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A man asked a monk walking down the road. "Sir, where are you going?" The monk replied, "The most important place I can go. Nowhere."
Aspiration is the fount of spiritual practice.
Without aspiration we will not go far in growing in likeness of Christ. I tell persons in meditation training with me: If you do not feel strongly there is something more of God for you, and if you do not want that badly, you will not stay with the practice. Of course, no one can give persons such felt need, indeed, deeply felt necessity. If I do not feel it is necessary--not optional--for me to take seriously spiritual practice, plenty of excuses will arise to avoid the discipline.
What is aspiration? The English aspiration is from the Latin aspiratio, "a blowing or breathing." Aspiratio is the past participle of aspirare, "to breathe upon, to aspire to," lit. "to breathe." The word came to imply any strong desire, any goal toward which we feel strong feeling.
Beyond the basic idea of "aspiration," we turn to spiritual meaning. Charlotte Joko Beck, from a Buddhist orientation writes, "Aspiration, in the context of [spiritual] practice, is nothing but our own true nature seeking to realize and express itself." Buddhists call this "Buddha nature." They can say, "The essence of the man who became the Buddha and the essence I am is the same essence."
We Christians hold like teaching. Contemplative theologians, like Nicolas of Cusa (b. 1401), teach us the Absolute unfolds all things and all things are enfolded in That. Every thing in the Absolute is the Absolute. These things are diversified in nature by the Potency of One. So the enfolding within is one with return of creatures unfolded without from the One Divine~this is the eschatological truth of the summing up of all creation in Christ~another theological premise.
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The person who feels deep yearning for the Absolute is remembering the Natural Home. Every errant effort to satisfy the longing witnesses to the correctness of the longing. Yet its errancy is misdirection from the unfolding of Christ. Aspiration misapplied is itself a creation from the Source; all breathing outward derives from the Breath.
Now to distinction between expectation and aspiration. Expectation, in regard to spiritual practice, is trust that the proper practice will lead to a like proper fruition. Expectation is not hopefulness apart from action. Expectation is trust in action and fruition. Claims to trust God do not annul the natural process of action~and~fruition. Grace places you within the maelstrom in which Christ is formed in you. No one is a spectator. All are participants.
But what shall we do with this aspiration and expectation? I share a story.
Three persons are watching a monk standing on top of a hill. They watch him awhile. One of the men then says, "He must be a shepherd looking for a lost sheep." Another says, "He's likely waiting for a friend for he is not looking around." The third man speaks, "He's likely a monk meditating." The men argue. So they climb the hill to find out who is right. After approaching the man, the first person says, "Are you looking for a lost sheep?" "No." The next man says, "You must be waiting for a friend." "No." The third man says, "I bet you're meditating." "No." One of the men then questions, "Then what are you doing?" "I'm just standing here, not doing anything at all."
We only aspire one breath at a time. We only experience spiritual desire in this moment. If we enjoy being in and from the Wonderful Presence, this moment is the moment for that Love.
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