, personal discipline, practical responsibility, and skillful communication.
Such "sacred activism" opens additional space for catalytic conversations, friendships and partnerships between activists and awakeners. But only if we really listen to one another, really intend to grow our capacity to see things from additional perspectives in ways that broaden and deepen and transform us. And if we also work together to make a material difference in the lives of people and the non-human world. It makes sense to partner again, at a time when the "presenting problem" of our contemporary social instability is alienation and loneliness. We may discover that our friendships can heal us all. We (activists and awakeners) are each whole where the other is fragmented. Each and all of us have important gifts to share and to receive.
(Article changed on April 10, 2018 at 14:18)
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