“A Dwelling For My Name”

In Nehemiah’s prayer to the Lord ( Nehemiah 1;9) :

“But if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

….There is a clear reference to God’s people being scattered and exiled then, “brought back” to “the place [God] has chosen as dwelling for [his] Name.

The Name of God is located, implanted within us.
It is the pulsing heart of our true being.
People are brought back from the “furthest horizons” once they return to God’s command.

God’s order is the order of things.
It is compliance with our true spirit.
Compliance means returning.
Obeying the commands means being in God’s presence.
It is not a 2-step process.

This can be a way to paraphrase Dogen’s teaching “Practice-Realization”.
Sitting zazen is satori.

And compliance with God’s commands (living according to the Law) is experiencing the presence of God.

Frequently, if not almost always, in the Bible, the deepest esoteric teaching lies right here, woven within the first layer of exoteric narrative content.

This is why it can really be said that the Bible, in itself is an exhaustive teaching.
There is no need to carry around a dozen versions of the teachings, one for each level of understanding, ‘let the one who has ears’….

©FJ Oct 2023
Recueils / Participation/ Groupe