The Divine Gaze
photograph by Vickie MacArthur
by Vickie MacArthur
“I feel like I have looked into the eyes of the Living Buddha and the Living Christ at the same time, seeing and being seen through the eyes of pure Love.”
– Vickie MacArthur from A Lotus on Fire: How a Buddhist Monk Ignited My Heart
She arrives a bit breathless, bringing a restless energy into the quiet studio space where I offer spiritual companioning. Her eyes dart here and there, like a bird flitting from branch to branch, unsure where to find a comfortable perch. I smile warmly and our eyes meet momentarily, before she nervously looks away. I invite her to sit in one of the comfy chairs. She settles into the chair with an audible sigh, and right away launches into a stream of seemingly random thoughts. Something in me knows that these words on the surface point to something much deeper.
Silently, I light a candle, and see a tiny spark briefly reflected in her eyes. When she finally pauses, I invite her to listen to the pure melodic sound of my singing bowl. Together, we listen as the sound dissolves into silence. I guide her through one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s breathing gathas. “I have arrived, I am home, in the here, and the now.” This time, when she looks up, her eyes are clearer, her gaze a bit steadier. As I gaze back into her eyes, I am reminded of a time that I felt fully seen and loved to the depths of my being.
In 2011, just after my mother passed away from ovarian cancer, I had the great blessing to attend a retreat with Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh. At one point towards the end of this retreat, I was sitting very close to this beloved and revered teacher. As I looked up, Thay was looking directly at me. My eyes met the soft but penetrating gaze of this Buddhist master, and suddenly my whole body was flooded with an expansive feeling of love, as if a thousand fireworks had gone off in my heart. I felt completely seen to the core of my being. The image of the woman from the bible who touched the hem of Christ’s robe flashed through my mind. I was that woman reaching out to touch the essence of the “Living Buddha, Living Christ.”
Over time, I have discovered that this “Divine Gaze,” not only sees us through the pure eyes of Love, but is also a reflection of the Love that we already are. This one gaze seemed to contain all the other times I had seen and been seen through the eyes of love, from the look of love in my baby’s eyes while feeding at my breast, to my mother’s eyes as she took her last breath.
Yes, I know what it feels like to be seen through the eyes of Love.
As I now gaze into the eyes of this young woman sitting before me, I can feel the love of the Living Buddha, the Living Christ, and the vast Loving Presence that has flowed throughout space and time, now looking out through my eyes, and perfectly reflected in the bright shining eyes that now sparkle back at me.
Vickie MacArthur
is an author, spiritual director (trained in the Pacific Jubilee SoulGuiding Program), and yoga teacher who is passionate about integrating embodied awareness, breath, and spirituality into everyday life.
Her debut book, A Lotus on Fire: How a Buddhist Monk Ignited My Heart (March, 2023) is a spiritual memoir that reveals how one moment of awakening with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh ignited her passion for sharing inter-spiritual practices, and creating new kinds of spiritual communities, within and beyond the confines of religion.
Vickie teaches the “art of slowing down and listening deeply” to ourselves, to each other, to our planet, and to the Great Mystery that holds us all.
Read about Vickie's spiritual accompaniment practice here.
As an Indie-Author, Vickie’s book, A Lotus on Fire, can be ordered locally through Analog Books in Lethbridge, Alberta, or online in both paperback and E-Book through Amazon.
