The other day, which was a very ordinary
day, I conversed with a friend regarding Western society’s bent towards
individualism as contrasted with the Eastern mindset of community. Our conversation was a very brief conversation
and we quickly moved on to the purpose of our meeting. I was, therefore, joyfully amused when the
following day I came across this from The New
Monasticism by Rory McEntee & Adam Bucko.
“The elders are passing on their lived experience of human life…This infusion process requires a certain humble disposition, one which is not naturally cultivated in our Western societies. It requires the ability to bow in deep gratitude to one another. The venerable Chogyam Trungpa captured it well when he once said words to the effect that, transmission is like pouring tea into a cup. The cup must be lower than the teapot. This is just a statement of fact. It does not contain any hierarchy. If the cup is not below the teapot, the tea will not end up in the cup.”
What a beautiful image and playful invitation
to do life as a teacup. I could immediately feel the desire to live life in
such a way, a yes to a cup always poised in the correct position and, therefore, receptive to tea. I also could immediately
sense the resistance to living from what felt like a lower stance. Aware that this quote centers around
transmission of knowledge from teacher to student it's relevant because Life is teacher and if my
teacup is receptive, in the correct position, there will always be something to
receive. Additionally the cup must be empty.
Knowing this and living this is a daily
practice. I’m the first to acknowledge that
Life transmissions are difficult when another is challenging my belief system or
when my self (ego) feels slighted, frightened or becomes defensive in some way. In other words if I'm full of myself. But if I can remember to bow my heart, read
here humility and vulnerability, and position my teacup correctly the lesson never
disappoints. It’s a delight knowing this
path of growth towards such interior freedom is well documented in both the psychological
and religious traditions and is what many simply call living from the full,
mature, ordinary, human life.
What daily practice do you utilize to fully
ground yourself in the here and now in order to be receptive to your
teachers? Likewise, how do you make room in your cup for Life? As always, if you have
comments or questions please comment here or reach out using the contact form.
