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SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer

Contemplation in action
 ーIn relation with othersー

[15] Letting go of as many things as possible

 Our life is filled with wonderful things created by God such as lovable animal companions, beautiful flowers, tasty food and drink that please our tongue and throat, interior decoration for our rooms, beautiful music, nice clothes and accessories, smart stationary and communication equipment, etc.
 We are attracted by not only tangible things but also things that belong to the mental field such as education, honor, personal connections, and social status.
 As we realize how attractive these things are, we have more “favorites.” When something becomes our favorite, we engage with it for a long period of time, collect it more in volume and in type, and indulge in it.
 In order to broaden and enrich our relations with God, we have to limit our relationships with things in this world of created things within a prudent scope. We need to relate with things in this world in a way to ensure that we have opportunities/right mindset to talk with God. This is not easy.
 We are often occupied with things in this world of created things. Therefore, it is highly helpful to “let go of” some of these things so that we can talk with God. For example, we may be able to try to let go of some of the things other than pets, flowers, music CDs, books, and what are required for our job.
 Because things that relate to our job are exempt from this, we do not have to worry about being criticized for lack of taste, education, information, or skills. Unless we try to make us look bigger than we actually are, we do not have to worry about being criticized by anybody. And instead, we may gain more freedom to talk with God.
 We can understand, through experience, the Gospel verse, “Blessed are you who are poor.”
 Rooms are simple without too much decoration. Bookshelves are clean, and selected books are used when needed. A daily planner has some space that indicates we have time to meditate quietly and be relaxed. In terms of food, only selected seasonings and dressing are in the refrigerator, and it has quite a lot of space. A closet and chests contain only a reasonable amount of clothes. This is how we want to be.
 We also have intangible mental things that we can let go of.
These things would be honor, fame, and important post, etc. It would be good to let go of our desire for these.
 We should seek to be accepted favorably in interacting with others. But even this should not be sought too much. Instead of trying to gain popularity through many things, we can aim to be accepted by others through our own mental and physical activities, including our “barehanded” volunteer activities.
 The principle of owning things and trying to add more capabilities should be based on whether they contribute to the prosperity of God’s Kingdom. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” It is even harmful to feel pressed or become greedy according to our wrong belief.
 When we get old, we are invited by God to unavoidably let go of things. Our ability to move our body and work continuously will be limited. Our eyesight, ability to think, and memory will decrease. We have to let go of various abilities we had when we were young. While letting go of these things, however, it doesn’t seem our raison d’etre fades away. Rather, we can relate with God more firmly in many cases.
 When we have the courage to let go of some things, the importance and brilliance of the remaining things begin to stand out. We can find our initial intention: we initially selected “this and this” and devoted ourselves to them to improve ourselves, and we tried to get closer to God. We can achieve our goals only when we commit our life to selected paths, means, and things and devote ourselves to them.
 And whenever we feel that we do not have enough, we sincerely ask for God’s support. This helps us experience that God supports us in various ways. We can experience that, through God, love is fostered in our mind and spirit, and that we gain more peace in our mind and spirit. We can also experience specific help of God that He, through His Providence, supports our efforts towards prosperity of the Kingdom of God.

 

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