Some people do not understand how spiritual direction contributes to making peace in the world. Recently I read a true story that helped me explain to others the essential connection between contemplative practice and peace. Maybe it will help you.

One day over tea, my friend and mentor the late Paul Reps, shared the following story of his studies in the Orient. At one point Reps had traveled to Japan, with plans to visit a respected Zen master in Korea. He went to the passport office in Japan to apply for his visa and was politely informed that his request was denied due to the war that had just broken out in Korea.

Reps sat down in the waiting area. He had come thousands of miles with the plan to study with this master in Korea. He was frustrated and disappointed. What did he do? He practiced what he preached. Reaching into his bag, he mindfully pulled out his thermos and poured himself a cup of tea. With a calm and focused mind, he watched the steam rising and dissolving into the air. He smelled its fragrance, tasted its tasty bitter flavor, and enjoyed its warmth and wetness. Finishing his tea, he put his cup back on his thermos, put his thermos in his bag, and pulled out a pen and paper upon which he wrote a Haiku poem.

Mindfully, he walked back to the clerk behind the counter, bowed, and presented him with his poem, and his passport. The clerk read it and looked deeply into the quiet strength in Rep’s eyes. The clerk smiled, bowed with respect, picked up Rep’s visa and stamped it for passage to Korea. The Haiku read:

Drinking a cup of tea,
I stopped the war.*

* Story adapted from Joel and Michell Levey, Living in Balance: A Dynamic Approach for Creating Harmony & Wholeness in a Chaotic World 

A very simple act: sipping tea while contemplating the next right action contribute to peace. Thank you for your mindful, contemplative action of cultivating peace in our world by being a member of Spiritual Directors International and by listening with compassion to the people whom you companion each day.

By being a member of Spiritual Directors International ... you spiritually join pilgrims from four continents (Africa, Europe, North and South America) from many spiritual traditions who will walk for peace in one of the most war-torn places on the planet during October. Your contemplative involvement matters. Your connection with Spiritual Directors International unites you to a web of life that makes the pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine an act of peace. Please join us virtually by contemplating a safe and peace-filled experience as we walk and sip tea in Jerusalem during October.

In the comments section of the blog, please share your thoughts about these questions:

• What does it mean to be a peacemaker as a spiritual companion?
• What Haiku would you enjoy sharing to cultivate peace?
• What contemplative practices help you cultivate peace?