In no time Nadine has responded with our topic for next month. The topic is....(drum-roll inserted here).....what does it mean to Be Present? We read that phrase all the time in books, and perhaps we have even used it ourselves in a conversation or two. Nadine is asking us to look deeper than what might be obvious....that physically, I am wherever my body is....and ask ourselves what it means to "be present to..." the moment, the person, the conversation.....to life itself?
Perhaps the following excerpt will serve to jumpstart the thought process.
“I open the refrigerator door to discover that I have no milk and so I decide to go down to the store to get some. I shut the door behind me, turn left into the street, follow the sidewalk for two blocks, turn left and left again, enter the store, snatch a carton of milk from the shelf, pay for it at the checkout, leave the store, turn right and right again, go back along the sidewalk for two blocks, turn right, unlock the door, and go back to the kitchen.
The only evidence I have that any of this has happened is the cold carton of milk now clutched rather too firmly in my hand.
As I try to reconstruct those ten vanished minutes, I recall being engrossed in a memory of something S said to me yesterday that I have been shrugging off ever since. It irked me and has become lodged as a stab of disquiet somewhere in the upper part of my stomach. I can remember that as I walked along, I was absorbed in what I should have said when the remark was made and what I would say were it repeated. The exact words of my response escape me. But I recall feeling gratified by their sharp blend of insouciance and cruelty, confirmed, in my imagination by the look of fear on S’s face as he is pinned to a rough wooden floor.
As for the first chill hint of winter in the gust of wind that sent the last withered leaves scratching along the sidewalk before me as I pulled my warm collar tight against the skin of my neck, I have no recollection. And although I was staring intently in S’s direction, I failed to notice the waving arm of my friend perched on his bicycle across the street, his call and whistle, his smile as he rode off when the light turned green.” – Stephen Batchelor, Buddhism Without Beliefs
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
January Synopsis
Constance gave a great overview of Metta and a very enlightening discussion ensued.
It was noted that it is often most difficult for some to offer loving kindness to themselves due to the self-judgment that was instilled in us as we grew up. And may explain why some people find the whole idea of a loving-kindness meditation difficult to embrace.
Unconditional self-love, it was offered, is the desired result for any spiritual path. And it’s necessary, however achieved, for anyone hoping to reach the most integrated level of love for others.
The difficulty of understanding this practice likely arises out of the plethora or definitions or connotations for the term love. We seemed to find agreement that the meaning of the term as it is used here, is best understood to be compassion or the open-ness of heart. And that this practice can lead to a spiritual transformation, when the practice is embraced and the incremental changes that accompany it, are practiced in one’s daily affairs with diligence.
It was pointed out that open-heartedness and compassion are based on our willingness to confront the fear and discomfort we feel as we become more vulnerable to those feeling. The compassion gained is commensurate with the degree to which we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, because the natural reaction to our fears/discomfort is to close ourselves off to these experiences. Vulnerability accompanies becoming open. Compassion flows out of the open-ness to our aversion to emotional discomfort, and compassion then acts to encourage further connection to others suffering.
It was suggested that if one word had to be chosen to represent the manifestation of this practice on the human being, it would be open-ness or love. Perhaps that would explain why it is referred to as a Loving-Kindness Meditation.
The next meeting will be on February 20th and Nadine will soon inform us of the next topic for discussion.
It was noted that it is often most difficult for some to offer loving kindness to themselves due to the self-judgment that was instilled in us as we grew up. And may explain why some people find the whole idea of a loving-kindness meditation difficult to embrace.
Unconditional self-love, it was offered, is the desired result for any spiritual path. And it’s necessary, however achieved, for anyone hoping to reach the most integrated level of love for others.
The difficulty of understanding this practice likely arises out of the plethora or definitions or connotations for the term love. We seemed to find agreement that the meaning of the term as it is used here, is best understood to be compassion or the open-ness of heart. And that this practice can lead to a spiritual transformation, when the practice is embraced and the incremental changes that accompany it, are practiced in one’s daily affairs with diligence.
It was pointed out that open-heartedness and compassion are based on our willingness to confront the fear and discomfort we feel as we become more vulnerable to those feeling. The compassion gained is commensurate with the degree to which we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, because the natural reaction to our fears/discomfort is to close ourselves off to these experiences. Vulnerability accompanies becoming open. Compassion flows out of the open-ness to our aversion to emotional discomfort, and compassion then acts to encourage further connection to others suffering.
It was suggested that if one word had to be chosen to represent the manifestation of this practice on the human being, it would be open-ness or love. Perhaps that would explain why it is referred to as a Loving-Kindness Meditation.
The next meeting will be on February 20th and Nadine will soon inform us of the next topic for discussion.
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