The ABCs: A is for (Radical) Attention
The ABC's of Radical Spirituality
In many spiritual traditions, there is a practice in which a selected scriptural passage becomes the theme for the week. At Radical Spirituality, we do the same thing, but in a radical way.
Each Sunday, I offer a single, simple word distilled from the common principles of all the world’s faith and wisdom teachings that serves as the theme for the week, along with an interfaith/interspiritual perspective on why it is important, and tools such as reflection questions, practices, and resources to help you explore and integrate these essential principles into your life. And because I am that person, the words are in alphabetical order. I call them The ABC’s of Radical Spirituality. We start with A and go to Z. There are 52 weeks in the year, so we go through the English alphabet twice. That’s 52 words in 52 weeks.
It’s a simple practice to get to the roots of what matters on our spiritual path. The best part is that you will get out of it what you put into it. If you just keep the word on a sticky-note on your computer, it will still work it’s magic. But to dig deeper, delve in, dive in, and see what you find.
A is for (Radical) Attention
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. – Mary Oliver
The theme for this week is (Radical) Attention. Everything on a spiritual path follows from the placement and quality of our attention. Everything. You cannot see where you are going if your eyes aren’t open. Therefore, Attention is the first step and the foundation of everything we do on our spiritual path, and every spiritual practice is – in one way or another – about cultivating our ability to pay attention. One could say learning to pay Attention is like learning how to walk. It’s that basic. It’s also that Radical.
Whether we know it or not, just by being alive, we are already on a spiritual path. Life itself is the path. The purpose of Attention, then, is to be present for life, to notice the path we are already on; to look around and see clearly where we are, what’s around us, what we are thinking and feeling, and what’s happening, so we can make real choices about where we want to go. It means to be present with what is happening in our lives. Without Attention, our lives slip by without noticing, and we miss the whole point of being of alive…or on a spiritual journey.
This week, we focus our attention on Attention. How present can we be to life?
Deeper Roots
There is a Zen story that illustrates the importance of Attention in spirituality.
A monk once asked his teacher, “What is the fundamental teaching in Buddhism?”
The Master replied, “Attention.”
The student, dissatisfied with the answer, said, “I wasn’t asking about attention, but for the essential teaching in Buddhism.”
The Master replied, “Attention, Attention, Attention.”
These days, many people think of attention as Mindfulness. After all, that’s the common non-religious term used to translate Buddhist Vipassana meditation, or the observation of thought and sensations in the present moment without judgement.
Mindfulness has become the standard prescription for stress relief, depression, pain, and a host of other psychological and physical conditions. Study after study has shown that sitting still and observing the nature of our minds is indeed helpful for managing our thoughts and our reactions.
It’s also promoted as the foundational spiritual practice for learning to live “in the now.” It’s an effective tool to teach you how to turn your mind to what is happening here and now, to quiet the endless chatter inside your skull, and be present for life. It’s a good start, and everyone should spend time getting quiet and trying to focus attention, but it’s not the whole of it. It’s what you are paying attention to that matters.
Every wisdom tradition emphasizes the importance of turning our attention toward the Divine or Ultimate Reality. The Shema, the most important prayer in Judaism, begins with the word, Shema, or “Listen!” In other words, pay attention! In the Bible, there are numerous instances of Jesus telling his followers to pay attention to the ways of the Lord – “If you have eyes to see, ears to hear.” In the Qur’an, the ways we are shown to attend to Allah are infinite, and the faithful are instructed to pay attention to the creations of Allah, i.e., the details of life and the world around them. In other words, by paying full attention to the details of our daily lives, we are also paying attention to the Divine.
But what exactly are we looking for? Vietnamese Buddhist monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, said, “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” In other words, if we bring our awareness fully to each moment, we may discover the beauty and joy inherent in it.
Buddhist teacher Rick Fields says this: “When we pay attention, whatever we are doing...is transformed and becomes a part of our spiritual path. We begin to notice details and textures that we never noticed before everyday life becomes clearer, sharper, and at the same time more spacious.”
As we said earlier, life is the spiritual path, we just have to pay attention to it! All of it. Life is where the Divine lives.
The more we practice paying attention, the more attentive and present we become, and the fuller and more meaningful our lives are. Modern French mystic and philosopher, Simone Weil, once said, "Joy is being fully aware of reality." And joy is ultimately the point of this whole trip, isn’t it?
Radical Attention, then, is a constant awareness of the details of life, or reality, which, by definition, is the Divine-in-action.
“I take out the garbage. I clean the toilets. I cook the meals. When do I have time to lead a spiritual life? The answer: when I take out the garbage, when I clean the toilets, when I cook the meals. … Strive to be aware of the holy in the most mundane of things and you will see it open up before you: the everyday is the abode of the eternal.”
—Episcopal Bishop Steven Charleston
Reflection Questions
What does Attention mean to me?
Where is my attention?
How do I pay attention to the Divine?
What do I do to cultivate my ability to pay attention?
Practice
Set a timer on your phone or choose something you do each day, like making your coffee or brushing your teeth. Each time the bell rings or you are engaged in that activity, pause, notice where your hands are, take a few breaths, and pay attention to what’s actually happening around you. Notice the sensations and the details, without judging. Just observe.
Resources
Interspiritual Meditation: A Seven Step Process Drawn from The World’s Spiritual Traditions by Edward W. Bastian, Ph.D
Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation by Larry Rosenberg with David Guy
Radical Thought
In English, attention is something we pay.
In Spanish, attention is something we lend.
In French, attention is something we make.
In Farsi, attention is something we do.
In Russian, attention is something you turn.
In Vietnamese, attention is something you look.
In Finnish, attention is something we attach.
In Hebrew, “to pay attention” is generally lasim lev, or “to set your heart to it.”
How do you talk about attention? Where do you “set your heart?”
The essence of “spirituality” is that we must pay attention to the blessing of the simple moments, and we must keep the greater vision of our lives in front of us. We must channel this focus to move beyond ourselves, to care for our community and the world. It all begins when we simply turn and pay attention to what is in front of our eyes, and what is right beneath our feet.”
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