Bakhya Ibn Pakuda
I really liked the relationship the author talks about people having with God in this reading. That imagery of the woman realizing God’s infinite goodness and bowing down before him with God coming to lift her up was pretty powerful. I liked the idea of her complete trust in God, but I also really like that God was there to help and guide her. It just sounds like a very fulfilling relationship. I have a hard time trusting in one thing as much as the author encourages us to trust in God. However, it seems that by living your life for God and trusting completely in him you will find a peace of soul and all one’s worldly anxieties will disappear. Even all the sufferings that befall one are fine because you can trust in God. It quotes Job who says, “Thought he kill me, yet will I trust in him.” It’s a bit of a weird concept to grasp; suffering isn’t really suffering if you have God. In a way it’s almost a good thing to suffer because it’s almost like a badge of honor to show that even in bad times you stand by your God. I guess that overall I was really struck by the grace that one lives by if they can devote themselves to God. The introduction by Mitchell really sums up the article for me in that if you can master devoting your life to God suddenly it becomes a natural easy thing to do. Suddenly you live life with the natural grace of a concert pianist or a great tennis player. Somehow by living in this way you no longer will have to worry about suffering, money, wealth, and all of the other underpinnings of life. I wonder if many people actually embody this way of life?
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3 comments:
I totally agree with you about the imagery with the woman. I think this was a very powerful part of the writing. The other part that really stood out for me was when he wrote “He who trusts in God is able to remove his attention from worldly miseries and devote entirely to doing what is right”. I think if we all lived up to this and let go of worldly miseries the world would be a happier place. It is inspiring to be able to live up to this particular ideal.
You made the passage much easier to understand by breaking down the concepts to a a students point of view. I loved how you explained that "suffering isn’t really suffering if you have God". The comparison to a badge of honor made me understand this view of suffering in a new way. Great job getting through a tough reading and reframing what you got out of it so others could better relate to the ideas.
When i was reading the passage i completely agreed with your statement "if you can master devoting your life to God suddenly it becomes a natural easy thing to do." It seemed like that was they major point in the passage. It really is true that when you are completely devoted it makes it easier to continue devoting
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