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Watch the video version on YouTube.
Narrated by Marie T. Russell.
InnerSelf's Daily Inspiration
June 20, 2023
The focus for today is:
I treat my actions in the world as important.
Today's inspiration was written by Wayne Teasdale:
Without doubt, there is great value in spirituality that emphasizes and supports withdrawal from society. But in our time, with its special needs, we require a spirituality of intense involvement and radical engagement with the world. It is in the real world that people live their busy lives, and it is in the real world that the wisdom of the monks must be made accessible. It is in the real world that awakening and development need to occur, not off in remote solitude.
The traditional monastic understanding that one can be in the world, but not of it can be reformulated as engaged in the world, but free of it, engaged in the world and with others, but not attached to the world's greed, indifference, insensitivity, noise, confusion, pettiness, unease, tension, and irreverence.
Declaring oneself a monk, or mystic, in the world is a way to make the journey easier. By committing to a way of life, or even simply to a name on which we can hang our attention, we formalize our commitment to treating our actions in the world as important.
CONTINUE READING:
Today's inspiration was adapted from the InnerSelf.com article:
Choosing To Be In The World, But Not Of The World
Written by Wayne Teasdale
Read the complete article here.
This is Marie T. Russell, publisher of InnerSelf.com, wishing you a day of treating your actions in the world as important (today and every day)
Comment from Marie: At times, we may think we are not important... that what we say and do is not important. But that is not true. We are all important. We are all pieces in a gigantic puzzle and each piece is needed for the wholeness of the puzzle of life on earth. You matter! Your words, your actions, your attitude... they all matter.
Our focus for today: I treat my actions in the world as important.
Subscribe here to join me for the next installment of "InnerSelf's Daily Inspiration".
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RELATED BOOK: A Monk in the World
A Monk in the World: Finding the Sacred in Daily Life and Cultivating a Spiritual Life
by Wayne Teasdale.
A Monk in the World tells what the journey has meant for him — living as a monk outside the monastery, integrating teachings from the world's religions with his own Catholic training, combining his vigorous spiritual practice with the necessities of making a living, and pursuing a course of social justice in a major American city. In telling his story, Teasdale shows how others can find their own internal monastery and bring spiritual practice into their busy lives.
Info/Order this paperback book or purchase the Kindle version.
More books by this Author
About the Author
Brother Wayne Teasdale (1945 - 2004) was a lay monk who combined the traditions of Christianity and Hinduism in the way of Christian sannyasa. An activist and teacher in building common ground between religions, Brother Wayne served on the board of trustees of the Parliament of the World's Religions. As a member of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, he helped draft their Universal Declaration on Nonviolence. He was an adjunct professor at DePaul University, Columbia College, and the Catholic Theological Union, and coordinator of the Bede Griffiths International Trust. He is the author of The Mystic Heart, and A Monk in the World. He held an M.A. in philosophy from St. Joseph College and a Ph.D. in theology from Fordham University. Visit this website for more information on his life and teachings.
