Hungry Spirits

Calling out to hungry hearts
Everywhere, through endless time
You who wander, you who thirst                                     
I offer you this bodhi mind*
 

Calling all you hungry spirits

Everywhere, through endless time
Calling all you hungry hearts
All the lost and left behind
Gather round and share this meal
Your joy and sorrow
I make it mine

                                    *intrinsic wisdom
 

This lovely ballad is part of a service that my friend Annie brought to our community that draws our attention to the "hungry spirits" that exist all around us.  At first, we might think of those who are hungry in the world, who need nourishment and sustenance.  But when we go deeper into this idea of hunger, we realize there are many types of hunger.  One of those is the hunger we all experience when we don't have enough-or when we think we don't have enough.  How often do we acknowledge or recognize that we go through life, desiring and craving, complaining that we are not blessed with those things we want, feeling that the universal energy or divine spirit has deprived us of what we need?

The hungry spirit appears in many forms.  It is the spirit of dissatisfaction, that we (or others) are not good enough.  When we think we need more than we have.  When we feel we are inadequate.  When we feel unloved or neglected.  Whatever blessings we receive, they aren't enough.  So we continually look for more, forgetting how much we have or how fortunate life has been.  There is a Zen story about a person being invited to see hell.  The escort takes the person into a sumptuous banquet hall, tables loaded with every food imaginable, and wonders, how can this be hell?  But as the person looks closer, he or she notices that the people are complaining and the noise level grows.  They have been given utensils that are so long that they are unable to feed themselves.  Then the escort offers to take the person to heaven.  They enter what appears to be an identical banquet hall.  In this hall, however, people are smiling and enjoying themselves-as they use their utensils to feed each other.

In a way, being unsatisfied is part of the human condition.  We not only seek the material, but we seek the universal spirit or the divine energy, wanting to end our separation from that which is our source and becoming one, or  desiring connection to that which is the deepest, wisest and most loving compassion.  Our spiritual and life's journey seems to reduce us to voracious hungry spirits if we don't know how to transform the insatiable appetite of this very human energy.  So what do we do?

First, we gently acknowledge ourselves as hungry spirits.  Instead of deriding this part of us, we gradually acknowledge it, then accept it, and finally embrace it.  Can you acknowledge that part of you that's dissatisfied, craving more unceasingly?  Can you welcome it, feed it by simply acknowledging it, and realize that you are offering compassion to something that is not apart from you, but an integral part of who you are?  This takes a great deal of practice, but if you pray or meditate, you might engage this part of you that you tend to judge, criticize and reject.  Open the door and invite it in.  At those moments of lamenting, grumbling, and demanding, recognize what's going on:  what does your hungry spirit want?  What are the odds you can have it?  Then just notice your feelings around your answer:  disappointment?  Sadness?  Anger?  At some point you may be willing to comfort your hungry spirit, offering it love, compassion and understanding.

When you feed your hungry spirit by simply acknowledging it, it becomes a little less demanding, and that act frees you to offer yourself to other hungry spirits:  all those in the world who are needy, craving, frustrated, hungry.  You may not have to "give" them anything other than your attention, listening to their suffering and bearing witness to their conditions.  So often we think there is something we must do, when being present to another's concerns is one of the greatest gifts we can offer.  And in almost every tradition, being of service, making ourselves available to others, is a rich offering.

Maybe you can't imagine taking these steps.  Then just notice what's going on.  Don't feel you have to make anything different, or feed that hungry spirit.  That little bit of attention provides some space where at the very least, you might breathe a little bit lighter.  Or it might provide space for comforting energy to emerge, giving you some peace.

The great majority of us will always have our hungry spirit with us.  It is always there, wishing, hoping, expecting, and desiring.  So our task is to welcome it, and recognize that it informs us not only about ourselves, but about the suffering that happens every moment, everywhere, to millions of others.  Our hungry spirit connects us to every other human being, reminding us that we are never alone.

See the beautiful photos my husband, Jerry, took in Australia; go to www.thedeepestspirituallife.com and click the "Photo Album" button.

Recommendation:  Designed to illumine your spiritual journey, The Sacred Art of Listening, by Kay Lindahl, provides access to a new way of listening-to Source, to self and to others. By expanding your awareness of listening and broadening your concept of listening you will
learn to:

• Enhance your capacity to listen to people with different belief systems.
• Heighten your awareness and sensitivity to opportunities for deep listening.
• Communicate with courage and compassion.
• Speak clearly from the heart.

Today's pace of life leaves little room for reflection and listening. This engaging book of inspired reflections and extraordinary illustrations guides you to take time for yourself and listen from the essence of your being.  Also see Kay's latest book, Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening.  Learn more about Kay and her books at www.sacredlistening.com.................................................

In addition to her spiritual practices, Susan R. Quinn of the Quinn Company has been an independent consultant and trainer since 1978.  She specializes in facilitation of problem solving for teams and groups in conflict.  She is certified to train using the DiSC Personal Profile System.  Her other best-received training programs are “Dealing with Difficult People,”  “Managing Conflict,” and “Learning to Live in the Eye of the Hurricane.”  She also offers values clarification workshops, and strategic planning services in partnership with her husband, Jerry.  You can reach Susan at the Quinn Company, 246 Via Presa, San Clemente, CA  92672, (949) 366-5890, or email susanquinn@earthlink.net.