SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
Contemplation in action
ーIn relation with othersー
[26] Using things in appropriate manner (2) – Our body -
We are most aware of using our body when we are working. We need to keep working to earn income. To fulfill our responsibility at work, we use our body. If we like a job, we tend not to be aware of our body. But when we do not feel like working, our body often complains as we feel lazy, sluggish, or painful. If we are not healthy, we may be frustrated even with simple chores such as cleaning and organizing.
And we feel that it is difficult and bothersome to relate with our body. (In this case, our body seems to augment sluggish and heavy feelings.)
Likewise, when we are not working (when we interact with others, for example), we often want to use our body in a good manner. If we want to organize and decorate a place to welcome visitors, we use our body to the fullest to attain the goal. If we give someone a ride, we want to use our body appropriately especially when driving through a narrow street and parking a car.
Some jobs require us to acquire special physical skills and we are evaluated based on such skills. These jobs include nurses and care workers, drivers, woodworkers, blacksmiths, and so on. We also use hands in art and calligraphy and use our hands and feet when playing a musical instrument. When we use our body to acquire special skills or attain our dream, our mind and body are linked at a very high level.
We use our body in diverse manners.
It would be desirable to think that “our feet are God’s feet and our hands are God’s hands” in every move of our body throughout the day. (See [8] in “Contemplation in action – Landscape in my heart” on this website.) As our mind is completely ready to serve God, our body tends not to be selfish, and the mind and body are aligned at the highest level.
At the same time, it should be noted that there are negative aspects in our body. When we eat and drink during meal and snack time, our appetite and exploration of pleasure may be barbaric. We also have sexual desire throughout our life. Our body sometimes goes against our mind. But the body is supposed to follow the mind and to be used by the mind.
In our daily personal and work life, we tend to forget and disregard our body. It is inappropriate that we are indifferent to our physical condition until we get injured, lose health, or fall ill.
Using our body too much may lead to injuries. If we use our body in a careless manner, we may be injured or damaged in an accident. We should not lose our attention and care for our body. If a part of our body is weaker than that of others, we protect our body, accept the weakness, and care for it, instead of lamenting over it. When our body complains that it is tired, we take care of it and try to recover soon.
We also need to try to attain a good, deep sleep.
At the same time, we should not indulge our body because that would make us spoiled and barbaric and the body goes against our mind. We need to discipline our body.
Our body has wisdom. The mind should fully accept the body’s wisdom. The mind should build a beautiful collaborative relationship with the body.
In this website, you can find various body-oriented methods to align our body and mind, or our body and spirit. You can find many tips about the ideal posture to straighten the lower back, careful observation of our bodily feelings, and mental and physical balance while walking. (See “To pray with body.”)
We can enjoy dancing, playing music, art activities, or outdoor recreation and sports by attaining a good balance between our body and mind. We can also create a good product using sophisticated skills. It is valuable to use our body like this.
When we attain a good balance between our mind and body through various careful considerations and training mentioned above, we start seeing the indescribable value of our existence. We are impressed by how precious human beings are. It is desirable to live our daily life, fully enjoying God’s blessing with our soul.