PART TWO: The Stones of Religious Recovery September 30: Day 92

STONE ONE: Assert: I assert that I am responsible for my own spiritual path.
 
Instruction: Be the church.

I like the following quote from the Dalai Lama: “If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.”[1] A religious building such as a church, synagogue, temple, or shrine is just a building. The Divine is not housed inside the structure any less or any more than The Divine is housed inside any other part of creation. When we make the building holy or sacred we do so to set aside a piece of land and a structure to remind us there is more to life than mere existence. But, why do we need this reminder? When the Jewish temple was destroyed, the nation of Israel worshipped in their homes until it was rebuilt. Native Americans don’t worship in buildings, and they don’t set aside a special day of the week for worship. They believe every day is holy, and Wankan Tanka (one of many Native American words for God) can be found in all of life—in the trees, in the four-legged, in the birds, in the waters, and in the air. Some churches would argue over which day of the week should be called the Sabbath, but is that really something worth arguing about?

With all this confusion and division among religious beliefs, we remind ourselves that worship is personal, intimate, and available to all at any time, in any place, and in all circumstances. Many find it enjoyable to worship with other people, but if we fail to take responsibility for our own spiritual path. If we don’t learn to worship in silence and in solitude, we risk giving our spiritual journey over to a leader or organization that is not worthy of our trust. By establishing our own church of one, we learn to trust our hearts to guide us to the Light. Not all religious leaders or religious organizations are corrupt, but it does happen from time to time. We can set ourselves up for a disaster if we give our allegiance to the wrong leader or group. By recognizing that we are the church, and we inherently know the way home, we can take control of our religious and spiritual journey.
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Today’s assignment is to think about your personal church, synagogue, or temple. Do you have a personal place where you worship in private? Perhaps it is merely in the quiet of your own thoughts. There is nothing wrong with that. There is also nothing wrong with “corporate” worship as long as it meets your needs.


[1] Young, Christopher (2012-04-12). Buddha Quotes - 365 Days of Inspirational Quotes and Sayings in Buddhism (Kindle Locations 904-905).  . Kindle Edition.