Last Sunday we have gathered for an iron-man chanting
marathon (thanks to Maria Kammerer!), to practice chanting Reiki precepts.
Just for Today
Do not Anger
Do not Worry
Be Grateful
Do your work Diligently
Be Compassionate to yourself and all living beings
The precepts seem simple but I’m amazed by the deeper layers
one can discover with practice. After our marathon chanting I had two discoveries:
Bear with me on this imagination: Imagine a lantern
made from a flexible soft material, almost like silk. It’s like accordion but
you can pull from each side and manipulate the lantern. Imagine this lantern
has 4 sides and each side has blinds. One side is “Do not Anger”, second side is “Do not
Worry”, third side is “Gratitude”, forth side is “ Diligent work”. The bottom
end is “Just for Today” the top is “Compassion”.
Let’s build up the lantern from bottom up where the
bottom most end is “Just for Today”. This is what grounds the lantern down to
Earth (Being Here and Now). The opposite end or top of the lantern is
“Compassion”. This is what hooks us up to Heavens. The lantern itself is a
bridge between the Earth and Heaven.
If you pull the side of the lantern that represents “Do not Anger”, (i.e. if you practice this precept and be aware of the anger, recognize
that it’s only the ego, recognize the root causes of the anger and succeed to
transform the anger), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal
the Great Bright Llight within the lantern.
If you pull the side that represents “Do not Worry”, (i.e.
if you recognize that worry is only comes from unsettled mind, it’s just a
thought and it’s not aligned with our true nature and if you transform worry to
ease), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal the Great Bright
Light within the lantern.
If you pull the side that represents “Gratitude”, (i.e. if
you pay attention to the little miracles of being alive and your heart fills
with joy and gratitude), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to
reveal the Great Bright Light within the lantern.
If you pull the side that represents “Diligent Work”, (i.e.
if you utilize your full potential that you came into this world with, that your
potential becomes your work and your work is your utmost potential), the blinds
on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal the Great Bright Light within
the lantern.
If you pull the lantern away from opposite ends, (i.e. you
practice Compassion in the Now), all four sides of the lantern are collapsed and
there is no lantern anymore and the Great Bright Light is totally exposed.
The second understanding is similar in nature but it is math
related. I think there is a math nerd within me waiting to be discovered!
In this one, “Just for Today” or if we simply call it as “Being
Here and Now” has a multiplication factor
of 0 (Zero).
Whatever you multiply it with (or when you bring this factor at the presence
of others), everything else disappears and the result is zero (non-duality or
emptiness).
You multiply “Here and Now” with Anger, anger disappears, the end result is zero; you multiply Here and Now with Worry, worry disappears, the
end result is zero. You multiply it with Gratitude, there is no need for
gratitude anymore, because there is no subject that feels grateful or any objects
to be grateful for, the end result is zero. You multiply it with “Diligent
Work” there is no one left to work, or any work left to be done, the end result
is zero. Multiply it with Compassion and there is no one left to be
compassionate for, including the Self. The “Here and Now” is the Golden key to
de-activate the need for all others, it’s the zero factor J but look
at what remains…
Here and Now x Anger = 0
Here and Now x Fear = 0
Here and Now x Gratitude = 0
Here and Now x Work diligently =0
Here and Now x Compassion = 0
What remains = Great Bright Light
Love & Light,
Zeynep