These words of wisdom from Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn have a nice ring to them. They convey the importance of the insight of interbeing and a clear and succinct way.
Wholeness And Interconnectedness |
| Perhaps ultimately, spiritual simply means experiencing wholeness and interconnectedness directly, a seeing that individuality and the totality are interwoven, that nothing is separate or extraneous. If you see in this way, then everything becomes spiritual in its deepest sense. Doing science is spiritual. So is washing the dishes. It is the inner experience which counts. And you have to be there for it. All else is mere thinking.
– Jon Kabat-Zinn |
 Jon Kabat-Zinn |
Interbeing is a word that was coned by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh to express the wholeness and interconnectedness of all things. He arrived a this insight from the teachings of the Buddha.
The Buddha taught that all composite things, that is, all things that are made up of component parts, do not have a separate existence. They have to inter-be with everything else.
For example, the orchids on my desk. They are interdependent on the sun, the rain, the environment in which they grow, the gardener, the trucker, the salesperson, etc. for them to be present on my desk for me to enjoy.
Our interbeing with the whole cosmos is verified by the vast scientific evidence that all we experience in our mind/body is the result of stardust from the remains of a supernovae explosion in this region of the Milky Way Galaxy some 4.6 bullion years ago. The Earth coalesced from billions of planetoids in the formation of the solar system and life began after the period of great bombardment of asteroids, comments, and other collision.
Enough of my rantings! What else do you need to know about interbeing? Do you have any problems with wholeness and interconnectedness as Jon Kabat-Zinn suggested? Please share.
Try These Books
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These books are both quite wonderful. Full Catastrophe Living outlines the MBSR program. Wherever You Go There You Are contains beautiful snippets of wisdom. I think you will enjoy reading them as much as I did.
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