The central theme of the Buddhist faith revolves around the idea of disconnecting. A disconnection from the creation. A simple living. Emptying oneself of any sort of dependence. Finding freedom from earthly emotions and feelings that bind us to this world like love, hate, envy, lust, greed, and so on. When a Buddhist passes on from the earthly life, the hope is that they will enter into a state of existence called 'Nirvana', which is believed to be a disembodied state of eternal bliss and peace. If one dies and has not reached this point of disconnection from the world, they will be reincarnated back into the creation.
In the last several years of my life, I have come to embrace the fact that one can find many truthful teachings and beliefs in almost all of the world religions and faiths. While I am in no means advocating a universalist pluralism (that all faiths are 'true' and lead to God), I can easily see why this theme of 'disconnecting' is central in the Buddhist faith. As I look my own life, I would make a terrible Buddhist. My mind is constantly connected to my email, social network, nintendo, youtube, instant messaging, internet radio, and the list goes on... And if scripture tells us that God's Holy Spirit often speaks to us in the stillness and quietness of our heart, how in the world can I hear this calling, let alone respond to it? I need to experience a true work of God's Spirit in my life, but how can I connect with God if I refuse to stop... and disconnect from all that consumes my mind, ears, and eyes?
So how does one actually disconnect from the endless distractions? I would suggest that a fresh look at the spiritual disciplines are a good response to our culture of 'connectedness.' The disciplines are the complete antithesis of our culture... Refrain rather than consume, be quiet and still rather than be entertained. It is through the disciplines that we also see the major difference between the Christian and the Buddhist. The disciplines not only challenge us to disconnect from all that distracts us but it also challenges us to be filled and sanctified through the work of the Holy Spirit. Disconnecting is only a part of the journey. We are to REconnect with our creator who desires to fill us with His Spirit and be in relationship with us.
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Thanks for these reflections. Carlos and I have been talking a lot about that lately. We "downgraded" our cell phones to cut us off from so much media all the time. Also, we're going through a really challenging career decision right now and trying to determine if it is where the Holy Spirit is leading us. We've really had to work on this idea of disconnecting with a lot of the human emotions to figure out which way to go. I appreciated reading this. Thanks, Jay.
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