One Mistake After Another

 Patricia

Thousands of times each day a jetliner moves through the air from one spot to a distant other. Given the size of the world, that an airplane can move from one 125 foot square spot on one airport tarmac, all the way to an exact spot on another far away is amazing, if you think about it. During the flight, if we could hear the computer systems in that airliner talking to each other, we would hear something like this: First computer: “3° off course to the north”. Responding computer: “Correcting 3°.” Shortly after that: First computer: “2.5° off course West.” Responding computer: “Correcting 2.5°.” And so it would go for thousands of miles. In other words, what seems like a direct line from one point to another is actually a broken line, with many errors and corrections.

This is a useful description of the spiritual journey. Suzuki Roshi said that spiritual practice is ‘one mistake after another’. We make our way from an initial idea, a conversion experience or intuition, all the way to, and into, God. Sometimes we go off the path, sit down to have a picnic next to it, or make a grave error in understanding or action. When we see our error we fear all is lost. Then a correction is made, and we are on track again. God is always there, of course, whatever our mistake or misstep, awaiting the chance to show us the necessary correction, our ‘light’ on the path.