Sowing Seeds - Teachings of Jesus Christ on the Parable of the Sower

He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed..."

Mark 4.2-3

The Parable of the Sower

With Good Friday and the coming of Easter Sunday, while the pandemic continues to simmer, we take this time to reflect here on an ecologically-themed passage from the New Testament, ripe as it is with contemplative parables. Known as the Parable of the Sower, this passage from the Book of Mark, also appearing in Matthew, Luke, and the Gospel of Thomas, mirrors an activity of the mind that occurs in ongoing cycles, across myriads of situations, in all times and places. Its message bears as much significance for our present circumstances as those of bygone years.



While but one of a rich handful of such parables, known collectively as the Seed Parables of Jesus, the Parable of the Sower depicts in lucid detail the process of sowing seeds in the unconscious. Although referring specifically to the teachings of Christianity and the word of God, such seeds may also stand broadly for any experience and its imprints on the mind. We thus draw on the Parable of the Sower to investigate one of many contemplative elements of ecology seeded throughout the Bible and Christian contemplative practice, with implications for sustainability and resilience in times of crisis.

Let Them Hear

Contextually, the Parable of the Sower is a sermon delivered by Jesus from a boat on the Sea of Galilee to an immense crowd gathered on the shore. The parable begins by illustrating this scene for us, then diving into the ecological metaphor.

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.
The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

As he was scattering the seed,
some fell along the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.

Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.
It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched,
and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns,
which grew up and choked the plants,
so that they did not bear grain.

Still other seed fell on good soil.
It came up, grew and produced a crop,
some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

We thus witness an array of growing conditions for the sowing of seeds. Depending on where such seeds land, their fate differs substantially. Interestingly, the parable is left as it is, unelaborated, for the lay audience gathered at the shoreline. No further commentary is provided in their presence.

The Farmer Sows the Word

Only slightly later does Jesus explain the meaning of the metaphor to the disciples, explaining his intent in using parables. Knowing that the masses will not fully "hear" the depths of his message, struggling to grasp its deeper purport, he dresses his teachings in parables they will find accessible. At the very least, they will carry these stories with them, even if they do not fully comprehend them. Thus a seed is planted in their minds, which if provided with the proper growing conditions, will flourish into a mature contemplative comprehension of the message of God.



To a private audience of his disciples, Jesus provides commentary on the seed metaphor. In unpacking the parable, he proceeds meticulously through each image, relating each growing context to a type of person with qualities and conditions either conducive or not to understanding the word of God. "The farmer sows the word," he clarifies.

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Thus, Jesus explains that seeds are like the word of God. They will inevitably resonate with some and not with others, depending on various extenuating circumstances. The first class of people he describes are like seeds that land on a path and not the field itself. Because they are exposed to birds and other creatures, they will be taken away and eaten before they have any chance at growing.

Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.

But since they have no root, they last only a short time.
When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Next are those who gladly receive the word of God but lose faith and stagnate due to hardship. They are likened to seeds sown on rocky terrain, without opportunity to reach the soil and establish roots. Adversity overcomes them as a result of unfavorable growing conditions.

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
but the worries of this life,
the deceitfulness of wealth
and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Likewise, some people may have faith but deviate from the contemplative path due to stressors and temptations, like thorns that choke budding sprouts after the seeds have been sown among them.

Others, like seed sown on good soil,
hear the word, accept it,
and produce a crop—
some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

However, those whose conditions are ripe will wind up reaping a bountiful harvest with fruits far exceeding what was originally planted. They are like seeds sown in abundantly rich, healthy soil, the ideal growing conditions for fruitful outcomes.



Adding to its relevance, the Parable of the Sower occurs following upon Mark's depiction of a growing sense of hostility toward Jesus by the Pharisees. While this contextual piece is omitted from the other books in which the parable occurs, it provides a clue about possible reasons for Jesus to have chosen such a parable. It further sets the stage for several additional seed-based parables that follow immediately after it. Such pieces of the puzzle appear to point toward the importance of sustainable faith and joy in order to support the longevity of the teaching of Jesus, despite relentless opposition.

Sowing Seeds

Extending the metaphor to our present circumstances, broadening it beyond its original scope, several questions emerge. For instance, how might we ensure our seeds, the words and values by which we intend to live, fall on good soil? What can we do to support their growth in times of crisis? What conditions, within our range of influence, may we sculpt through our own volition in order to reap a fruitful harvest? Such questions apply equally to contemplative practice as they do to the wider context of local and global sustainability.



In order to endure our current pandemic and various other forms of adversity that will inevitably continue to plague us in the years to come, we must sow our seeds wisely, under sustainable conditions. Faith in the process, confidence that we will be capable of enduring hardship and will emerge on the other end with fresh eyes, a transformed perspective on our relationships in this world, will assist us immensely in these times of difficulty. Such faith is experiential, sustained by contemplative practice itself.

Source:

The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan House, 1984.

New Seeds of Contemplation - Thomas Merton on Communion, Solitude, and Contemplative Practice

New Seeds of Contemplation

“The more we are alone with God the more we are with one another, in darkness, yet a multitude.”
— Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
In these times of isolation, while so many appear gripped by the panic of pandemic, the world may seem to grow dim. As an increasing number of people fall ill, more of us choose to quarantine, hoping to help slow the creeping spread of viral outbreak.

These times of isolation, while stressful or boredom-inducing, are also an opportunity to deepen our contemplative undertakings. We are not necessarily asked to shut others out, but perhaps to welcome them in ways that transcend physical presence. As Thomas Merton reflects in New Seeds of Contemplation, “I must look for my identity, somehow, not only in God but in other men. I will never be able to find myself if I isolate myself from the rest of mankind as if I were a different kind of being.” Perhaps in some sense, physical distance may open new routes of connection with each other.

Contemplative paths intersect in ways unknown to the mere meeting of bodies in space and time. Despite physical isolation for the sake of disease control, these contemplative paths remain open and connected, perhaps even leading onto previously unknown terrain.

Here, we briefly explore some of these byways through Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation.

The False Self

While ostensibly a Trappist monk and Catholic mystic, Thomas Merton's contemplative career was surprisingly varied, dipping into the realms of Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Sufism. Merton's primary source of intrigue seems to have been not what differentiated these contemplative approaches in a technical sense, but what each offered to the human experience in its depths and totality. It was this fascination with the human experience, largely its mystic varieties, that shaped Thomas Merton's contemplative path.

“The only true joy on earth is to escape from the prison of our own false self, and enter by love into union with the Life Who dwells and sings within the essence of every creature and in the core of our own souls.”

Indeed, for Merton, the art of transcending the boundaries of our otherwise myopic reality, limited by a sense of separated individuality fabricated from conditioning, functions as the key to unlocking previously unknown dimensions of intersection on the contemplative path. To free oneself from the prison of one's false self, one must dismantle the walls of metaphysical fixity, demolishing the assumption that reality must be a certain way on the basis of the dogma of a particular creed alone, that it can never be otherwise. For Merton, engaging in the mystical practices of other contemplative paths did just this, giving rise to an enduring experience of spiritual union.

Communion, Solitude, and Contemplative Practice

Merton's reflections on communion, solitude, and contemplative practice are particularly relevant to our present circumstances. Given the exponential outbreak of the coronavirus, "social distancing" appears to be the most viable means for flattening the curve. Even so, it poses a unique set of challenges of its own, ranging from loss of income, childcare and food insecurity due to school closures, and so forth. Quarantine itself, for the majority, ushers in an acute sense of boredom, loneliness, and a heightened craving to be in the company of others.



While we are indeed largely social creatures, thriving on interactions and human connection, a great many of us have long neglected the practice of looking within ourselves. Others may associate such introspection with trauma, and so we become averse to engaging with contemplative practice. In light of the conditions we presently face, however, such practices may be among our more viable routes to remaining connected and probing the foundations of the crisis.

On related concerns pertaining to solitude versus communion with others, Merton writes:

“Very few men are sanctified in isolation. Very few become perfect in absolute solitude. Living with other people and learning to lose ourselves in the understanding of their weakness and deficiencies can help us to become true contemplatives. For there is no better means of getting rid of the rigidity and harshness and coarseness of our ingrained egoism, which is the one insuperable obstacle to the infused light and action of the Spirit of God.”

Perhaps we may extrapolate from these reflections to our present situation.

While Merton appears to be referring to the spiritual insights that can arise in the company of others, even those we may consider challenging people, we can extend these reflections into the domain of physical quarantine and its implications for contemplative practice. Even in times of physical isolation, we remain spiritually connected.

Looking out upon the world at this moment seems to reveal a series of mistakes and mis-steps that have contributed to worsening public health conditions. Yet if we consider Merton's contemplations here, the flaws of others help unveil our own flaws, and as excruciating as it may be to stare both in the face, they are they ultimate test of our patience and endurance.



Merton characterizes the individual ego as rigid, harsh, and coarse. These jarring descriptions reveal that the culprit behind our disintegrating situation, a culprit which perceives itself to be invincible, neglects to comprehend its potential role as a vector of transmission, and fails to acknowledge the intricately woven web in which we're all embedded, lurks within.

When we face these unpleasant realities, whether they pertain to the world around us or to deeply habituated patterns of egoism within ourselves, we may experience a humbling reorientation of perspective. No longer blissfully ignorant, we find ourselves grounded in reality yet simultaneously groundless given the rapidly fluctuating situation both within and around us.

Socially Integrated Introspection

Thomas Merton—who himself walked the line between social activism and hermit living, dipping into each, often simultaneously—consistently urges a socially integrated introspection, a solitude that integrates with communion. While so much more could be said of Merton's work, especially given how ripe with wisdom his reflections are in New Seeds of Contemplation and other writings, we pause here for the time being. Again prompting us toward introspection in times that superficially suggest separation, Merton reflects:

“Our idea of God tells us more about ourselves than about Him.”



Source:

Merton, Thomas. New Seeds of Contemplation. Trappist: Abbey of Gethsemani, 1961.

Speak Unto Beings In A Dream - A Deep Dive Into Judeo-Christian Dream Worlds

Speak Unto Beings In A Dream ...

And he said, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream."

⁠— Numbers 12:6

Passages on dreaming abound throughout the Judeo-Christian traditions, referencing communication between humanity and the divine via altered states. Prophets receive revelation through visions and dreams, imparted to them by a higher power. In the Hebrew and Greek texts of these traditions, it seems to be common sense that dreams should inspire spiritual insight.



In the spirit of the holiday season, with both Christmas and Hanukkah upon us, here we dive into a handful of the most compelling passages on dreaming from the Jewish and Christian traditions, from the Torah to the Bible, exploring their implications for the broader religious philosophy of dreaming.

Walls of Pride

For contemplatives, dream states provide ideal conditions in which to experience revelation, as they may knock down the walls of pride that otherwise stand in the way of spiritual insight. In the Book of Job, dreaming is described as a state in which one's defenses fall. While the vulnerability that arises in their absence can be utilized for good or for ill, divine intervention occurs only when the ego is shaken loose from its comfortable abode. In its wake, clarity resounds.

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds,

He may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings,

To turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride.

⁠— Job 33:15-17 (English Standard Version & New International Version)

Such passages may sound ominous from one angle, with forces swooping down from above to whisper fearful warnings in one's sleeping ears. Such messages could be interpreted as vaguely threatening. After all, when one is most vulnerable, anything can happen.

Dreams, whether divinely inspired or not, may warn of what may come by showing one's subconscious self at its most heedless. The mistakes we make in dreams occasionally unfold into waking life, but we may catch and correct them before they do. Here, frightful dream messages function to deter conceited misbehavior.

As with most texts, however, such passages can read quite differently under other translations. Terrifying warnings become seals of instruction. A nightmare becomes revelation.

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;

Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,

That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.

⁠— Job 33:15-17 (King James Version)

In dreams, our ears are most open, our minds most malleable. Like a goldsmith smelting gold, the divine seals its inscription, its instruction, upon dreaming beings, molding the realm of the mind. This plastic, plasmic world is infused with the spark of the creative.

In order for the message to truly leave its mark, it must bypass the ego. Although for some, a strong sense of self persists even into the realm of dreams, for others, it dissolves, so that the walls of pride no longer stand between humanity and the divine. When these walls of pride fall, when one's ears are open, then one may receive revelation.

Dream Worlds

In fact, in the Rabbinic literature, all walls collapse and the "spirit" (rwḥ) or "soul" (nšmh) is said to leave the body during sleep, which is likened to death. This incorporeal essence is depicted as wandering the world while the body sleeps. Dreams may very well be these wanderings.



Indeed, Rabbi Eliezer's interpretation, as recorded in his aggadic-midrashic work on the Torah, argues that the soul does not sleep, namely on account of its likeness with the Creator. Even at its most restful, it remains awake. Just as the soul does not perish upon death, so too, it remains active in sleep. The soul wanders these dream worlds. Sleep, however, is an incomplete form of death, while dreams, likewise, are an incomplete form of prophecy. Several additional pieces of Rabbinic literature make this case in mathematical terms.



Nonetheless, according to the Old Testament, consciousness detaches itself from volitional activity. One thus enters the state of šēnāh, sleep (Greek: hypnos), or tardēmāh, trance (Greek: enypnion), a deep sleep in which the flow of thought continues in the form of figments of the imagination and dreams.

Dive Into

As Descartes observed during his dive into dreaming, certain dreams are difficult to distinguish from waking life. There are nonetheless certain tell-tale signs that seem to mark the difference. Dreams often defy logic. Moreover, their contents rarely spill over into waking life in any satisfying way.

It will be as when a hungry man dreams – and behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied, or, as when a thirst man dreams – and behold, he is drinking, but when he awakens, behold, he is faint and his thirst is not quenched.

⁠— Isaiah 29:8

Having dived into the dream, the effects don't always linger upon resurfacing. The dreamer, though eating and drinking, remains hungry and thirsty upon waking. Even so, other aspects of dreams bleed into everyday waking life. Emotional remnants, sometimes unbeknownst to the dreamer, linger well into the day. In the New Testament, Pontius Pilate's wife expresses her concern over a dream of Jesus.

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him."

⁠— Matthew 27:19

Dreams leave us with strong impressions, the affective quality of which can haunt us. Heed their warnings, many will say.

Contents of the Subconcious

Prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Bible depicts Joseph receiving news from angels via dreams. Various others report similar occurrences. While such news may not always be auspicious, it is nonetheless delivered with care and urgency.

Even without the image of divine messengers interceding, dreams impart valuable lessons. While some dreams remain on the mundane level, many of them forgotten, others might be life-changing. What transpires in sleep, while dreaming, can on occasion prove earth-shattering, revealing the contents of the subconscious, excavating and unearthing otherwise buried and ignored patterns and processes.

If any of the above resonates, leave us a comment to let us know your own reflections on dreams. We thank you for your mutual exploration of this subject. May you dream deeply and wake with clarity.