Meditation and Acceptance: Acceptance can be too passive when used in meditation. The purpose of meditation is to train our mind in order to change ourselves, not just accept who we are. Receptivity is perhaps more accurate. We want to receive as openly and as deeply as possible because that can help us understand what needs to be changed. So in meditation we want to be receptive.
The meditations on light that we have been doing tie into this because we when we receive light into our eyes, then we see.
Thoughts on compassion. Compassion and wisdom are needed together. Wisdom is described as the feminine principle because it is receptive, introspective and insightful. Wisdom is necessary because without wisdom we may act in ways we think are compassionate, but end up doing a lot of damage.
Compassion is the masculine principle because it is active. Since compassion is active it is NOT a feeling. I may feel compassionate, but compassion is something I express; it demands action. In fact, the depth of our compassion may be shown by our ability to act in a compassionate manner when we don’t feel compassionate.
Since wisdom and compassion go together one of the most important actions is to listen. To listen compassionately is to give another the gift of our time and energy and then to act on what we have heard.
Listening or observing deeply is important because it also informs us of the results of our actions and we can see if those results are in accord with what we want.
When we listen to another with faith in their ability to achieve, to be resourceful, and to overcome obstacles we enter into a relationship with them which is non-judgmental. We can be helpful without being pitying. We see them as an equal and avoid taking pride in the fact that we are the helpful one and they are in need.
Meditation 1: Center your attention on your breath for a couple of minutes and use the sensations of breathing as an anchor if your mind wanders. Then extend your awareness to your life and recall all the times you have achieved something against the odds. Remember how you have overcome obstacles. Acknowledge your strengths and abilities and express appreciation to Spirit for having given you these abilities.
When we listen to another who is suffering we listen for the strengths they have which they are not expressing or which may be hidden from them at the moment. We do not tell them this or explain how we have gone through difficulties as well. We listen with faith in them and in their connection with Spirit. This changes the way we listen, even though we do not talk about it. Our attitude is “I am strong and so are they.” When we listen in this way we avoid judging and we do a lot less fixing. We get permission before giving advice or suggestions. We put our agenda on hold and can hear what they really need.
Meditation 2: Center your attention on your breath for a couple of minutes as in #1 above. Then connect with your strengths and your connection with Spirit. Then imagine you are in the presence of someone in need and you are listening to them and radiating your sense of strength so that their strengths will resonate with that. Let this be the foundation of the interaction and them imagine how you might talk or act with them from this basis of faith.
Meditation on Light: We have been meditating on Light for several weeks. Last week we connected with Light as a dynamic experience. Start with the Divine Light Invocation:
I am created by Divine Light.
I am sustained by Divine Light.
I am protected by Divine Light.
I am surrounded by Diving Light.
I am one with Divine Light.
After repeating this a few times allow your awareness to shift more deeply into whatever experience of light you are having.
Now allow yourself to be somewhat creative or playful with the words of the prayer shifting them in a way that flows with your experience of light. Examples:
I filled with Divine Light.
I am radiating Divine Light.
I am playing with Divine Light.
I am soothed by Divine Light.
I am nurtured by Divine Light.
I am in love with Divine Light.
I am dancing with Divine Light.
etc.
You can also use phrases like this throughout the day as fits the situation. One of my favorites is “I am driving with Divine Light.”
Sunday, November 23, 2008
St. Jude's Summary 11-11-2008
There was a question regarding the commentary on the Third Commandment from last week. The interpretation of that commandment as I understand it, is that we are not to proclaim that we are doing God’s will when we are really carrying out our own agenda. The problem with “doing God’s will” is that we are simply not wise enough to know what that is. Even if we think we are doing the right thing, we may simply not have enough information to know what is best, or simply be thinking incorrectly since we are human and make mistakes. However when we have convinced ourselves that we are “doing God’s will” we become blind to our mistakes and we stop listening to the input from others. Thus our actions can be extremely destructive even if they are well-intentioned, and because we are “doing God’s will” God takes the blame for that. I think that commandment is telling us that it is much safer for me to simply to take responsibility for my own actions and leave God out of them. That way I can keep questioning myself and if something goes wrong no one blames God.
Another question was about the idea of smiling with the breath, or becoming mindful of a smile as one breathes. There are four levels of mindfulness that have been described. The first is being mindful of sensations as they come and go. The second is being mindful of thoughts, especially thoughts that are fleeting. The third level of mindfulness is being mindful of craving or repulsion toward whatever it is arising in awareness. The fourth level of mindfulness might best be described as the “way of relating”. This is more nuanced than the craving or repulsion from the third level of mindfulness. Being mindful of a smile as one breathes relates to this fourth level of mindfulness. One relates to the breath with a warm, friendly attitude that can then generalize to phenomena other than the breath.
Note that mindfulness is not passive acceptance, it is cultivating a receptivity with the intention of changing one’s way of being in the world. Becoming aware of the way one relates to the breath and cultivating a warm friendly way of relating changes how we breathe and how we live.
When we smile with our breath we want to smile from the heart first and let that smiling energy radiate up to the eyes and then to the face as a whole. We don’t just smile with our mouth. Once we are smiling with the breath it is easier to radiate that smiling, warm, friendly energy to others in our environment. This is a fun practice during the holiday season. We can move through crowds of stressed, hurried shoppers and radiate a warm friendly smile. It’s interesting and enjoyable to watch the results.
Meditation and learning. When we are learning a new task, we have a low probability of succeeding at the task. As we succeed at the task, our probability of future success increases. For example, when a baby starts to walk it has a low probability of taking a step successfully. Once it starts taking steps successfully the probability of taking steps successfully increases until the steps happen automatically. When we meditate we are training ourselves to shift awareness and attention in order to evoke various responses. When we first start the chance of success is usually low. However each time we succeed in shifting our awareness or attention than the chance of succeeding the next time increases.
A key to succeeding is to give ourselves lots of chances to practice and to have patience when we are first starting. That is why it is so important to create brief meditation techniques and practice them throughout the day. Those give us lots of chances to succeed and even if our chance of success is low and it will happen occasionally. Once we start getting a few successes the chance of success goes up and success becomes more automatic. We can also reinforce the success if we remember it several times after it’s happened. So instead of having a successful experience and then just going about our business we can remember the successful experience a few times to reinforce it.
Meditation on flow and movement. Our physical body moves and curves. Our joints rotate and we can meditate by directing our attention to the arcs and curves that our body describes in space. We can also become aware of the flow of momentum or energy from one joint to another. By placing awareness and attention on the flow of momentum in curved paths through our body across the joints we can release tension and become more graceful and our movements.
Meditation on flow and movement with light. When we visualize light there is a tendency to make it static. We are supposed to visualize like light or a particular color of light filling our body but there really isn’t much dynamism to that. We can also use our imagination to imagine light as a dynamic experience. The light is shifting or flowing in its intensity and color. For example if you’ve ever seen dawn in the desert you’ve experienced light in a dynamic way. Light on water is another example. Photos or videos of solar activity show huge surges in energy and movement.
When we meditate on light as a metaphor for Spirit I think it helps to include this dynamic aspect of light because Spirit is dynamic.
Another question was about the idea of smiling with the breath, or becoming mindful of a smile as one breathes. There are four levels of mindfulness that have been described. The first is being mindful of sensations as they come and go. The second is being mindful of thoughts, especially thoughts that are fleeting. The third level of mindfulness is being mindful of craving or repulsion toward whatever it is arising in awareness. The fourth level of mindfulness might best be described as the “way of relating”. This is more nuanced than the craving or repulsion from the third level of mindfulness. Being mindful of a smile as one breathes relates to this fourth level of mindfulness. One relates to the breath with a warm, friendly attitude that can then generalize to phenomena other than the breath.
Note that mindfulness is not passive acceptance, it is cultivating a receptivity with the intention of changing one’s way of being in the world. Becoming aware of the way one relates to the breath and cultivating a warm friendly way of relating changes how we breathe and how we live.
When we smile with our breath we want to smile from the heart first and let that smiling energy radiate up to the eyes and then to the face as a whole. We don’t just smile with our mouth. Once we are smiling with the breath it is easier to radiate that smiling, warm, friendly energy to others in our environment. This is a fun practice during the holiday season. We can move through crowds of stressed, hurried shoppers and radiate a warm friendly smile. It’s interesting and enjoyable to watch the results.
Meditation and learning. When we are learning a new task, we have a low probability of succeeding at the task. As we succeed at the task, our probability of future success increases. For example, when a baby starts to walk it has a low probability of taking a step successfully. Once it starts taking steps successfully the probability of taking steps successfully increases until the steps happen automatically. When we meditate we are training ourselves to shift awareness and attention in order to evoke various responses. When we first start the chance of success is usually low. However each time we succeed in shifting our awareness or attention than the chance of succeeding the next time increases.
A key to succeeding is to give ourselves lots of chances to practice and to have patience when we are first starting. That is why it is so important to create brief meditation techniques and practice them throughout the day. Those give us lots of chances to succeed and even if our chance of success is low and it will happen occasionally. Once we start getting a few successes the chance of success goes up and success becomes more automatic. We can also reinforce the success if we remember it several times after it’s happened. So instead of having a successful experience and then just going about our business we can remember the successful experience a few times to reinforce it.
Meditation on flow and movement. Our physical body moves and curves. Our joints rotate and we can meditate by directing our attention to the arcs and curves that our body describes in space. We can also become aware of the flow of momentum or energy from one joint to another. By placing awareness and attention on the flow of momentum in curved paths through our body across the joints we can release tension and become more graceful and our movements.
Meditation on flow and movement with light. When we visualize light there is a tendency to make it static. We are supposed to visualize like light or a particular color of light filling our body but there really isn’t much dynamism to that. We can also use our imagination to imagine light as a dynamic experience. The light is shifting or flowing in its intensity and color. For example if you’ve ever seen dawn in the desert you’ve experienced light in a dynamic way. Light on water is another example. Photos or videos of solar activity show huge surges in energy and movement.
When we meditate on light as a metaphor for Spirit I think it helps to include this dynamic aspect of light because Spirit is dynamic.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
St. Jude's Summary 10-28-2008 and 11-4-2008
The last two weeks have seen some interesting discussion. We talked about confronting evil and about avoiding judgment.
Regarding the idea of evil there were a couple of points. One was that even if we think a certain type of behavior is evil, those expressing the behavior are not evil. Evil is not a person or a place. So if we are going to confront evil without becoming evil ourselves, then we need to confront the ideas or energies that are motivating the people who are acting. Sometimes that means acting forcefully against those who are acting in an evil manner, but once their actions are stopped, or they stop acting, then no more force is used. For example, when someone is prevented from committing a crime once the person is apprehended, then no further force is used, and, in fact if excessive force is used that can be punished.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition the most egregious act of evil is to claim that one is acting in the name of God, when in fact one is acting in one’s own interests. This is a violation of the Third Commandment, “You shall not carry the name of the Lord your God in vain.” The seriousness of this commandment is emphasized later in the text where it is listed as the only commandment for which there is no forgiveness. Jesus mentioned this indirectly when he said that any sin would be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
The take home lesson is that if you are going to act, then act on your own authority, or on the authority of some organization, but do NOT claim to act on God’s authority unless you are willing to suffer extremely serious spiritual consequences if you are wrong.
The discussion on judgment was animated, and in particular the idea of avoiding judgment was challenged. The question was what to do if we are not to judge. My suggestion was to practice describing. A judgment is an emotionally charged label, and because of its emotional charge we get focused on the label instead of the reality. If we train ourselves to describe, then in order describe accurately we need to become more familiar with the reality we are trying to describe. Description increases our engagement with the situation, judgment reduces our engagement. Note that if we have to act in opposition to something, the more we are able to engage with it the better we will be able to act effectively against it. Using judgmental words against one’s opponents may feel good, but they can give one a delusional sense of knowledge that leads to disaster.
How is all this related to spirituality? There are very destructive processes at work in our world. (This is descriptive and I could go into details about how certain forces are destructive.) Confronting those forces is spiritual work, and engaging with the agents of those forces to limit their destructive actions is the physical aspect of that spiritual work. I think one reason spiritual teachers emphasize non-judgment is that we are able to confront these destructive forces more effectively if we describe instead of judge. That also keeps us from demonizing the physical agents and becoming self-righteous.
Regarding the idea of evil there were a couple of points. One was that even if we think a certain type of behavior is evil, those expressing the behavior are not evil. Evil is not a person or a place. So if we are going to confront evil without becoming evil ourselves, then we need to confront the ideas or energies that are motivating the people who are acting. Sometimes that means acting forcefully against those who are acting in an evil manner, but once their actions are stopped, or they stop acting, then no more force is used. For example, when someone is prevented from committing a crime once the person is apprehended, then no further force is used, and, in fact if excessive force is used that can be punished.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition the most egregious act of evil is to claim that one is acting in the name of God, when in fact one is acting in one’s own interests. This is a violation of the Third Commandment, “You shall not carry the name of the Lord your God in vain.” The seriousness of this commandment is emphasized later in the text where it is listed as the only commandment for which there is no forgiveness. Jesus mentioned this indirectly when he said that any sin would be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
The take home lesson is that if you are going to act, then act on your own authority, or on the authority of some organization, but do NOT claim to act on God’s authority unless you are willing to suffer extremely serious spiritual consequences if you are wrong.
The discussion on judgment was animated, and in particular the idea of avoiding judgment was challenged. The question was what to do if we are not to judge. My suggestion was to practice describing. A judgment is an emotionally charged label, and because of its emotional charge we get focused on the label instead of the reality. If we train ourselves to describe, then in order describe accurately we need to become more familiar with the reality we are trying to describe. Description increases our engagement with the situation, judgment reduces our engagement. Note that if we have to act in opposition to something, the more we are able to engage with it the better we will be able to act effectively against it. Using judgmental words against one’s opponents may feel good, but they can give one a delusional sense of knowledge that leads to disaster.
How is all this related to spirituality? There are very destructive processes at work in our world. (This is descriptive and I could go into details about how certain forces are destructive.) Confronting those forces is spiritual work, and engaging with the agents of those forces to limit their destructive actions is the physical aspect of that spiritual work. I think one reason spiritual teachers emphasize non-judgment is that we are able to confront these destructive forces more effectively if we describe instead of judge. That also keeps us from demonizing the physical agents and becoming self-righteous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)