Thought

 I recently read some teachings and lessons from a small emerging group of Christians that have merged Christian teaching and Buddhist mediative teachings into a religious practice. It is very interesting to read.

The statement that pulled me into reading was the opening line. “In your daily devotion, do not let the monkey lead the elephant, and the elephant lead you.”

Great opening line. What I learned was that the author was using the monkey to represent the distraction in our daily lives and our devotion and prayer life. The elephant represents the dullness and boredom that sets in as the distraction mounts. As the distraction mounts, we tend to start putting off stuff and then give up to a certain point. What the monks in this merged belief call the surrender to outside influence on our soul.

The author recommended that we take five to ten minutes before daily devotional and center ourselves with meditation. Hence, the elephant is behind you, and the monkey is even further behind the elephant, leaving you in the lead. If you are in the lead of your life and the influences, you are better equipped to stay centered and calm during your day.

 While this is a very short version of a long article, I hope you get the jest of it. I like what the author was saying, and I tried it last night before my evening prayers. I felt better and slept better.