48. God Saves Through Self Emptying

Sitting in my daily

morning meditation

I caught myself

in a forced smiling frown.

The kind I have to will up

to resist tears that promise relief

by escaping my eyes

and falling onto the ground.

I learned right before I sat down

of the passing-away of a visionary.

The last day. Of the great teacher Thay.

Christ Consciousness just lost a giant.

Thich Nhat Hanh,

the friend of Thomas Merton

and Martin Luther King Jr.

Thay, last night passed away.

But he’s now

being "called by his true names".*

In this morning’s sit,

came to me a rephrasing.

A Name. As another way to say.

“God Saves – Through Our Self Emptying”

is “Jesus-Christ” reinterpreted today.

What else does the name above all names say?

But to convey kenotic love

in sheer dramatic display?

An Incarnation spent as moments of loving awareness

poured out upon Just What Was.

With no account for separate preferences cost.

Just smiling, breathing, Being.

All the way to the old rugged cross.

Thay, through mindful breathing

somehow "tamed the tiger within".*

The Holy Spirit moved him to "Interbeing".*

Thay’s life was breathed as "peace in every step".*

So, his passing left me sort of reeling

wondering if there are any more giant’s left.?

This planet is desperate for meaning.

We need a modern day

Ram Dass,

a Buddha,

a Jesus,

a Thay,

Because our ears are all stopped up with profits.

Materialistic-consumers busy lining our pockets.

Tuning out and killing off all the prophets.

That Just What Was

in sacrificial love sent our way.

Who is left?

To teach us to live "in the here and the now"?*

In the turmoil of Heaven growing wild?

So that the next "twenty-four-brand-new-hours"*

will be conscious moments

chock full of loving smiles.

Who will tell us the next time

we lose our conscious smile

to "remember the dandelion has it"?*

And God saves through self-emptying trials.

*Thich Nhat Hanh – various writings, quotes, and teachings.

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