A Joyful Practice

A Note & More EXCERPTS On Foundations June 12, 2024

Happy Pride! “Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Shavuot and/or Apodosis of Pascha. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone uprooting ignorance so we can all have more peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).

“It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. I simply can’t build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death. I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that this cruelty too shall end, and that peace & tranquility will return once again.”

— Anne Frank, written in her diary (“Kitty”) on July 15, 1944

Yesterday, in talking about foundations, I mostly focused on how the best idea(l)s can be a foundation. However, I also referenced some cracks and, unfortunately, we all have some cracks. Metaphorically speaking, cracks in a foundation do not always represent instability. But, when we are not mindful — when building a relationship, an edifice, an organization or a business, a country, a life for ourselves, and/or a religious or spiritual practice — those cracks show up in ways that can be uncomfortable at best, deadly at worst.

The biggest crack in our foundation(s) is avidyā (“ignorance” or nescience), which is presented in the Yoga Sūtras as the bedrock of suffering.

Yoga Sūtra 2.4: Avidyā kṣetramuttareṣāṃ prasuptatanuvicchinnodārāṇām

— “Ignorance (or lack of knowledge / false understanding) is the breeding ground for the other of the five afflictions, whether they are dormant or inactive, attenuated or weakened, interrupted/disjoined or separated from temporarily, or active and producing thoughts or actions to varying degrees.”

A Softer Lead, a new introduction and a revised excerpt (the “missing” Monday post)

A Thought from “Anne no Nikki”

Around the world today, several religious communities are celebrating aspects of their foundations that represent hope. This year, these celebrations coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Anne Frank (b. 1929). Her life ended tragically and this date is associated with a mixture of hopeful things and ignorant things. Click on the titles of the excerpts above for more about Anne Frank and what she wrote in the diary she called “Kitty.”

Please join me today (Wednesday, June 12^th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06122021 Samyama on a Young Girl’s Birthday”]
NOTE: The opening tracks are slightly different as some music was not available on Spotify.

“There is so much love out there. I want the legacy of these kids to be that. To show the world that [being LGBTQ] is more than a label – these are people that were loved, they were caring, they were human and these hate crimes are just totally uncalled for. Unnecessary. We are here because God created us and he created us all equal – and some people don’t seem to have this kind of vision. I don’t know what kind of world they want to live in.”

— Mayra Alvear, one year after her youngest daughter Amanda was killed in the 2016 Pulse Orlando shooting

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).

Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

### On What Do You Build? ###