As
we continue our discussion of the third principle of Unitarian Universalism, “acceptance
of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations”
using James Fowler’s stages of faith development as a model or a map we start
in this essay with Stage 5 which is "Conjunctive" faith (mid-life crisis) acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems. The individual
resolves conflicts from previous stages by a complex understanding of a
multidimensional, interdependent "truth" that cannot be explained by
any particular statement.
The conjunctive faith of step five is
the stage in which most Unitarian Universalists live. It is the stage of
appreciation for the interreligious perennial wisdom drawn from the six
sources. It requires a mature person to function at this stage because it
requires the holding of two contradictory thoughts in your mind at the same
time without distressful anxiety. As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in 1936 in an
article in the Esquire magazine “"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to
hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability
to function." I am not sure I would put it this way. I think it is the
test of wisdom and spiritual development at stage five to find people who are
people of awareness and Unconditional love in spite of holding two opposing
views in their minds at the same time with a degree of grace and contentment.
This is one of the things that Unitarian Universalists are supposedly good at
and maybe is even one of UUs defining characteristics. If this is true, it
seems at least in our contemporary society, Unitarian Universalism will
continue to be a small religious denomination because there are few people in
our American society who have achieved stage five.
At
this stage of faith, the appreciation of the seventh principle of Unitarian
Universalism,” the respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which
we are a part” is especially congruent with the third principle “the acceptance
of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.”
People at this stage are usually comfortable and curious about comparative
religion study.
The sixth stage of
Fowler’s model of faith development is "Universalizing" faith, or what some might call "enlightenment." The individual would treat any person with
compassion as he or she views people as from a universal community, and should
be treated with universal principles of love and justice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fowler's_stages_of_faith_development
Stage six is the
stage which Jesus and Buddha achieved as well as other religious masters and
saints. I have momentary experiences at this stage but I do not stay there for
any prolonged period of time. In A Course Of Miracles, there is a description
of the “Holy Instant” when the individual becomes one with all. The person’s
perception and awareness shift from the ego plane to the spiritual plane and
that shift is what ACIM calls a “miracle.” We all are capable of experiencing
these miracles and Holy Instants and if we can stay there for any period of
time or frequently we might be considered miracle minded. Perhaps Mother
Teresa, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. achieved this level of
functioning. Undoubtedly there are other mystics and saints who have achieved
this but we don’t know them.
In the book, The Dude
and The Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman Zen Master Glassman
writes in referring to the Dude (The Big Lebowski) “You might call him a Lamed-Vavnik. In Jewish mysticism, there are
thirty –six righteous people, the Lamed – Vav Tzaddikim. They’re simple and
unassuming, and they are so good that on account of them God lets the world
continue instead of destroying it. But no one knows who they are because their
lives are so humble. They can be the pizza delivery boy, the cashier in a
Chinese takeout, the window-washer, or the woman who sells you stamps in the
post office.” P60
It’s a comforting
thought to believe that there are people around who are at stage six, but it
takes a focused, disciplined effort to achieve universal level of faith
development.
Aldous Huxley writes
in the Perennial Philosophy:
“…the saint undertakes appropriate training of mind and body,
just as a soldier does. But whereas the objectives of military training are
limited and very simple, namely, to make men courageous, cool-headed and cooperatively
efficient in the business of killing other men, with whom personally, they have no quarrel, the
objectives of spiritual training are much less narrowly specialized. Here the
aim is primarily to bring human beings to a state in which, because there are
no longer any God-eclipsing obstacles between themselves and Reality, they are
able to be aware continuously of the divine Ground of their own and all other beings;
secondarily, as a means to this end, to meet all, even the most trivial
circumstances of daily living without malice, greed, self-assertion or
voluntary ignorance, but consistently with love and understanding. Because its
objectives are not limited, because, for the love of God, every moment is a
moment of crisis, spiritual training is incomparably more difficult and
searching than military training. There are many good soldiers, few saints.” P. 43
While Unitarian
Universalism draws from six sources, it does not seem to have any recommended
practices of its own other than those which might be based on the seven
principles. I don’t know if Unitarian Universalism helps seekers get to level
six. Some of us study and practice with A Course In Miracles while other engage
in Buddhist, Christian or other specific practices, but other than insisting on
Universal salvation, it seems that Unitarian Universalism has little to
recommend itself other than its seven principles, but perhaps this is enough
which certainly encompass the major themes of Fowler’s stage five and six.
Is there such a thing
as a Unitarian Universalist mystic, master, or saint? Should Unitarian Universalists have some mystics, masters, saints? Are there
UUs who point the way for spiritual growth for the rest of us? Maybe the closest we come to this ideal are some of the transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau. What do you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment