Terry Paul Choyce
September 16, 2007, Brunswick Street United Church
One of the things I love about the United Church is that it welcomes a questioning approach to theology. I think we keep our beliefs alive and vital by rethinking them occasionally. And last night at 4 AM I had an "aha" moment about sin.
When I started here 3 years ago, one of the things I told you is that I would not preach about sin. So today, I am proving myself to be a bit of a liar, because I have finally come to an understanding of sin that makes sense to me. And it was Eckhart Tolle, who is a new age type spiritual writer who helped me find a new concept of sin that doesn't make me cringe.
In his books The Power of Now and A New Earth, Tolle writes about the pain-body. He says we are each born with an inner, subconscious part of us that thrives on negative thoughts. He believes this pain-body is genetically passed on, and it is with us even in the womb. Thus some babies are born with different temperaments. Some are innately happy, and only fuss when they are hungry or in pain or discomfort. Other babies cry a lot, for no discernable reason. The temperaments of children tend to carry on for much of their lives, unless things happen to change the way the person thinks and reacts.
By our thoughts and actions we can strengthen or diminish our pain bodies. When we consciously diminish our pain body by having peaceful, loving thoughts, and by living with compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and joy, then we become more aligned with another aspect of ourselves, which many of us call our higher or Divine self. It is the purpose of spirituality and religion to help us overcome our negative thoughts and actions, to be more loving. In Christian terminology, we need to overcome our sinful nature to become more Christ-like. Many Christians believe in original sin, which previously made no sense to me. But now I can see that the pain-body we are born with can be interpreted to be a sin that stems back before birth. I'm not ready to take it back to Eve biting the apple, but I can now understand the roots of this thinking.
How many of us here wrestle daily with unwanted negative thoughts? Your day is going pretty smoothly and you are feeling fairly happy, when seemingly out of no where, a terrible past memory crops up and takes over your thoughts. Why does your mind do that? Why does your mind seem to need to have negativity mixed into every day? Why do we listen to horrific news, watch violent movies and TV programs, read scary books? Why do we have horrible nightmares? And why do each one of us do things to sabotage our health and our happiness? Eckhart Tolle says it is because our pain-body feeds on negativity and distress. We subconsciously create problems in our lives which will make us miserable.
Dr. Candace Pert and Dr. Bruce Lipton are both scientist who have done studies on the brain. They, and many other specialists, say we have millions of neuron transponders in our brains that latch onto specific stimulus. These are inherited, and they are developed through out our lives. My theory is these are the location of the pain-body. If our transponders accept only pain, fear, anger, worry, hatred, etc., then that is what we will subconsciously create in our thoughts and our lives.
We will take unnecessary risks that often lead to injury, We will become addicted to tobacco or alcohol or over-eating, which will lead to physical illness and lifestyle difficulties. We will create relationships with people who make us angry or who physically and/or emotionally abuse us. We will refuse to use the talents God gave us, and thus lead frustrating lives. We will not take care of our bodies by eating properly, getting enough rest, or keeping ourselves fit. There are thousands of ways we can and do make ourselves sick and miserable. Until last week I never understood why. Now I think I do. It is in our genes to experience the full gamut of emotions, both the wonderful and the atrocious.
Our higher self, or what others call our observer or our witness, has a real challenge keeping us healthy and loving. There are spirit-based tools that we can use to help over come our pain-bodies. Every religion tells us that prayer and meditation are essential to connect with God, or the positive energy that is in and around everything. Through prayer and meditation we learn to control and direct our thoughts. This is probably the real secret to happiness - thought control. When you can stop your mind from going in negative, hurtful directions, you then are able to create more positive thoughts and emotions. You retrain those pesky neuron transponders to feed on love, peace, joy, and gratitude.
There are other tools as well. We each have different things that will work for us. Some of us need to be in nature; others feel blissful when they listen to sacred or uplifting music. Others read spiritual books or have spiritual discussions, while some are active in their churches or places of worship. Some do physical exercises like yoga or qigong, which connect them to their divine energy. Some have centring rituals which they perform often, like communion or walking the labyrinth or repeating a mantra or affirmation. Others create beautiful art or music. And fortunately many people find fulfilment by being of service to others, or to doing things to make our Earth a healthier place. There are so many ways our higher self can reach out to be stronger. You are here today because the Divine part of you wants you to be healthy and happy and at peace.
What can you do to diminish your pain - to wipe away your sins? What tools do you have in your box? What tools can you acquire to make yourself healthy and loving? God gave us Jesus to show, through his life and his teachings, and especially his death, that we can overcome our pain. We can transcend our negativity. We can do what seems to be impossible. You and I are creations of God. Each of us are part of the Divine. You have the power to conquer your painful thoughts, emotions, and actions. God has given you this power. It is up to you whether or not you use it.
I'd like to end with this poem by Danna Faulds from her profound, beautiful book Go In and In:
Witness
When I can be the witness,
all manner of miracles occur-
old wounds heal, the past
reveals itself to be released,
present dramas play themselves
out without sinking emotional
talons into my soft skin.
The witness welcomes truth and
dares to meet reality on its
own terms. It is the ground
in which the seeds of transformation
take root and finally flower.
When the witness is awake, the
lake of mind is still, and
in that mirrored surface,
I see my own true face as
Spirit smiling back at me.
©Terry Paul Choyce. Used with permission from the author.
