What is the jiyū shūkyō approach to studying my jiyū shūkyō?
Since creating my jiyū shūkyō will be a long and winding process, it’s unwise to treat it like a project. It’s best maintained or supervised as a life area. Success in this endeavor isn’t measured by finishing or reaching an end point but by maintaining a certain standard. In this case, my standard for my jiyū shūkyō could be something like a portion of my mission statement: “I’m engaged every day in a pursuit of wisdom, meaning, and beauty.”
Specifically, success in my jiyū shūkyō area includes the following:
- maintenance of contemplative practices like seiza and walking
- maintenance of mindful reading, journaling, and studying through my talahardin
- maintenance of practices through communities and others
- maintenance of creative practices involving walking, writing, and photography
These all involve maintaining habits, routines, and reviews.
But how do I study in a way that makes me feel that I’m not constricted, that I’m allowed to flow and follow my curiosities, while maintaining a measure of focus?
In the creation of my jiyū shūkyō, I need to let go of this desire for blueprints. Spirituality and answers to how to live are best left unblueprinted. I should have faith that this process will result to something. As long as I follow my curiosities and authenticity, I will eventually focus.
Some ideas on how to study:
- Use my purpose statement, my vision statement, and my mission statement to be selective in what I read.
- I should implement a menu.
- I could categorize the subjects of my studies into bigger fields of inquiry.
My jiyū shūkyō (自由宗教) consists of the following fields of inquiry:
- western liberal religion
- eastern liberal religion
- filipino spirituality
- creative expressions such as walking, writing, and photography