EXCERPT: “The Grace of Kindness & God’s Silence” (a post-practice Monday note) March 18, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 19-Day Fast, Books, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Love, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Ecology, Franz Wright, kindness, pandemic, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence
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“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open!) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent, Great Lent, and/or the 19-Day Fast throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
This is a post–practice note for Monday, March 18th. You can request an audio recording of either practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.
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“I am here to learn
to bear
the beams of love,
what else
Bells
through the leaves, I am here to endure the
bells tolling
underground”
— quoted from the poem “Introduction” in God’s Silence by Franz Wright
The following (updated) excerpt is from a 2023 post:
Born in Vienna, today in 1953, Franz Wright spent portions of his childhood in Washington (state), California, and the Midwestern United States (in particular, Minnesota). In addition to sharing similar poetic themes, he and his father, James Wright, are the only parent and child to win a Pulitzer Prize in the same category. The elder Wright suffered from depression, bipolar disorders, and alcoholism and focused on the emotional suffering he saw around him, especially that suffering experienced by the disenfranchised in America. The younger Wright wrote about isolation, loneliness, longing, insomnia, and death intersecting with kindness, love, faith, hope, and peace. Four years ago today, I thought it oddly and serendipitously appropriate that my first virtual offering focused on Franz Wright’s work.
Four years later, I find his words still ring true and, oddly, still fit our current circumstances.
“What is the meaning of kindness?
Speak and listen to others, from now on,
as if they had recently died.
At the core the seen and unseen worlds are one.”
— “Solution” by Franz Wright
CLICK HERE for the entire 2023 post about Franz Wright, kindness, and challenging times.
NOTE: The 2023 post includes references to mental health and features embedded links to other sites.
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