Inner Work

For the week of October 31, 2005

Integrity and Wholeness

To say that both the world and human beings are complex grossly understates the situation. From the remarkably intricate structure and pathways of DNA, RNA, proteins and the rest to the 100 trillion connections among the neurons in our brain, the complexity of just one ordinary human being far surpasses our ability to comprehend. Our civilization embraces both the six and a half billion of us now living and the remarkable legacy of discovery, creativity, and industriousness of humans past. Our planet hosts millions of species besides our own. Our universe incorporates countless stars in a prodigious cosmic dance. And in the midst of it all, here we are, trying to make sense of this vast diversity and our own life. But if we focus solely on the innumerable parts at any given scale, we lose the integrity of wholeness.

The levels of wholeness include: our individual presence. our family, our community, our state or province, our nation, our civilization, the biosphere, the planet, the solar system, the galaxy, the universe, and the Divine.

Integrity comes from wholeness. When we act from a part of ourselves, from a thought or an emotion or a physical appetite, we lack integrity. When we act from a part of society, placing our personal desires above the needs of other people, we lack integrity. When we act from a part of the biosphere, placing our current human desires above the good of other species and of future humans, we lack integrity. When we act without a sense of the sacred whole, we lack integrity.

Consideration for the whole also brings integrity to our spiritual practice. At a basic level, recognition of other valid ways to the sacred imbues us with tolerance and large-heartedness. More deeply, awareness of the spiritual needs of society gives us a reason to practice that is more than personal, as we see that our manner of being and acting can contribute to a more peaceful and joyous world. Finally, we realize that our prayers and meditations, our transformation of energies, our work of presence and non-clinging, support the Sacred directly. All these connections with wholeness take our path beyond the realm of self-centered motivations.

For this week, enhance your integrity by widening your field of vision toward a perspective of the whole. Inwardly or outwardly, how does what I do or fail to do now affect the whole? Let this movement toward wholeness and integrity inform, enliven, and enhance your inner work.

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