I was in the backyard of our home in the suburb of Dallas with my wife and our Pomeranian "Ginger" on April 8, 2024, to witness / experience the total solar eclipse. Honestly, I was not expecting too much out of this experience, despite the hype that was present in our area--mainly due to the weather forecast that it was going to be cloudy all day. And it was, indeed, cloudy--however, the cloud was thin enough that I was able to see the sun come out, off and on. Thus, I decided to pull up a chair in the middle of the backyard, and started gazing into the sun with my special sunglasses on almost an hour before the anticipated "totality." Even during the 30-40 minutes leading up to the totality, I found myself getting fascinated by the gradual change in the shape of the sun that looked like it was getting "eaten" by the moon, contrary to my expectation. I was also fascinated by my surrounding which, even after removing my special sunglasses for solar eclipse, looked as though I was wearing my regular pair of sunglasses--due to gradual reduction of the light. As the time for the totality came within minutes, I removed my sunglasses as I noticed it getting continuously dark. I also noticed it was getting all of a sudden cooler as I stopped feeling the ray from the sun. Upon my wife's request, I turned on the local news on my phone as we watched the sun turning into a shape of arc. And then there comes the total solar eclipse--all of a sudden it was dark like after the sunset, and up in the sky was a shiny ring (which we were able to see only off and on, due to the thick cloud occasionally covering it). I was hearing the cheers--from across the street at the elementary school, and also from the local news that was covering this event. I even heard the news reporter choking up and sounding a bit emotional, calling this event a "spiritual experience." I also heard a reporter interviewing a number of people who also described their experience as being "spiritual" which evoked strong emotions. As the four minutes of darkness went by, and as it was getting lighter and lighter in a hurry again, I couldn't help but pausing and asking myself, "Hmm, was it supposed to be a spiritual experience?" "What was so spiritual about it?" I also had difficulty relating to those who were reporting strong emotions as we were experiencing the totality, as I was so caught in the moments of fascination with what was up in the sky and the darkness that was surrounding it.
Coincidentally, I attended a staff training on religious / spiritual diversity and mental health at my daytime job during the week before the eclipse, which included the discussion of our faith and spirituality and how they impact us as mental health practitioners. Full disclosure here--I identify myself as a "Zen Christian" (any "Zen Christians" out there?). I was born to a mother who has been a Christian for the majority of her life, to a father who has identified as an "atheist" (for the record, they are still married to each other--for over 50 years!), and to a grandmother who actively practiced her Buddhist faith. I attended Lutheran schools for my middle and high schools, and was also baptized at our family home church in Tokyo, which is part of the United Church of Christ in Japan, when I was in college. I attended a Jesuit university to obtain a master's degree in counseling psychology. I completed my one year doctoral internship in Utah, surrounded by those who identify as members of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). And currently, I have a full-time position as a psychologist at a university affiliated with the United Methodist Church, while attending our family church that is part of the United Church of Christ—an open and affirming denomination. While I have been exposed to churches of various denominations (including those listed here.,,oh, did I tell you that I’ve visited services at churches from denominations such as Presbyterian, American and Southern Baptists, Episcopal, and Unitarian?), I have also had a strong connection and fascination with the "philosophy" of Zen Buddhism. Although I have not actively practiced Buddhism as a religion like my grandmother did, I was exposed to the philosophy of Zen Buddhism through my training in the practice of Japanese Tea Ceremony (a traditional performing art whose components are based on the spiritual practice and philosophy of Zen Buddhism). Having come out of reflective experiences from the spiritual diversity seminar and the solar eclipse, back to back, led me to ask myself: From "Zen Christian" perspective, in what ways was the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 a "spiritual experience?"
Throughout the Christian education that I have received to date--at home, at schools, and at churches--I have been trained to view humans and God as two distinct entities (while also being taught that were created in the image of God). One being imperfect and mortal, while the other being perfect and immortal, respectively. Having been surrounded by those who identify as Christians, I have often heard them make similar distinction between what has been created by humans, and what has been created by God (some of you may call it the higher power, the universe, or the mother nature, or whatever works for you). Throughout my life, I have witnessed / experienced a lot of beautiful creation made by humans--whether it be the fireworks on the Fourth of July around the US, Christmas lights and trees that are illuminated around this country after Thanksgiving holidays, skyscrapers in Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, or our own Dallas. These human creations, while being beautiful in their own ways, do not feel quite at the same level as those that I have been taught to be "God's creation." The Old Faithful at the Yellowstone National Park, the water falling at the Multnomah Falls near Portland, OR, or the lava from Kilauea Volcano flowing into the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii are just a few examples of "beautiful shows put on by God" that I have seen--there is nothing artificial, destructable, or "flawed" about them. Also, no one controls these "shows"--it goes on, with or without the will of us humans. And then there is the total solar eclipse, which I believe fits into this category--a beautiful show that is created by God, and that cannot be altered or changed by any humans. Quite humbling, isn't it?
Humility, I believe, is one of the "way of being" that is valued in both Christian and Zen Buddhist teachings. Reflecting on my experience of witnessing the totality of the solar eclipse from Zen Buddhist perspective, two Japanese terms came to my mind: "Ichigo Ichie" (one chance, one encounter) and "Wabi Sabi" (finding beauty in things that are impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete). To me, this total solar eclipse felt like a "one chance, one encounter" type of experience--based on what I heard on the news about when / where the next totality can be observed, I may never experience the totality of solar eclipse in my lifetime again. True. I can choose to be an "eclipse chaser" and travel around the world wherever there is the solar eclipse. However, who knows what the weather condition will be like at that time at that place? Ichigo Ichie is one of the Zen philosophical terms that I learned while participating in the Japanese tea ceremony, which points to the view that a) nothing in this life / world is permanent, b) everything is constantly in flux, c) every moment is unique on its own and therefore never can be replicated, d) and therefore, should be fully savored. Knowing that the totality was going to last for only around 4 minutes, I felt that there was no choice but to be fully present and savor each moment--which led me to not only view the bright ring around the moon in the sky, but also look around and feel the darkness of the sky and the surrounding, the cooler temperature, and the cheers I was hearing from around and through TV. As I started noticing the totality ending and the sky getting brighter and brighter, I noticed a part of me experiencing some sense of loss and emptiness--reminiscent of what I have experienced after the cherry blossom season is over in Japan. The concept of "wabi sabi" is often associated with the cherry blossoms and their beauty and impermanence. Wabi Sabi, just like "Ichigo Ichie," is a cultural concept that is present in the philosophy of Zen Buddhism that describes the impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete nature of everything in our lives / world. While experiencing some sense of loss and emptiness as the sky was getting brighter, I put my special sunglasses on and continued looking at the sun--which looked asymmetrical and incomplete for a while until the moon completely vanished into the blue sky. In the spirit of Wabi Sabi, I chose to keep looking at the sun after the totality was over, and "cherish" the lack of symmetry and completeness of the sun.
Now I can see how this can be a "spiritual experience" for "Zen Christians” like myself. Of course, this is all in retrospect--if I had come into the solar eclipse with what I've written here in mind, my experience may have been different in that it would have felt like a spiritual experience at a visceral level (as opposed to being at a conceptual level, like I'm writing here), like many of those whom I saw on TV may have felt. As I said in the beginning, I came into this event with no expectations or preconceived notions attached to it--similar to those who practice mindfulness skills. And the result was what it was--I guess I can say that witnessing the totality of the solar eclipse was a "spiritual experience" in retrospect, although it may not have necessarily felt that way in the moment.
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