BODY
WISDOM AND SPIRITUALITY
By
Arthur Chang
“You
only love me for my body and not for my mind.”
This
familiar lament is evidence of how irresistibly the beauty of the body may
affect us. The comment also fits into the concept of “One forbidden thing” motif
of which there are several in our ancient myths. Two examples are that of the
Eden creation story, and Pandora. Unsurprisingly, it is decidedly human to
desire what is forbidden to possess.
Despite
the tendency to regard the highly treasured gold of intelligence exclusively
stashed away in the Fort Knox of the mind, the body has squirreled away an
amazing cache of spiritual wisdom, seemingly, independent of the conscious
mind. Moreover, without the body, what would serve as the vehicle for the mind?
Body-wisdom
for spirituality comes without the prerequisites of credo and dogma, which are
directives of the mind. Instead, the largely physical forms of yoga, Tai Chi,
meditation, dance, and music, will bring us to a high spiritual state without
theological preconditions. We have to neither believe nor disbelieve something
to derive the spiritual benefit. In this manner, the experience is Zen-like.
Although
unrecognized for its profound wisdom, the body knows how to function wholly
without conflict or debate. No assistance of belief is needed from the mind.
The Cosmic Intelligence is ever-present and active as the body’s instinctive
knowledge. Whether in movements or stillness, the body is a vessel imbued with
the consciousness of the Infinite Presence actively engaged with it in this
process of living.
The body’s direct
connection to the Infinite Mind is demonstrated in how the wisdom of trillions
of cells, sentient beings as they are, communicate and cooperate to sustain
each body as a viable being. There is no downtime in this activity, which these
cells within the body accomplish with incredible speed and precision. At best,
the body treats urgency with an almost dismissive ease that our faith struggles
to find on its best days. The body is called upon to resolved life and death
issues in every moment.
The
body regulates our temperature, the rhythm of our hearts to respond to
countless variations required for supporting us during periods of joy, fear and
sorrow. It manages an amazing chemistry lab and does all this with very little
help from the conscious mind.
Even
more intriguing are our nights. Nights are calls for more than mere rest beyond
fatigue. Lao Tzu’s line is apt: “Without doing anything, everything is
accomplished.” At night, the body lets go of its upright day posture to lie
prone for letting go into the sacred Mystery. From this anteroom, the body enters
through the secret portals of the soul for spiritual renewal. Here, also, the
mind finally remembers what the body does not forget, that it is one with the Wholeness
of this vast universe and has everything it needs to be ready to meet our
creative unfoldment with the next rising of the sun.
Blessing:
May
you grow to appreciate how much non-verbal wisdom your body has to share by
providing the disciplines and nurturing it needs to best serve you through your
awesome spiritual journey through time.
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