Spiritual Tranquility
Disquietude is always vanity, because it serves no good. Yes, even if the whole world were thrown into confusion and all things in it, disquietude on that account would be vanity.
--St. John of the Cross
Is it always true that disquietude is vanity? Sometimes or mostly true? Are there distinctions to be made or are all forms of disquietude equally unwarranted?
--St. John of the Cross
Is it always true that disquietude is vanity? Sometimes or mostly true? Are there distinctions to be made or are all forms of disquietude equally unwarranted?
Posted by Paul at 12:22 PM Permalink
16 Comments:
Wouldn't some distinctions be in order though? I mean when I looked at this quote my reaction was "Yeah, but..."
To feel disquiet is to feel. Compassion. Injustice. Desire to alleviate and amend.
"Yeah but..." :)
Like the belief that complete faith makes you stop asking God questions....
I suspect John was talking mostly about the inner, spiritual disquiet, because quiet and disquiet are most important when drawn from within.
From what I'm experiencing, the more time I spend getting to know God, the more I value quiet, peace, silence, stillness~ because they're so integral to those bits of pure God that I can experience.
There is holiness in spiritual stillness, in silence, in calm. Regardless of how we define 'disquiet', it takes the place of the purest things we have available to us.
Anyway, your two comments sound pretty much opposed but I think both are basically right! If I try to explain that, I think I may as well do it in a follow up post because it would take more than a paragraph or even two.
For now I'll be interested in what others have to say...
Yes we have known eachother from starting blogging...
Keep well and keep your high spirit
Nasra
Paul...didn't understand that comment you left...is that a phone thingy?
I wish you healthy, happy Sunday!
Sorry, for my short and late visit, I have little bit hard time.
But I think of you all time and little about "disquietude" too.
For today my thought is
disquietude is vanity, but "maybe" not always.
MWM and CHRISTINE: I'm thinking maybe not enough continuing interest in this topic to justify another post after all. So to elaborate a little on my previous non response to you both, to me, you’re each saying something that’s true on different levels of what it is to be alive and well and human. On the one hand, love is passionate – love feels compassion, concern, can motivate us powerfully. On the other hand, and at the same time, there’s a place in us that’s profoundly at peace.
ROSIE: Good way of putting it.
Yes, if you Google Skype you’ll see – it’s a free download. You can use a headset at your computer to talk anywhere in the world. The technology’s called something like… VOIP?? Voice operated something or other? I know Skype’s not the only one...
KRYSTYNA, that’s pretty much how I look at it too. Thanks for stopping by and for your good wishes. My healthy Sundays ended thirteen years ago but hoping Kevinek gets tons of them.
No protest against war, no people fighting for a better world, no people campaigning for equal or human rights.. People just accepting the world in a bad way..
I am wondering at the meaning of vanity, is he saying the disquiet a way boosting self or something worthless, trivial, or pointless. probably the later on either account it is a no!
I am not exactly Buddhist, so I would say that disquietude does perform a useful function. In our less than perfect earthly lives, much of disquietude is the conscience or the soul expressing concern over a negative issue in our lives.
I have been enjoying your blog very much. Very thought provoking.
..Z
I wonder if Buddhism isn't a bit misunderstood - something lost in translation - that is, your citation of how letting go of "desire" is the way to end suffering.
That word's always used, but I wonder if it's really meant to include every last kind of desire. For example, "compassion" is big in Buddhism. Seems to me compassion involves the desire to see suffering ameliorated...
I wonder if they would say that compassion belongs to the higher self and is not part of the desire that causes pain to the corporeal existence in this world. There is also mention of clinging to outcomes ... which I see as having expectations. If one were to NOT identify with the outcome, to have no expectations of any result, would this perhaps be one of the meanings behind desire being the root of all pain.
On compassion, that would be my guess too - that they'd be apt to distinguish it (and any form of desire to end suffering that it seems to me would be associated with it) from the kinds of desire that cause suffering.
Not identifying with outcomes, not being attached to the fruits of one's labor - I found that memorable too. To me, this is a good thing that doesn't reduce passion for the work itself.
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