SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
Contemplation in action
ーIn relation with othersー
[11] Looking at things from standpoints of others
It is indispensable to comprehend the world of others in order to break out of our narrow mind and to empathize with the magnificent work of God. We are normally so entrapped in ourselves and tend to position ourselves in the center.
It is a great step to place our heart on the side of others from the beginning when we want to break out of our own shell and see the magnificent work of God to achieve close and deep relationship with God.
For a person I will meet today, what is the biggest problem? How is he/she working on the issue? What can I do for him/her?
We can do the same for a person in front of us who we currently interact with. We carefully listen to what he/she says. When we listen carefully, we can approach deeper in his/her thought. And we carefully accept what we understand by listening to him/her.
- The person is very concerned about his/her serious disease.
- The person’s family member has a serious issue.
- The person has a big trouble in his/her relationship with co-workers or neighbors.
We encounter these problems very often. We fully accept these problems of others, and hope that they will be solved.
Unlike these people, there are also people who have a dream.
- The person is excited about and getting ready for a pilgrimage to religious sites abroad.
- The person will have a new child (grandchild) in several tens of days.
- The person’s husband (child) who has been abroad for a long time will come back to Japan after completing his/her job or study.
People we interact with have a theme (issue) that fills a large part of their mind. Therefore, we stay with the heart of others from the beginning of our perception. And we continue cherishing their heart.
To keep doing this can be regarded as agape love. When we maintain agape love, God comes to our heart.
Our heart is made beautiful, and it sympathizes with the work of God more often.
When we are concerned about a person in trouble and hope that a person’s problem is solved, we can clearly feel sympathy with God. When we rejoice with a person who is filled with joy, we can feel gratitude and praise.
We keep looking at things from the standpoints of others, not halfway but constantly. Thus, we can truly become a person with spiritual paternity (maternity), and devote ourselves to make those who we meet happy through unity with God. We can really feel that we are serving as a vessel of God, and feel the joy of devoting ourselves every moment.