The Way of Man

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,


According to Hasidism, the very qualities which make
us what we are constitute our special approach to God and
our potential use for Him. There is nothing so crass or base
that it cannot become material for hallowing. “The profane,”
for Hasidism, “is only a designation for the not-yet-hallowed.”
Hallowing transforms the “evil urges” by confronting them
with holiness and making them responsible toward what is
holy.

Maurice Friedman in his forward to Buber's Way of Man


When I was a therapist, I would often suggest to my clients, now that you are aware of the problem, it is your responsibility to engage it. So often we go about in life believing that past issues are the cause of our current suffering. This is really like sleep walking. Yet, once awake, we must behave differently. We must be awake to the present moment and this moment's opportunities to live.

Martin Buber wrote a wonderful little book called "The way of Man" (its available as a pdf file here: http://www.pendlehill.org/resources/files/pdf%20files/php106.pdf. ). In it he relates a story of a Rebbe who was arrested. The jailer approaches him while he is deep in meditation. After a few questions, the Rebbe asks:

“How are we to understand that God, the all-knowing said to Adam:
‘Where art thou?’” “Do you believe,” answered the rav, “that the Scriptures
are eternal and that every era, every generation and every man is included in them?”
“I believe this,” said the other. “Well then,” said the zaddik,3 “in every era, God calls
to every man: ‘Where are you in your world? So many years and days of those allotted to you have passed, and how far have you gotten in your world?’ God says something like
this: ‘You have lived forty-six years. How far along are you?’”

Every day we are presented with this question, where am I. Or to put it in more present terms, what am I. To answer this question is an invitation to look deeply into one's self. What has happened to me? What have I done? Failed to do? etc. But the important this isn't the self recrimination, but the willingness to "turn" as Buber refers to it. Turn from the recrimination, the self absorption, to the light of day. Turn to the world, what now needs to be done to make this world a better place?

when we are involved, sometimes deeply involved, in self recrimination, shame, and other self-focused feelings and thoughts, we are lost to our true self, our true beauty and joy.

Later, in the end of his book, Buber makes the point that while we search the world over for ways to get out of our responsibility, even to places like heaven or nirvana, the Hasid "invert" the order and says, "For it is here, where we stand, that we should try to make shine the light of the hidden divine life."

Our true self, our Buddha nature, is always present, even in the muck of a muddy swamp. So the world asks, "where are you?"

Be well