30 Apr The Geography of Holiness
We had ridden on the motorbike an hour to get there, to the little room inside a cave in India, far off the tourist track. When Peter opened the door, it was to freezing cold air, water dripping into a tiny pond, and the tinny sounds of a cassette tape of prayers sung in Sanskrit on continuous loop. The spirit of holiness was palpable, thick from years of chanting, decades — who knows how long — in India it might be millennium. The energy quieted the mind of its chatter, and still resonates in my consciousness today.
Some places carry the energy of the Divine. We might feel this when entering an ancient cathedral or shrine. The New Age has identified global places of power such as Machu Picchu, Lourdes, Sedona, and the Amazon jungle. Perhaps you have felt the opposite of this feeling in parts of the inner city where crimes are committed daily.
From the Buddhists comes the concept of the buddhafield, the environment that blossoms around a person of high spiritual attainment. The geographical area becomes purified by the compassionate actions of the Enlightened One, and thus conducive to spiritual practice and advancement. The buildings and pathways in these buddhafields are often built of marble, believed to store the Enlightened One’s energy for two thousand years.
Certain places are reported to consist of the sanctified energy of people praying and meditating there for centuries. This also has to do with the saying of Jesus, “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Wherever people gather to worship, work on themselves, be of service, seek Truth; wherever like-minded people gather with other seekers, the power of the group raises everyone.
Also from the Buddhists comes the precept of devotion to the sangha, the community of spiritual seekers. All the meditation, prayer, commitment to an art or craft, support and love enhance everyone participating in it. You will be able to identify a buddhafield or a sangha because around this vibration, your mind will become quiet, your body relaxed, and your energy will rise to meet it. You will feel a deep understanding that all is as it is.
What does this mean to we urban dwellers who may not live in a buddhafield and may, in fact, live in the inner city? That we may benefit from paying closer attention to our environment and our group of friends. We may need to spend time searching for our sangha, or spiritual brothers and sisters. We can choose to visit buddhafields when on vacation, or create them in our apartments and communities. Together, we can work to create energy fields that lift us all up.
© 2014 Catherine Auman This article is an excerpt from Catherine’s book Shortcuts to Mindfulness: 100 Ways to Personal and Spiritual Growth
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