Eck and Attention to God, Essay Example

In the chapter, “Attention to God,” Diana Eck moves in several directions to reinforce a single point; namely, that spirituality in any faith demands a genuine commitment of the self’s energies and awareness.  Faith does not merely “come,” but rather occurs through the relationship between God and the individual when the latter undertakes their responsibility: “Developing the capacity for stable attention is the most important of spiritual arts” (Eck  147).  Eck then explores the shared meanings between stillness and wakefulness as they are crucial to the Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu faiths, and this ties into how meditation enables the attention to God required.  From here, spirituality is discussed as not a simple acceptance or assertion of spiritual feeling, but a discipline, and this then leads Eck back to her emphasis on the importance of active awareness.  When there is the ongoing and living sense of God, which can be had only when the soul and mind are still and attentive, there is then the opportunity for real insight.

The most challenging element for me here lies in Eck’s promotion of meditation as a discipline for Christians.  Her reasoning is strong, but it does not fully satisfy me. I understand that she presents prayer as a means of mediation for Christians, just as I note her citing of Eastern meditation as far from new to Christian spirituality.  Still, it is difficult for me to reconcile what is held to be an Eastern discipline with Christian practices, and this leads to my question of how Eck feels this idea may succeed with ordinary Christians, not accustomed to deviations in worship.  Certainly, those of any faith who are actively seeking to enhance their spirituality would be inclined to consider an unknown discipline, but issues of faith, ironically, typically live within those not so committed.  This in turn connects to another question, in that I would ask Eck if she does not underestimate the power of Christian tradition in an institutional sense.  That is, many Christians seem to adhere to the faith precisely because it does not ask much of them beyond recognition and form.  Based on what Eck writes, Hindus and Buddhists tend to hold more expansive views of the spirituality.  I wonder, then, if Eck has full confidence in her encouraging of the “meeting of East and West” she believes will lead to greater attention to God from Christians.

Works Cited

Eck, Diana L.  Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras. Boston: Beacon Press, 2003.  Print.