The Zen of Seeing: an exercise guided by Martini Rieser

Heidi writes

What do you see when you look at something? How do you see it? What is it, what you perceive while seeing it?

These are ancient questions which come up over and over again, especially when we notice that another person, in the identical situation, sees something completely different from what you see – and both of you realize that the object of their attention hasn’t changed at all, only their perception of it is not congruent. Actually, this phenomena is a well known reason for discussion about who is right and who is wrong. It may lead to war ultimately when we don’t understand that both of us are “right but partial”, as Ken wilber use to say. We see the same thing with different eyes, from a different perspective.

Seeing things differently doesn’t only apply to different people, but to our own self. In one moment we perceive a thing or situation in one way, and then possibly in a different way. We shift our thoughts, insights and opinions according to how we see and perceive. The more attention you give to a certain thing, the more your attitude changes towards it. You can try it out yourself: Take a random object and concentrate on it for several minutes. Of you are able to observe your inner states, with a huge probability you will witness a shift, not only in your perception, but also in your emotions. You are creating a relationship to what you see which unfolds the longer you focus your attention there.

In this meeting of “Women Matters”, Martini Rieser, a Zen Meditation teacher and superb artist. Leads the group into an exercise of “the Art of Seeing”. You are invited to come along with us when watching the recording and connect with us to share your experience.

 Martini Rieser writes

Love and Friendship

Dear Friends thank you for your compassion and openess

This I got from Richard Rohr:

When you looked at me

your eyes imprinted your grace in me;

for this you loved me ardently;

and thus my eyes deserved

to adore what they beheld in you. . . .

Let us go forth to behold ourselves in your beauty.

—John of the Cross, “The Spiritual Canticle,” stanzas 32, 36

When we read poetry as beautiful and profound as this verse, we can see why John of the Cross (1542–1591) was far ahead of his time in the spiritual and psychological understanding of how love works and how true love changes us at a deep level. He consistently speaks of divine love as the template and model for all human love, and human love as the necessary school and preparation for any transcendent encounter. Authentic friendship with another person is one way to experience this type of love and will be the focus of this week’s meditations. If you have never experienced such human love or friendship, it will be very hard for you to access God as Love. If you have never let God love you, you will not know how to love humanly in the deepest way. Of course, grace can overcome both of these limitations.

Here is my paraphrase of this beautiful passage from John of the Cross:

You give a piece of yourself to the other.

You see a piece of yourself in the other (usually unconsciously).

This allows the other to do the same in return.

You do not need or demand anything back from them,

Because you know that you are both participating

In a single, Bigger Gazing and Loving—

One that fully satisfies and creates an immense Inner Aliveness.

(Simply to love is its own reward.)

You accept being accepted—for no reason and by no criteria whatsoever!

This is the key that unlocks everything in me, for others,

and toward God.

So much so that we call it “salvation”!

To put it another way, what I let God see and accept in me also becomes what I can then see and accept in myself, in my friends, and in everything else. This is “radical grace.” This is why it is crucial to allow God, and at least one other trusted person to see us in our imperfection and even our nakedness, as we are—rather than as we would ideally wish to be. It is also why we must give others this same experience of being looked upon in their imperfection; otherwise, they will never know the essential and transformative mystery of grace.

Such utterly free and gratuitous love is the only love that validates, transforms, and changes us at the deepest levels of consciousness. It is what we all desire and what we were created for. Once we allow it for ourselves, we will almost naturally become a conduit of the same for others. In fact, nothing else will attract us anymore or even make much sense.

Lots of Love Martini