Another Mystical Introduction (with links)*UPDATED* January 31, 2024

Peace and ease to all during this “Season of Non-violence” and all other seasons! May we all have the courage to go a little deeper.

“It takes courage to stretch our worldview, to develop and deepen our commitment to peace. Courageous people are those who are empowered with the awareness that what they think, say and do makes a difference. Today start to see yourself as an agent of positive change. Have the courage to be the change you wish to see in the world.”

— quoted from the “Daily Action” section of the “Day 1 ~ January 31 ~ Courage” page for the “Season for Non-violence,” provided by the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace

As I mentioned yesterday, Arun Gandhi, (Mohandas Gandhi’s grandson) established the “Season for Nonviolence” (January 30^th through April 4^th) in 1998. The Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace offers daily practices based on principles of nonviolence advocated by Mahatma Gandhi (who was assassinated on January 30, 1948) and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (who was assassinated on April 4, 1968). These two great leaders/teachers did not invent these ideas. These principles are not unique to one culture, one philosophy, or one religion. Ideas like ahiṃsā (non-violence or “non-harming”) — which is the very first yama (external “restraint” or universal commandment) in the Yoga Philosophy; one of the Ten Commandments according the Abrahamic religions; and one of the Buddhist precepts — predate both men and their struggles. They are enduring principles that guided them in their efforts to overcome their struggles.

Today’s word is courage, which came into the English language from Latin, by way of Old French and Middle English, from a word that meant “to live with [your] whole heart.” This is not — or, not only — an anatomical idea. It is a physical-mental, emotional-energetic, psychic-symbolic thing. It can also be a spiritual-religious thing: a mystical thing. Accordingly, Thomas Merton, who was born today in 1915, was not only a deeply religious, spiritual, contemplative, and mystical man; he was a man of courage. He was a man who was willing to push the boundaries of what was known and acceptable, in order to explore the unknown… even when it wasn’t acceptable.

Click here to learn more about the mystical adventures of Thomas Merton.

“Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.”

— Thomas Merton, O. C. S. O.

Please join me today (Wednesday, January 31^st) 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 “01312021 Merton’s Mystical Day”]

“We’re all on a journey. We’re all going somewhere.”

“Our task now is to learn that if we can voyage to the ends of the earth, and there find ourselves in the stranger who most differs from ourselves, we will have made a fruitful pilgrimage. This is why pilgrimage is necessary, in some shape or other. Mere sitting at home and meditating on the Divine presence is not enough for our time. We have to come to the end of a long journey and see that the stranger we meet there is no other than ourselves.”

— quoted from the Emergence Magazine documentary On The Road With Thomas Merton, by Jeremy Seifert and Fred Bahnson, based on Woods, Shore, Desert: A Notebook, May 1968, by Thomas Merton

This YouTube link will take you to a clip of the short documentary referenced above. The full documentary is also available on YouTube.

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.)

### Sit, Breathe…. ###