How to be free from desire

Here's my article for June:

It's time for another football World Cup: which will be a cause for rejoicing for those who can't get enough of football and despair for those who have had enough of football!  I've mentioned previously about football chants but as well as adapting lyrics to popular songs, football fans also adopt songs as their own.

Famously, Liverpool fans sing “You'll never walk alone” from the musical Carousel; West Ham fans sing “I'm forever blowing bubbles”; Hibernian fans sing “Sunshine on Leith”; and Newcastle fans sing “Blaydon Races.”  Other songs transcend individual clubs and are sung by many fans, such as “We are the Champions” and “Sweet Caroline.” Another song in this latter category is “Freed from desire.”

When I was chaplain to the Scunthorpe United Academy, the U18s team would often play this song as part of their pre-match playlist.  This always struck me as slightly odd as although the the music and rhythm are invigorating, the wish to be freed from desire doesn't seem to be the best motivation for going into a competitive match!  I'm sure that it will be said many times during the World Cup that poor performances from teams are because of a lack of desire.

The song itself is actually a reflection of Eastern spirituality, especially Buddhism – that's the 'strong beliefs' referred to.  The singer's love has been freed from the desire for money, power and fame, and his mind and senses have been purified, unlike other people who just want more and more.  This seems to be similar to Jesus' teaching “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 5:19-20), and also to the apostle Paul's “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).

However, the reason these desires should be avoided in Buddhism is because never-ending desires and cravings that cannot be quenched cause suffering.  Buddha taught that even the desire not to desire is in itself a desire, and as such a source of suffering.  Therefore the solution is to cultivate non-attachment to everything – including the idea that there is a permanent essence of anything.

In contrast, the Bible teaches us that the created world was good and that humans made it very good, because we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1 and 2).  We are created to be in eternal relationship with God, but humanity's sin has corrupted us and the world.  Therefore our desires are now not for God but for earthly 'treasures.'  The good news, however, is that through trust in Jesus' death and resurrection, we can be freed from those desires and enjoy the abundant, eternal life with God that we were created for.

image by Prawny from Pixabay

Is Mindfulness compatible with Christianity?

Here's an occasional post, prompted by a discussion we had in one of the churches a couple of weeks ago:

'Mindfulness' has been a buzzword for a few years now, but is it a practice that is compatible with Christianity? Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), describes mindfulness as, ‘Paying attention…on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.’ Or, more simply, ‘being here, now!’ It is a kind of meditation that has its roots in Buddhist philosophy and practice, although many practitioners stress that it can be separated from those roots and used within either a religious or a non-religious framework. They also point to scientific studies which claim that mindfulness and meditation are effective treatments for many conditions. Like a lot of meditation practices it involves focussing on one's breathing and emptying one's head of thoughts, except to be 'aware' of yourself' without judgement, which is seen as the cause of suffering.

'Living in the present' is of course a very sensible thing to do: we can often live in the past or the future, or just 'float' aimlessly through the present. Taking time to rest from the hectic pace of modern life is also very beneficial. 'Self-awareness' is also central to being a Christian for without being self-aware we cannot benefit from the good news of Jesus. Our church services often give us an opportunity to do these things. However, this does not mean that mindfulness is compatible with Christianity.

Firstly, it is impossible to separate mindfulness from its Buddhist roots. Mindfulness is the seventh of the Eight-fold Path of Buddhism, which is the path to 'Enlightenment' or 'nirvana'. According to Buddhist philosophy, suffering and joy are states of mind. To be self-aware is to recognise that these feelings are impermanent as is the 'self' that experiences them. Therefore, nirvana is the escape from focusing on yourself and instead, as Kabat-Zinn says “to recognize your interconnectedness with all life, and with being itself. Your very nature is being part of larger and larger spheres of wholeness.” For Christians to be self-aware is to recognise that we are sinful, unable to make ourselves better and therefore in need of the salvation that comes through Jesus. Our ultimate aim is not a “union with the All” through the dissolution of the human self but rather a communion between God and the human self where neither is dissolved or lost in the other.

These different conclusions come about because of the differing approaches of self-reflection. Mindfulness explicitly requires practitioners to be non-judgemental about themselves, avoiding “potentially destructive thoughts and feelings.” But by rejecting any criticism of themselves, the ability to appreciate their sinfulness is also rejected. However, the Bible never encourages people to meditate on their breathing or their body but instead on the God's revelation in the Bible; this is the only way we can know the truth about ourselves, the world and God. We cannot learn these things by our own efforts because we are limited in our understanding, we can only be told them by someone outside of ourselves. By thinking about our just God, we see our own sinfulness; by thinking about our holy God, we see our separation from him; by thinking about our saving God, we see how he rescues us through Jesus' sacrificial death; by thinking about our loving God, we see the one on whom we can cast all of our anxiety.

Mindfulness may help some people, but it is not compatible with Christianity. However, the bigger question is: why settle for the crumbs of help that mindfulness can give you, when Jesus offers you a feast?