Im interested in thinking through the relation of the breath to the spate of black death lately. In both Christian--particularly black christian--and Buddhist circles, the breath remains prominent. Genesis 2:7 speaks to the breath as the source of life and (human) being. While I do not believe in any kind of God-thing, for Christians, I think it is imperative that they take seriously that their God transfers life through the breath. Buddhists have no god-concept (at least none that I know of). but they remind us that our breath is the source of our existence, that focusing on the breath brings the true nature of our existence into clear view. In... Out... The breath, when it is the primary object of our focus, becomes the conduit to realizing ones connectedness to the universe. Whenever I sit and meditate, I begin and end with the breath. As we continue to wrestle with whats happening, I wonder: what does it mean for a man to literally steal another mans breath, to actively participate in the extinguishing of the life-force of another? I cant breathe is the quintessential declaration of moral evil in the world; for Christians it should show up as one calling out the blasphemous sin of playing God, of determining who should and shouldnt breathe; for buddhists, it should push for reflection in the tradition of thich quang duc and thich nhat hanh: it should prompt swift, thoughtful, and fruitful action. Im not asking for the extreme; Im simply hoping that the two religious orientations that I hold dear will start or continue to make serious efforts toward overturning a system that justifies tearing apart the very foundations upon which they stand. I may be asking too much: these are merely thoughts, thoughts prompting a road of research I had never before thought I would explore. But it is necessary. For now, I would only ask this: when you breathe, mean it. Know that the breath is a gift, that its ability to support you is a call for you to do something with it. Im speaking to myself, too. #breathe
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:46:50 +0000
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