Covenant of Great Ease
In the Old Testament days, a covenant was about the relationship with people and their God. The new covenant occurred in New Testament times. But the word covenant simply means agreement and can be widely applied, although I rather like the ultimate meaning. I feel it in my bones. Somewhere, some time, I made a covenant with the ungraspable, immeasurable quality within my own awareness, and it has not let me go since.
I do not have any particular realization of this vastness, but it still guides my life. It led to the Christian ministry 50 years ago and quickly morphed into myriad experiments until landing me in Buddha’s lap. It is here I have rested these past 40 years or so. The covenant has continued, although sometimes I wonder if I am living up to the agreement. No matter—my life is imbued with the intention to follow the dictates of my commitment; I do the best I can.
I think we are all born to this covenant, but we do not know we signed up until life tosses us about for a few years—sometimes many years. Eventually, we give up on the delusion of self and make a decision to follow the dictates of the heart. Then the work really begins because we see with growing clarity that our only reason to be here is to honor the covenant with the immeasurable. And then we can relax.
We relax into the rhythm of just how life presents itself in every moment—no contrivances to mask what we experience. Although some kind of spiritual practice might surface, it only serves to continue the unmasking. It can never be more than that. When we are stripped of all our ego-inspired activity, we experience great ease. The Six Vajra Verses of Garab Dorje express this more eloquently:
The nature of the variety of phenomena is non-dual,
Yet each phenomenon is beyond the limits of the mind.
The authentic condition as it is does not become a concept,
Yet it manifests totally in form, always good.
All being already perfect, overcome the sickness of effort
And remain naturally in self-perfection: this is [the great ease of] contemplation.