Eyes Wide Open
April 17, 2014 by Rhiannon_Wells
No one at Saint Andrew’s United Church seemed surprised when a Buddhist showed up for their Easter
Sunday service two years ago. The doors were wide open, greeters with big name tags handed me some paper and a book, and I – just like everyone else – received smiles, blessings, handshakes with wishes of peace, and free-flowing conversation and coffee after the service. No one seemed surprised when I showed up again. Before I knew it I had a reserved spot beside veteran devotee Norma at the very back, by the children’s play area. (Let me tell you, it’s the best of both worlds: between Norma and the kids I definitely get a fortified version of the sermon!)
There are many stories within this story, but for now let’s say that one
Sunday I was invited to join a prayer group and, despite my fears, was not able to decline. How would I pull it off sitting among a bunch of hard-core Christians, discussing evangelism and reading the Bible? I disclosed the truth as soon as I could (“Hello everyone, I am a Buddhist”), perhaps in the hopes that they would kick me out of the circle. But part of me wanted just the opposite: I wanted to be accepted there with my funny accent and my messy cultural background and my love for Chögyam Trungpa and the dharma. And that’s what happened.The initial welcome gradually shifted from acceptance to inclusion. Soon I let go of the need to tell people that I wasn’t this, or that I am that – and I began to listen better, to be with and in the community with an open heart, and to just do it: sit and practice!
To this day, I meet at Saint Andrew’s with my prayer companion Linda once a week to practice, connect, and be human together. Through silence, service, and volunteering I learn about basic goodness and commitment to enlightened society from Linda and many others.
If you’d like to open your heart and mind to a Christian spiritual practice, and if you cheerfully want to share your own with others, please join us for Eyes Wide Open: Christian and Buddhist Approaches to Mindfulness and Prayer. A four part series starting next Friday, April 25th. For more information, please following the link:
http://halifax.shambhala.org/programs/program-details/?id=177126
Contributed by Florencia Berakha. Florencia is a member of the Halifax Shambhala Center and actively involved at St. Andrews United Church. Her enthusiasm was a catalyst for this collaboration.
Interesting