)
December 26, 2011
Any particular thing – be it an act, a thought, an image, a
tool, and art object – can be a transcendent pointer to the
mystery of formation. A single drop of dew, a leaf on a tree,
the petal of a rose – each reflects infinite mystery. Presence
in simplicity or poverty of spirit prepares us to heed the
mystery in a single snowflake, ceramic, symphony, or flower.
Food and drink are savored, not merely consumed. Our mind
becomes like a motionless mountain lake, pure, and clear. We
are ready to reflect all things as they are without exalting
them positively or negatively, without distorting them by
manipulation
Simplicity directs our attention with
tranquility of mind to whatever appears in our formation field.
We simply enjoy that it is. We sense an inner completeness,
infused by the formation mystery, in each thing we encounter.
We grasp the special indwelling of the mystery in the particular
and we stand in awe of its myriad ways. Our emptied mind comes
to rest in the specifics of the formation mystery in each of its
appearances. When the moment of simple presence is upon us, we
leave behind categories and projects and want to savor
transcendent meanings.
Simplicity is like a song: let
everything simply be; let it announce wordlessly the mystery of
its own form, its wondrous particularity. In simple
appreciation, time is experienced moment by moment as the
treasure it is. Things do not become an occasion for contest
but an opportunity for disclosure. We begin to experience the
unity at the basis of the formation field, a fusion of time and
space. One thing mirrors the other, yet remains distinct. We
experience each form in its particularity as well as in its
connection with every other form, with the cosmic, human, and
transhuman epiphanies of the mystery.
(Adrian van Kaam, Formation of the Human Heart, pp.
41-2)
We have spoken of three dimensions of human presence: we can be
present to the Mystery of Formation that we call God (that is to
be open and present to the Mystery that is always and already
present to us); we can be self-present (aware and attentive to
the mystery of our own being and of the dynamics of our own
presence); and we can be present to others, reflecting to others
the presence of the Mystery to us. In the passage above, van
Kaam affirms our potential to presence to whatever is emerging
in our field of formation in our moment-to-moment existence.
Everything “points” to the Mystery. We could say, as
Shakespeare wrote, that “there are tongues in trees, books in
running brooks, sermons in stones.” Everything speaks! Every
manifestation of reality is revelatory. It all depends on our
simple presence and receptivity .
Presence and
receptivity, however, are not simple achievements on our part.
We struggle with blocks of one sort or another as we try to open
ourselves in receptivity to the presence of mystery in our
lives, and as we attempt to care appropriately for ourselves and
others. Being present, far from being simple, is a high wire
act on the scale of our human form-ability: almost everything
else we do and are comes more easily to us than being simply
present. Moreover receptivity may sound passive, but
in actuality an act of presence is an accomplishment brought
about by the activity of our spiritual nature. The spiritual
level of our mind and will are fully engaged when we are being
present. Joy comes not from passivity but from connection – to
self, to creation, to others, and to the Mystery.
The passage from
Adrian van Kaam recommends appreciation as one of the keys
available to us in transforming our presence. The disposition
of appreciation counters a primary issue in human formation;
namely, the deep-seated inclination to take what is given for
granted. Everything van Kaam mentions in this passage –
flowers, food, drink, art objects, tools, trees, leaves, etc. –
can be assessed from the perspective of the fallen state of our
formation, assuring that there will be no radiance, no pointing
toward transcendent presence and meaning. Our closed-down
vision is essentially depreciative in that it reduces or negates
the value of All-That-Is. Instead of enjoying “all-that-is” and
“that we are,” objects and beings become commonplace to us; we
grow bored and unimpressed by their familiarity. In
appreciation, however, dullness of mind and autarchic vision
give way to our capacity for gentle “rest in the specifics of
the formation mystery in all of its appearances.” Everything is
allowed “to be,” to manifest the light of its individual
presence.
With this
experience comes the awareness of each moment as the treasure it
is. We begin to experience the unity at the basis of our
formation field and the interconnectedness of all forms. As a
result, our life and surroundings feel unified rather
than fragmented. The Buddhists refer to the reality of
interconnectedness as “inter-being.” When we are truly present
we can say of each human encounter: “You make me be; I make you
be.”
