Being Called

Oasis Institute
#1

Do you feel called to teach? (Maybe that’s not the most contemporary phrase – I’d love to hear other ways of stating it.)

Here is a quote from a paper by Jon Kabat-Zinn, entitled Some Reflections on the Origins of MBSR, Skilful Means and the Trouble with Maps which conveys this feeling in simple terms (and which may also support us to better understand the MBSR lineage and practices):

The early years of MBSR and the development of other mindfulness-based clinical interventions were the province of a small group of people who gave themselves over to practicing and teaching mindfulness basically out of love, out of passion for the practice, knowingly and happily putting their careers and economic wellbeing at risk because of that love, usually stemming from deep first-person encounters with the dharma and its meditative practice… (p. 295-6)

Perhaps a way to start the conversation is to ask:

What can you, as a current or potential MBSR teacher or teacher trainee, tell us about how it is these days?

Btw, at some point, as this conversation unfolds, and as time allows, I intend to share from my own experience as well, but I wanted to start with our history, and some words from Jon. :-)

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#2

@eowyn,
Thank you for this thoughtful thread. I have been having some difficulty articulating the underpinnings of my passion to practice, teach and be in community with other practitioners. I often reflect on this: "I know not what it calls me to, but I recognize the voice."
Ann

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#3

Ann,

Thanks for posting!

Beautiful lines you quoted. I did not recognize their source, so I checked the worldwide web…

Far as I can tell, they are the words of Anthony De Mello (1931-1987), an Indian Jesuit priest, born in Bombay, died in NYC. (Here’s that Wikipedia page.)

I have felt the challenge you speak of in finding words to express what, in this thread, I have chosen to name “calling”. I think it may be, in part, because this idea has a long, complex history and has sometimes (though not always) been associated with religious calling.

I also think it may be because the experience is in itself complex:

As I see it, a sense of calling has the potential to profoundly deepen our capacity for generosity, skill in action, and kindness. Einstein, for example, said that “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” (–Quoted in the New York Times, June 20,1932 AEA 29–041; From this site.)

That said, a sense of calling can also potentially get tangled up with with our egos, perhaps especially with our desire to “be someone”. So, it might at times be an obstacle to clear seeing and wisdom.

So, I hold it as a “cozy razor’s edge” of a kind, (quoting contemporary folk singer Heather Maloney’s 2009 album and song title).

For me feeling called is akin to feeling alive - it’s uncomfortable and wonderful all at the same time. Call it a “handle with care” item…

What do you think?

Kindly,
Eowyn

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#4

I am someone who has participated in some of the teacher training for MBSR. The teachers I have encountered, trained and fellow students, have inspired me to continue to cultivate my own practice. Mindfulness offers me a sense of peace, and at times even ease, and at the very least, a place to focus when nothing seems right, familiar, or comfortable. The accessibility of mindfulness practice is what draws me to it the most. I am still very much in the process of discovering how I will share mindfulness with others in the future. I suppose my own experience of benefitting, desire to help others relieve suffering, and curiosity are whar draw me to want to teach mindfulness. I think the community aspect of practicing, learning, and teaching it is an important part of balancing the ego aspect that can crop up.

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#5

Love your comment about how community balances ego. This seems potentially helpfully true to me!

#6

Interestingly I’ve been struggling to find the perfect word that describes the innate sense of purpose and interconnectedness that has lead to what I can only express, (for lack of a better word) as a “calling”. Your post inspired me to look up a few definitions and possible synonyms to see if I could find a word that truly embodied this sensation. In performing a brief search of online dictionaries, “calling” does seem to be the word that most closely represents what I’ve experienced.

Calling

  1. a strong urge toward a particular way of life or career; a vocation.
  2. a strong desire or feeling of duty to do a particular job, especially one in which you help other people

Now having said that, over the last 6 months I have actually used the term “calling” or said that I “felt called”, to some of the people closest to me, and unfortunately this expression seems to elicit not only a strong reaction , but one seemingly rooted in unconscious bias. From their body language and our ensuing conversations, I could tell that even some of my most open minded friends immediately assumed that what I was speaking about must be rooted in religion or new age “mumbo jumbo”. I have since avoided using this expression in order to help the people in my life be able to understand that in actual fact this practice with its’ roots firmly grounded in ancient wisdom, neuroscience and personal experience. I’d love to find a word(s) that would be able to clearly articulate the sense of being called but without the preconceived notions I sense from people when using the term “calling”. Does anyone maybe know of a word from Buddhist texts or other teaching that might serve this purpose?

In a very short period of time, Mindfulness has given me incredible clarity of purpose and has also left me completely awestruck by the fact that each of the seemingly unrelated moments in my life, the people I’ve encountered and chapters in my career have now lead me here, this moment, exactly where I’m meant to be. Thank you for posting this article, it truly reflected much of my early experience and has helped me to deepen my understanding of this calling.

#7

Thanks for the definitions, Jocelyn, as well as the report on your experiences with using the term ‘calling’.

To your question about other possible words from the Buddhist texts, there is a Pali word that might suit: chanda, which gets translated variously as intention, aspiration, or “desire as an eagerness to commit” (Ajahn Sucitto). Here is the wikipedia page on the term, which you might find of interest.

Unlike Sanskrit words such as nirvana and dharma, the Pali term chanda hasn’t yet made it into general use, so it probably won’t help you with the conversations with your friends and loved ones about your aspiration to practice and teach mindfulness. But, it might be helpful for relating to your own heart on the subject.

#8

eowyn,
Discussing the use of the term “calling” wasn’t your purpose in starting this thread, but it is interesting, and perhaps important, that it has taken on a bit of a life of its own here.

The first definition of “calling” in Webster might be more helpful when considering how the term is likely to be understood by others:
"a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence"

It occurs to me that there are at least two levels on which to consider the use of this term, and I would suggest that on both levels, the pointing is towards avoiding the term.

  1. When Jon started MBSR, he was very clear that his priority was to mainstream mindfulness practice, and that to do this, he would have to present a thoroughly non-religious version. While it is true that some mystical terminology has crept back in over the years, with some key figures in MBSR drifting more and more towards discussing the practice as a “spiritual” one, I would nevertheless argue that if the term “calling” suggests in the minds of those who hear it some kind of “divine” inspiration, then it’s not that we “should” find another term, we must find another term, or we undermine the very foundation of MBSR, the secularization of mindfulness practice which has been so resoundingly successful in making it accessible to those in mainstream culture.

  2. The other level to consider is the convergence of both science and Buddhism on the primary objective of discovering what is real, and I would suggest that the term “calling” adds nothing to our knowledge of what is real, but rather, it obfuscates and mystifies a process that is both knowable and important to understand. This knowable nature of your central inquiry, eowyn, about why we want to teach, is implicit in your call for sharing and discussion. I realize that, and do not mean to criticize or judge you for using a term that has distracted us temporarily from pursuing the inquiry that you suggested. The term does, however, inherently suggest that there might be some “unexplainable” reasons for such a desire to teach, and while they may in some cases be unexplained, they are certainly not unexplainable. Any mystery about why each of us wants to teach is one that it is important to take on and de-mystify, because if we do not understand why we do what we do, then it is that much more likely that our reasons, remaining unconscious, will interfere with doing the work effectively. We can, and should, take on the task of understanding our motivations, not ascribing them to mystical forces. I know that you did not intend to do the latter, in fact, you intended the opposite, but if we name our motivations as a “calling,” I think we undermine the inquiry that you desire.

So, my suggestion is that the collection of our motivations to do this work needs no name, neither English, nor certainly Sanskrit, Tibetan or Pali! Let’s just call it “our motivation to do this work.”

Now back to your actual question, eowyn, about why we each do this work: I am chagrined to admit that I haven’t figured this out yet for myself, but I’m just one week out of my Practicum. I am just an egg. I know that there is ego involved, and that I need to notice how this appears. I also imagine that my life has been a process of uncovering the basic instinct of a social species to nurture and protect other members of my tribe, so even the fact that I might feed some ego by doing so may just be how evolution has wired me to be motivated, which is not to suggest that it’s okay. So many levels of this to explore…

#9

I feel “inspired” to teach mindfulness because I experience it as a liberation practice. Short and sweet for now.

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#10

Thank you for the question. Frederick Buechner — “'Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” Studying and beginning to teach MBSR is my vocation. I live in an area where MBSR may or may not be well received. Whatever happens with teaching the 8 week course is not of great concern to me. What I do know is how much I have learned about relieving my own suffering,and grown from the practice and the study of mindfulness. My life is different, happier and I feel at home for the first time. I would be honored to carry these teachings into the community if there is a need for them. If not, there will someone who will when the timing is right. I have been in a place similar to this in my life before and all the conditions were right for my passion to be embraced. I will quickly know if others are ready or not for MBSR.
I deeply know what it has meant to me ,and it’s my job to live as fully as possible in whatever direction life takes me.

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#11

Very much appreciating the exploration, Greg, thanks.