Be Mindful When You Reach the Step Where You Use Your Words (the “missing” Wednesday post w/excerpts) September 25, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Movies, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alexander Hamilton, Amendments, Banned Books Week, Bill of Rights, Constitution, Dr. Joseph Murray, Guidelines for Achieving Sign Language Rights, International Week of Deaf People (IWDP), James Madison, shabda, siddhis, William Faulkner, William Shakespeare
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone communicating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom during International Week of the Deaf and during Banned Books Week.
Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This is the “missing” post for Wednesday, September 25th. Some embedded links direct to sites outside of this blog. This post references and contains a quote from a banned book. 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.
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.
“Article the third… Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
— quoted from the transcription of the Joint Resolution of Congress Proposing 12 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, on September 25, 1789
Today (Wednesday, September 25th) is the fourth day of Banned Books Week (September 22–28, 2024) and the third day of International Week of the Deaf (IWD). It is also the anniversary of the birth of an author whose work has been challenged: William Faulkner, born today in 1897. Finally, it is the anniversary of the day, in 1789, when the United States Bill of Rights was submitted and approved by Congress.
All of this brings us to our next steps (as well as to the second power described as “unique to being human”): Words, which are the gateway into the other powers.
Whether we speak them, sign them, or write them, words have power. They allow us to communicate our experiences and express our innermost thoughts, desires, hopes, and fears. They also allow us to advocate for change, which is why third day of IWD is dedicated to Sign Languages advocacy and encouraging “everyone to actively advocate for the rights of deaf individuals and the official recognition of national sign languages. [You can sign] up for sign language rights by promoting your national sign languages in public arenas.” This kind of advocacy is something we can do in countries like the United States, where both freedom of speech and the right to a redress of grievances are enshrined right at the beginning of the U. S. Constitution.
Based on documents like the Magna Carta (which King John of England agreed to in 1215); the English Bill of Rights (from 1689); the Virginia Declaration of Rights (drafted and ratified in 1776); and the Northwest Ordinance (enacted by the U. S. Continental Congress in 1787), the U. S. Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution and codifies the rights and personal freedoms of citizens, limitations to the federal government, and clarifies that powers not specifically granted to the federal government (by the Constitution and its amendments) belong to the state governments or the citizens. It was proposed because of serious concerns and reservations expressed by anti-federalists. The idea was opposed by federalists like Alexander Hamilton, then a delegate from New York, who wrote in the penultimate Federalist essay (“Federalist No. 84”) that, “bills of rights are in their origin, stipulations between kings and their subjects…. [and, therefore,] have no application to constitutions professedly founded upon the power of the people, and executed by their immediate representatives and servants.” James Madison, then a delegate from Virginia and another federalist and collaborator on the Federalist Papers (along with John Jay of New York), initially opposed the idea; however, he would ultimately end up spearheading the entire venture.
What is now known as the Bill of Rights is actually a little shorter than what was originally proposed. The House of Representatives actually approved 17 articles on August 24, 1789. After some editing (which combined some articles and eliminated one altogether), the Senate approved 12 articles (on September 9th). Those 12 were then approved by Congress (today in 1789) and submitted to the states for ratification. Articles 3 — 12 became the first ten articles of the United States Constitution and were ratified by the states on December 15, 1791. The original second article, addressing the timeline for changing the compensation for Senators and Representatives, became the 27th Amendment (which was ratified in 1992, 202 years, 7 months, and 10 days after it was originally approved). As of today, the original first article, addressing the number of representatives in Congress (based on population1), is the oldest of six amendments still pending ratification.2
NOTES:
1When the U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were ratified enslaved people, Indigenous and Native Americans, and women were not considered citizens and were either not counted at all or were not counted as the whole people they were.
2There is no time limit on ratifications; however, there are more states now than there were in 1789 and, therefore, ratification would require legal confirmation from more states.
As I mentioned before, the power of words is a gateway to the other siddhis described as “unique to being human” — including the power to “study, analyze, and comprehend” a situation and the power to eliminate “three-fold sorrow” with regard to that situation. We use our words to make change. We use our words to petition the government for a redress of our grievances and, also, to simply address things that have been overlooked. We can also use words to share our experiences and points of view. Of course, our words mean very little if they are not backed up by actions. Without the actions behind them, words become empty at best and straight-up lies at their worst. William Shakespeare cautioned us about this in the “Scottish play” and his words inspired his namesake, William Faulkner.
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
— Macbeth in Act V, Scene V of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Born in New Albany, Mississippi, today in 1897, and raised in Oxford, Mississippi, William Faulkner is remembered for his stream-of-consciousness and for novels and short stories primarily set in Yoknapatawpha County, a fictionalized version of the the Mississippi county where he grew up. After a brief stint in the the Royal Canadian Air Force (and also the British Royal Force) and after dropping out of the University of Mississippi, the only Mississippi-born Nobel laureate (so far) started writing and publishing novels like Soldiers’ Pay (1925), Sartoris (1927), The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932), and Absalom, Absalom! (1936). He also worked as a screenwriter. In addition to winning the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature, Mr. Faulkner won the National Book Award twice (for The Collected Stories of William Faulkner in 1951, and for A Fable in 1955) and also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice (for A Fable in 1955, and for The Reivers in 1963). Despite all of his accolades (or maybe because of them), William Faulkner is yet another great writer who wrote a book that is often banned. In fact, one of his books has been challenged since it was first published in 1930.
As I Lay Dying is the story of Addie Bundren (who is dying at the beginning of the novel), her husband, their children, and their community. It is a story about death (and also life, since they go hand-in-hand) as well as how people grapple with their fear of death (and life). Told from the perspective of 15 different characters (including Addie and Anse Bundren and their five children) the book navigates the literal, emotional, and physical journey to fulfill a loved one’s dying wish. The book also discusses some things that are depicted in the other two banned books I’ve quoted this week — and these elements of the story are some of the same reasons the title gets challenged. But, there is another reason some people don’t like As I Lay Dying: it talks about abortion, a woman’s right to choose, and other people’s opinions about a woman’s right to choose.
Oh, then there’s that pesky part where a wife and mother of five sounds less than thrilled about her life.
“That was when I learned that words are no good; that words don’t ever fit even what they are trying to say at. When [Cash] was born I knew that motherhood was invented by someone who had to have a word for it because the ones that had the children didn’t care whether there was a word for it or not. I knew that fear was invented by someone that had never had the fear; pride, who never had the pride. I knew that it had been, not that they had dirty noses, but that we had had to use one another by words like spiders dangling by their mouths from a beam, swinging and twisting and never touching, and that only through the blows of die switch could my blood and their blood flow as one stream. I knew that it had. been, not that my aloneness had to be violated over and over each day, but that it had never been violated until Cash came. Not even by Anse in the nights.
He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time Came, you wouldn’t need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear. Cash did not need to say it to me nor I to him, and I would say Let Anse use it, if he wants to. So that it was Anse or love; love or Anse: it didn’t matter.”
— Addie in As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07012020 Caesar Rodney’s Ride”]
Click on the excerpt titles below for the earlier posts related to Banned Books Week and International Week of the Deaf (IWD).
Paying Attention is the First Step (a post-practice Monday post with an excerpt)
The Second Step is Cultivating Your Power of Understanding (the “missing” Tuesday post)
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).
### STUDY, ANALYZE, & COMPREHEND WHAT (& WHO) IS ON YOUR BALLOT ###
The Second Step is Cultivating Your Power of Understanding (the “missing” Tuesday post) September 24, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, American Library Association, Banned Books Week, censorship, Chloe Stone, Convo Australia, Deaf West Theatre, Declaration on the Rights of Deaf Children, Dr. Joseph Murray, Erin and Chloe of Deaf Youth Australia and Deaf Youth Queensland, Hilary of Deaf Hub Bendigo, International Week of Deaf People (IWDP), Kelly Clarkson, Khaled Hosseini, Ntando Hlophe, Office of Intellectual Freedom, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, siddhis, World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), yoga sutra 2.18, Yoga Sutras 1.17-1.18
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone communicating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom during International Week of the Deaf and during Banned Books Week.
Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This is the “missing” post for Tuesday, September 24th. My apologies to not getting it posted earlier. Some embedded links direct to sites outside of this blog. This post references and contains a quote from a banned book. 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.
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.
“An analogy will be helpful in explaining these two aspects. Let’s sat we are setting out from New York City to drive to Los Angeles. Every evening we check into a motel for the night and perhaps do a little sightseeing before continuing our journey. Eventually we reach Los Angeles. Once there, we enjoy experiencing the city. Depending on our goal, we stay for a week or two, a month, or perhaps permanently.
Los Angeles represents samadhi as a final state. The journey from beginning to end represents samadhi as a process.”
— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 1.17 from The Secret of the Yoga Sūtra: Samadhi Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
If you travel and/or if you read, you know that traveling and reading can open up your horizons and your consciousness. You can learn about people, cultures, and so many things you would not encounter if you never left home and/or never opened up to someone else’s stories. I love both reading and traveling, but I also acknowledge that there are challenges to both and that I haven’t loved every place I’ve traveled or every book I’ve read. I have also travelled and/or shared books with people who didn’t enjoy the same things I did (and vice versa). Despite the challenges, I think we are all richer for the experiences.
Since today is the third day of Banned Books Week (September 22–28, 2024) and the second day of International Week of the Deaf (IWD), we are ready to take another step (or two) in our philosophical journey. But let’s back up a minute and consider how this is all connected. First, both of these observations, as well as the practice of the Yoga Philosophy, are ultimately about freedoms. We could even say they are also all about powers.
As I mentioned yesterday, the 2024 Banned Books Week theme is “Freed Between the Lines” and the 2024 IWD theme is “Sign Up for Sign Language Rights” — with this second day placing extra emphasis on inclusion education and the rights of Deaf children. In the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali indicated that everything in the known world has a two-fold purpose: to be experienced and for that experience to lead to our freedom / liberation. (YS 2.18) This means that even things and people we don’t like and/or don’t understand can serve a purpose — if we pay attention. And that’s why I said that the first step is paying attention (and the willingness to pay attention).
According to Yoga Sūtras 1.17-18, there are four basic levels of conscious awareness: gross, subtle, bliss, and I-ness. All of which are the stages of growing awareness that can lead to complete absorption. One of my favorite analogies with regard to this thread breaks down what happens when you walk into a room. The gross level is noticing that music is playing; the subtle level is when you start noticing the details of the song — melody, harmony, beat, lyrics — and realize that you recognize the song; the bliss level is when you start singing (and maybe dancing) and really start to enjoy the experience. Finally, the I-ness is when you start forgetting everything that is not part of this experience.
I have mentioned that some aspect of this analogy applies even if you don’t (or can’t) hear the music, because you can still feel the vibration and maybe notice other people’s experience of the music. However, since it is International Week of the Deaf, it might be better to use the first analogy quoted above.
But, what if you don’t travel (or hate Los Angeles)? Then, we can use the physical practice as a comparison point. For example, if you observe someone (or learn about someone) practicing a yoga pose, your awareness is brought to the fact that something is happening. If you start practicing the pose yourself, you start breaking down the mechanics (which is the subtle stage). At some point, you find what works for you, you start focusing on your breath, the pose starts to feel good, and you start moving into that deep state of focus where you are no longer distracted by outside elements.
That fourth state of consciousness is connected to an object (the music, the pose, your breath, the benefits and effects on your body, etc.). However, at some point, that “single-pointed focus” can become “seedless focus,” meaning your mind no longer needs an object as an anchor. The practice also includes the ability to tap into your innate vitality and powers, including the siddhis described as “powers unique to being human.” So, if the first step is paying attention (and the willingness to pay attention), then the next step is using those powers — with each power becoming a step towards the next power.
Accessing and utilizing all of your powers comes with responsibilities. I think that one of those responsibilities is to tell your story (even if you are just telling it to yourself). Another is the responsibility to pay attention to other people’s stories — or, at the very least, not to invalidate their stories. Each of those responsibilities comes with challenges; however, if you take your time, step-by-step, you are prepared to meet those challenges.
By focusing on the rights of Deaf children, the second day of IWD highlights the importance of “quality multilingual inclusive education that provides deaf learners inclusion through national sign languages.”
As explained above, the Declaration on the Rights of Deaf Children consists of ten articles. Those ten articles are not only valid with regard to Deaf Children, they are also valid (and important) with regard to children from all over the world — and especially those who are dealing with trauma, loss, and disabilities, while also navigating a new language (or two).
Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini’s first novel, The Kite Runner, features a young boy (Amir) who falls into that latter category. The book is not on the most recent “Top 10 Most Challenged Books,” which is published annually by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). However, it has been on the list in multiple years — in particular, when the book first came out and again when the movie adaptation premiered. Even though it is not on the most recent Top 10 list, it is still challenged quite a bit — and it gets challenged by people from every community mentioned in the book!
Beginning in the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, The Kite Runner tells the story of what happens to Amir, his family, his dear friend Hassan, and their communities during the fall of Afghanistan’s monarchy, the Soviet invasion, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. It is beautifully written, but is also full of really hard, tragic, and horrific events. In fact, one could argue that the caliber of writing makes the hard, tragic, and horrific events even more so. It is not something I would recommend to everyone and anyone; however, I did benefit from reading it.
What is as interesting to me as the book itself, is the fact that people have very different opinions about the point and focus of the book. I personally find it hard to engage in a conversation with someone who objects to a book or library service without actually reading the book and/or using the service; however, I get that it is easy to fear what we don’t know. The thing is, this is one person’s fictionalized account of their life experiences. Additionally, Mr. Hosseini has said that the main focus of the book is the relationship between a parent and a child and the life lessons the parent teaches their child — something about which many people know and value.
“Theft is the one unforgivable sin, the one common denominator of all sins. When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched then stealing.”
— Amir, remembering the lessons of his father, in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Tuesday’s NOON (mostly instrumental) playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Ramadan 2024: Planting & Transforming”]
Tuesday’s EVENING playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09242024 Understanding Language and Culture”]
MUSIC NOTES: Technically, either playlist will work for either practice.
Both playlists feature musicians from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. The music by the Muslim musicians is not halal (“permissible”) in all Islamic traditions, because of the orchestrations. Click here and scroll down to the music notes for a more in-depth explanation.
Since both YouTube versions feature some tracks (or videos) that are not available on Spotify, I have embedded the sign language videos below.
Yes, there is always a message in the music!
A 2023 International Week of the Deaf message.
Convo Australia representatives discuss the Declaration of the Rights of the Deaf Children.
If you are struggling, 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).
### VOTING CAN BE PART OF YOUR STORY ###
Paying Attention is the First Step (a post-practice Monday post with an excerpt) September 23, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Confessions, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, American Library Association, Banned Books Week, censorship, Danna Faulds, Dorothy Miles, Dot Miles, Dr. Joseph Murray, First Amendment, International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL), International Week of Deaf People (IWDP), Office of Intellectual Freedom, Ray Bradbury, sign language, sign languages, Toni Morrison, yoga
add a comment
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone communicating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom during International Day of Sign Languages / International Week of the Deaf and during Banned Books Week.
Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, September 23rd. Some embedded links may direct you outside of WordPress. The 2024 prompt question was, “What is on your mind? This post references and contains a quote from a banned book. 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.
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.
“There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house, there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”
— quoted from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This post begins with a cautionary tale, because I wasn’t paying enough attention. When a teacher suggested something that I hadn’t practice in a while, I paused and considered whether it was a good fit for me (which is what I always encourage people to do). Then I decided to give it a go. However, my body very quickly pointed out that some part of what I was doing was not a good idea (at least, not for me in that moment). I was paying just enough attention to realize something was off (and to back off a little), but not enough attention to realize I needed to stop (completely). So, I kept going… and ended up completely out of alignment.
Being out of alignment can cause a lot of pain and suffering. It takes time to reset. If you don’t know how to reset yourself and/or cannot do it on your own, it takes time and money. This is true when we are talking about an individual and they’re mind-body and it is also true when we are talking about a group of people, a whole country of people, or even the whole world. Each and every one of us is part of whole, just like each part of our mind-body is part of our mind-body. Sometimes we get ourselves out of whack (or never really worked in the ideal way), because we aren’t paying attention to the needs and desires of different parts of us and sometimes it happens because aren’t paying enough attention.
Of course, in order to pay attention, we have to understand how and why things are being communicated. This is a challenge when it comes to minds and bodies, because they communicate with sensation, that’s the information. When it comes to other people, part of paying attention includes recognizing that not everyone speaks the same language.
We also have to remember that not everyone has the same perspective or tells the story in the same way.
(Click here if the video above of Dr. Joseph Murray is not visible on your device.)
Today, September 23rd, is International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) and the beginning of International Week of Deaf People (IWDP). While IWDP is celebrated during the last full week of September (and therefore the dates shift a little), IDSL is held annually on the anniversary of the day, in 1951, when the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was established in Rome, Italy, during the first World Deaf Conference. That first conference was organized by Ente Nazionale Sordomuti (ENS), the Italian Deaf Association, and attended by representatives from 25 countries. Now, WFD is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization of deaf associations from 133 countries. It promotes the human rights of deaf people worldwide and works with the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and UN agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO).
Each day of IWDP has a different focus. As mentioned above, the 2024 theme for International Day of Sign Languages is “Sign Up for Sign Language Rights” and highlights efforts for “better implementation of the [Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities] CRPD at the national level through the linguistic human rights of deaf people in view of the 20th anniversary of the CRPD in 2026.” According to WFD, you can “Sign up for Sign Language rights by working with your local and national associations to announce the achievement of a concrete goal for deaf communities today.” You could also learn more about sign languages (see excerpt below) and (maybe) learn one of those languages.
Click on the excerpt title below for more!
Holchaj yIjatlh. (“Speak in their language.”) [a post-practice Monday post with excerpts]
“You hold the word in hand
and offer the palm of friendship;
of frontiers where men of speech lend lip-
service to brotherhood, you pass, unhampered
by sounds that drown the meaning, or by fear
of the foreign-word-locked fetter;
oh, better
the word in hand than a thousand
spilled from the mouth upon the hearless ear.”
— quoted from the poem “To A Deaf Child” by Dorothy Miles
Clicking on the excerpt title above, will take you to a previous Monday post that features the story of Dorothy “Dot” Miles (née Squire), a Welsh poet, polyglot, and activist in the Deaf community. Her story is fascinating on a lot of different levels and is also a reminder that, at some point, we all deal with some form of disability. Her story (and the post) also highlights the importance of knowing each others stories. Unfortunately, some stories are harder and harder to access — not because they aren’t being told, but because someone, somewhere, objects to them being told.
On any given day, someone, somewhere, is attempting to ban a book.
In addition to being International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) and the beginning of International Week of Deaf People (IWDP), today was also the second day of Banned Books Week (September 22–28, 2024). According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) data based on challenges to “unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by [the American Library Association (ALA)].” Additionally, “[the] number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023; school libraries saw an 11% increase over 2022 numbers.”
During the first eight months of 2024, the OIF tracked challenges to 1,128 unique titles — which is slightly less than the challenges to unique titles during the same period in 2023, but more than the number during the same period in 2020. Keep in mind that everyone (including people and organizations challenging books and library materials and service) had a lot on their minds during 2020 and that a title is counted in a separate bucket after the initial challenge (i.e., it is no longer “unique”). Statistics also indicate that material “representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those targeted in censorship attempts.”
Since the OIF tracks challenges via reports from library professionals and news stories published in the United States, the ALA warns that not all challenges are reported and, therefore, they only provide a snapshot of censorship. That snapshot (as they call it) includes an annual “Top 10 Most Challenged Books,” which lists the titles and authors, number of challenges for each book, the reasons why each book has been challenged, and a “Book Résumé” link to Unite Against Book Bands. Each book résumé page includes a brief description of the book; a link to report a challenge; and a link to a pdf with a more detailed synopsis, recommended age range(s), reviews, awards, and information about title-related censorship.
“Additionally, instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges illustrate the impact of organized censorship campaigns on students’ and readers’ freedom to read. In some circumstances, books have been preemptively excluded from library collections, taken off the shelves before they are banned, or not purchased for library collections in the first place.”
— quoted from the “Book Ban Data” page on the American Library Association website
If you check out the Top 10 list, you might find some things objectionable. You might find subjects that don’t interest you and/or books that don’t want to read. To which, I would respectfully say, then don’t read them. You might also find subjects and/or books that don’t want to read your children to read — and, as a parent, you have the right to say that you don’t want to read your children to read something. However, since the 2024 Banned Books Week theme is “Freed Between the Lines” — which is described as “an observance of the freedom we find in the pages of books and the need to defend that freedom from censorship” — and as many people in the United States look at censorship as a First Amendment issue, allow me to point out three things:
- If you consider this a First Amendment issue (related any and all aspects of the First Amendment), then others are entitled to the same rights as you and vice versa.
- Parents have the right and the responsibility to do what they think is best for their children; however, to actually do what is best, parents must consider the ramifications of their decisions. In other words, just as you might consider how the presence of something affects children, consider how the absence might affect them.
- The titles and services being challenged reflect the stories of people whose experiences may be different from yours. If you are a member of a majority group and you are objecting to someone else’s story, ask yourself why.
Actually, anyone can benefit from asking themselves why they object to someone else’s story.
I have.
In fact, I have with a book on the Top 10 list.
Book #6 on the latest list, with 62 challenges, is a book I actively avoided reading up until my last year of college. By “actively avoided,” I mean that I read everything by the author that I could get my hands on — except this one particular book. Keep in mind that I had read other books (even other books by this author) that included the same topics for which this book is often challenged. But this book, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, hit a little too close to home. It didn’t hit close to home because I had experienced the horrific and tragic abuse that one person inflicted on Pecola Breedlove — thankfully, I have not personally had those experiences. No, I avoided the book, because I knew it would make me take a closer look at myself and the world in which we live.
Who is to say what would have happened if I had read the book at an earlier age and/or if I had read it outside of school? What I can say is that reading the book ultimately gave me a better understanding of the world and why people (myself included) sometimes think the things we think, say the things we say, and do the things we do.
Taking a deeper look at ourselves as a world, as a country, and/or as a person is not always easy. In fact, it can be really hard, challenging, and messy. It can require the assistance of others. However, sometimes doing the hard, challenging, and messy stuff is what we need to do in order to end the pain and suffering that comes from being out of alignment.
“And all of our beauty, which was hers first and which she gave us. All of us—all who knew her—felt so wholesome after we cleaned ourselves on her. We were so beautiful when we stood astride her ugliness. Her simplicity decorated us, her guilt sanctified us, her pain made us glow with health, her awkwardness made us think we had a sense of humor. Her inarticulateness made us believe we were eloquent. Her poverty kept us generous. Even her waking dreams we used—to silence our own nightmares…. We hones our egos on her, padded our characters with her frailty, and yawned in the fantasy of our strength.
And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but well behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life. We substituted good grammar for intellect; we switched habits to simulate maturity; we rearranged lies and called it truth….”
— quoted from The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
NOTE: Click here (or below) for the Dorothy Miles poem “To A Deaf Child.”
“as you. Go in and in
and turn away from
nothing that you find.”
— quoted from the poem “Go In and In” by Danna Faulds
If you are struggling, 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).
### VOTING IS A WAY TO BE HEARD ###
FTWMI: On Being Curious (the post-practice Monday post) September 16, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 90 seconds, 988, Curiosity, Gabrielle Roth, H. A. Rey, insight, Kelly Bartlett, Margaret Rey, meditation, yoga, Yoga Sutras 1.2 - 1.4
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone curious about how we can have friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
FTWMI: The following post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, September 16th was originally posted in 2020 (and slightly revised and excerpted in 2023). This version includes additional revisions. The 2024 prompt question was, “What piques your curiosity?” 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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.)
Yoga Sūtra 1.2: yogaścittavŗttinirodhah
— “Yoga (‘union’) is the mastery of the fluctuations of the mind.”
Yoga Sūtra 1.3: tadā draştuh svarūpe’vasthānam
—“[When the fluctuations of the mind are mastered] the Seer abides/rests in their own true nature.”
Take a seat, get comfortable, and do that 90-second thing. Or, sit for 5, 15, 20, or 30 moments. Watch your breath and get curious. Bring awareness to your awareness, notice what you notice. There is so much, after all, to notice. We can smell things and taste things; we can feel different textures and sensations on our skin (and even on the inside of our body); we can see and hear — even with our eyes closed; and every sensation, every bit of information has the possibility of conjuring up a thought or memory that brings more sensation, more information.
It is also true that the more you sit — even for short periods of time — the more there is the possibility that your mind will stop bouncing around like wild horses, elephants, little puppies, or curious monkeys. The more stillness and quiet you can cultivate in your mind, the more there is the possibility of insight, of seeing things in a special way — and seeing what is constant.
“After the day is gone we shall go out, breathe deeply, and look up – and there the stars will be, unchanged, unchangeable.”
— quoted from The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H. A. Rey
However, there is also the possibility that the mind will keep bopping around looking for something on which it can focus and then — like a dog who’s spotted a squirrel — rushing off in another direction. In fact, the longer we practice the more we understand that our mind — just like a little puppy or a curious monkey — is designed to explore and play. Furthermore, the more we practice, the more we understand the merit of playing and exploring our mind.
“Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.’ George promised to be good. But it is easy for little monkeys to forget.”
— quoted from Curious George by Margaret and H. A. Rey
Hans Augusto Reyersbach, better known as H. A. Rey, was the author of The Stars: A New Way to See Them and the co-author of children’s books featuring Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat. Born today in 1898, he and his wife Margaret (born Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein, on May 16, 1906) were German Jews who originally met in their hometown of Hamburg. Margaret, who H. A. originally remembered as the kid sister who slid down banisters, ended up in Brazil specifically because she was escaping the Nazi’s rise of power in Germany. H. A. also fled to Brazil and the couple reconnected in Rio de Janeiro.
It was in Brazil that H. A. changed his last name to Rey and Margarete changed her first name to Margaret. They married in Brazil and took a honeymoon cruise to Europe before settling in Paris, France. During the cruise, their pet marmoset monkeys died. These pets may have been the beginning of the idea that became George; because, when they settled in France, they began creating the drawings and stories that would become “Curious George and Friends.”
George, however, did not start off as “George.” Like the Reys, he went through a series of name changes, starting with “Fifi” and “Zozo.” He also has different names in different translations, including (but not limited to) Jordi (in Catalan), Peter Pedal (in Danish), Coco (in German), Golgol (in Galacian), and Nicke Nyfiken (in Swedish). I am particular fond of “Peter Pedal,” because it makes me think of how Curious George, and his creators, escaped the Nazis.
It is a back story that is as much of an adventure as the Curious George stories themselves.
“It seems ridiculous to be thinking about children’s books. [But] life goes on, the editors edit, the artists draw, even during wartime.”
— H. A. Rey
In 1939, the now married Reys wrote and illustrated a book called Rafi and the 9 Monkeys. From the beginning it was an equal collaboration; however, only H. A.’s name appeared on the original publications. Rafi was a giraffe whose friends and family had been captured and placed in a zoo. She made friends with a family of nine monkeys — the most prominent of whom would become “George.” (As a side note, Rafi would become “Raffi” when the book was published in the United Kingdom and “Cecily” when it was published in the United States.)
By the time the war broke out, the Reys had been contracted to publish a book featuring the gregarious monkey and were working on other books as well. However, in June of 1940, the couple decided to put everything on hold and flee from the Nazi invasion. H. A. built two bicycles and, taking little more than the drawings and manuscript for “Fifi,” they headed south. Their four-month journey eventually landed them in New York City, where the first Curious George book was published (in 1941).
One of the things that aided their escape was the fact that they were officially Brazilian citizens. Another thing that helped them was “Fifi.” At one point in their escape, an official suspected them of being German spies (because they were Jewish people with German accents and Brazilian visas). The official let them go when he searched their belongings and found nothing more than a children’s story.
“George can do what kids can’t do. He can paint a room from the inside. He can hang from a kite in the sky. He can let the animals out of their pens on the farm. He can do all these naughty things that kids would like to do.”
— Margaret Rey
“Curious George does exactly what he’s supposed to do for his age and development (and species)! By nature and by name, he is curious. He explores his world fully and completely. This is his job as a young, continually developing little person, er, monkey. This is why my kids love the show–they relate so well to George’s genuinely curious nature and all of the honest (and funny) mistakes that ensue. But what I find most refreshing about ‘Curious George’ is The Man in the Yellow Hat.
The Man in the Yellow Hat never punishes George for his mistakes. He is more concerned with solving the problem. The man helps George put things away, fix things that broke, apologize to people who were involved in any indiscretions, and generally restore order.”
— quoted from “Why I Like Curious George” posted on the blog Parenting From Scratch by Kelly Bartlett
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The 2020 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07112020 An Introduction.”]
A theme-related playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09042021 Experiencing the Mind”]
If you are struggling, 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).
“The object of meditation is to still the mind, and the fastest way to do that is to move your body.”
— Gabrielle Roth
### BE CURIOUS ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “Can You Be Like The Bird?” September 15, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, change, Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows, habits, Victor Hugo
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows and/or responding to life’s challenges with with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“Gentlemen, there are three things which belong to God and which do not belong to man: the irrevocable, the irreparable, the indissoluble. Woe to man if he introduces them into his laws! (Movement.) Sooner or later they cause society to bend under their weight, they disturb the necessary balance of laws and customs, they deprive human justice of its proportions; and then this happens, think about it, gentlemen, that the law terrifies the conscience. (Sensation.)”
— quoted from Victor Hugo’s address to the French Constituent (General) Assembly, September 15, 1848
Live long enough and you will find yourself in a situation that is simultaneously beautiful and… well, icky. You will meet someone who is not who they presented themselves to be. You will find yourself needing to break a habit that once served you; because it is no longer useful — or, in fact, because you finally realize that it never really served you.
I liken these moments to finding a beautiful lotus… only to realize you are standing in the muck from which it grew. Or, we can compare them to the poison pill that heals. Or, we can see them as being on a bough that gives us a beautiful view of the landscape… just as the bough breaks.
In these moments, we can appreciate the beauty and also acknowledge the muck. We can use the amount that heals and also be mindful of the danger. Or, we can be like the bird….
“Be like the bird, who
Pausing in his flight
On limb too slight
Feels it give way beneath him
Yet sings
Knowing he has wings.”
— “Be like the bird” poem by Victor Hugo
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE ABOVE FOR MORE.
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, September 15th) at 2:30 PM. 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09152020 Can You Respond Like the Bird?”]
If you are struggling, 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.
### SING! ###
A Very Quick Note & EXCERPT: “You and Your Heart Are Invited” September 7, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Texas, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Health, heart, Marcus Aurelius, Mona Miller, Robert Pirsig
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working to strengthen and cultivate a mighty good heart.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“The human heart yearns for peace and love and freedom. Peace heals, elevates, and invigorates the spirit. Peace represents the health of humanity.”
— Dr. Michael DeBakey (b. 1908), quoted from “Quotable Quotes: The Human Heart and Peace” in Azerbaijan International Magazine (6.3) Autumn 1998
Dr. Michael DeBakey, who was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, today in 1908, was an internationally renowned heart specialist. He knew a thing or two about hearts and about health. If we take his words and face value — and then take a look around — we might conclude that there are places that are obviously unhealthy. Then, there are places where the metaphorical heart that is our society has been engaging in behavior we know is not good, healthy, or wise. Finally, there are the places that look like the very young and super athletic person who collapses because no one noticed the hole or the block in their heart.
As I mentioned during last night’s practice, sometimes we need a professional (like Dr. DeBakey); however, needing the help of a professional does not mean that we don’t also take care of ourselves — which is what I invite you to do during each and every practice.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR A LITTLE MORE.
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
Please join me today (Saturday, September 7th) at 12:00 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.
Saturday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09092020 Tolstoy’s Theory”]
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.
### LISTEN TO YOUR HEART ###
First Friday Night Special #47: An Invitation to “A Little Maintenance & A Little Playful Inquiry” (the “missing” invitation w/excerpt & links) September 6, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Buddhism, California, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Life, Loss, Love, Meditation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Vairagya, Vipassana, Wisdom, Writing, Yin Yoga, Yoga.Tags: 988, Atma, Chris Foster, mental health, Peggy, Phaedrus, Philosophy, Plato, psyche, Robert Pirsig, Self, Sigmund Freud, Socrates, Soul, yoga, Zen Buddhism
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working to maintain friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This is the “missing” invitation for the “First Friday Night Special” on September 6th. It includes a related excerpt. You can request an audio recording of this Somatic Yoga Experience (SYE) 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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“How you do yoga is how you do life.”
— my first yoga teachers
Earlier this week, I referenced a classical, philosophical analogy which identifies the senses as wild mustangs (or elephants); the mind/brain as reins; the body as a chariot; the mind/intellect as the charioteer; and the Atman-Self as the passenger along for the ride. You may consider your mind-body in a very pragmatic and utilitarian way — as the vehicle that gets you from point A to point B; from the place where you are born to your final destination. On the other hand, you could be someone who is more about the journey than the destination; someone who likes joy rides and scenic routes. Either way, having a mind-body is just like having anything else: maintenance is required. Sometimes you will seek out a professional; however, there are times when it behooves you to do something yourself — or, at the very least, to know what needs to be done.
While I used the analogy as it appears in the Indian philosophies, my yoga buddy Peggy mentioned that a similar (albeit, slightly different) analogy appears in Plato’s Phaedrus, in which Socrates and Phaedrus discuss the parts of the soul/psyche* (i.e., the charioteer as the intellect; one winged horse as the rational or moral mind; and one winged horse as the passionate, sense-driven mind). Her comments were particularly serendipitous since “Phaedrus” is the name that Robert Pirsig used to refer to his younger self in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, today (September 6th) in 1928, Robert Pirsig noticed that one’s philosophy about motorcycle maintenance can extend into other types of maintenance. In fact, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, he wrote as much (if not more) about the physical and mental health of the riders on the road trip as he did about the health of the motorcycles they rode and the society in which they rode.
He also illustrated how a slightly irritating, little thing (like a drip of water) can become the source of great frustration when not addressed; how that frustration can manifest as anger towards others; and that — even when you need a professional to take care of the big things — there is wisdom in taking care of the little things along the way.
“It occurred to me that maybe I was the odd one on the subject, but that was disposed of too. Most touring cyclists know how to keep their machines tuned. Car owners usually won’t touch the engine, but every town of any size at all has a garage with expensive lifts, special tools and diagnostic equipment that the average owner can’t afford. And a car engine is more complex and inaccessible than a cycle engine so there’s more sense to this. But for John’s cycle, a BMW R60, I’ll bet there’s not a mechanic between here and Salt Lake City. If his points or plugs burn out, he’s done for. I know he doesn’t have a set of spare points with him. He doesn’t know what points are. If it quits on him in western South Dakota or Montana I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
“I might have thought this was just a peculiar attitude of theirs about motorcycles but discovered later that it extended to other things — .”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
The following excerpt is from the 2022 version of a 2020 post:
“It’s like a road trip. The vehicle is moving but we are still inside the vehicle; the scenery is still, but appears to be moving. Everything merges and converges while we are still. Do you see where we’re going?
It’s OK if you don’t. This is kind of like that old joke where someone says, ‘I’m not lost. I know exactly where we are. We’re in the car.’ Now, consider what happens if we could get out of the box or cage we’re in and become part of the scenery. Not walking necessarily, but riding. So that the scenery is simultaneously still and moving… but so are we. And, just like with a moving meditation, there is some part of us that always stays still.”
Click here to read the 2022 post about Robert Pirsig (b. 09/06/1928).
“The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be ‘out there’ and the person that appears to be ‘in here’ are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality together.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
The September First Friday Night Special features a Somatic Yoga Experience (SYE) with some Yin Yoga. It is accessible and open to all.
NOTE: There is a little more movement during this practice than in a typical First Friday Night Special.
Prop wise, you may need props at the beginning and end of the practice. A chair is recommended for this practice if you have low back issues. You can practice without props or use “studio” props and/or “householder” props. Example of Commercial props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of Householder props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel. A water bottle can be used if a ball is not handy.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy for this practice.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09062024 The Art of Moving Maintenance”]
NOTE: On the YouTube playlist, the outro for the practice is “Pirsig’s Pursuit” by Chris Foster, which I did not find on Spotify.
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).
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
*NOTE: When Dr. Sigmund Freud used Plato’s analogy to refer to the parts of the psyche, he identified the charioteer as the ego; the superego as the critical and moralizing horse; and the id as the horse motivated by the desires of the senses.
### BREATHE: You need air in your tires and wind in your sails. ###
FTWMI: Working Together (a post–practice Monday post w/ an extra excerpt) September 2, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Movies, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, TV, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: capitalism, Cornell University, Eugene V. Debs, F. Peterson, Labor Action Tracker, Labor Day, nurses, R. Hyman, SAG-AFTRA, school staff, Starbucks, teachers, Teamsters, unions, Warrior Met Coal strike, Writers Guild
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working to build friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
For Those Who Missed It: This post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, September 2nd (which was Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada) was originally posted in 2023. Date-related statistics and some relevant context have been added or updated. The 2024 prompt question was, “Which part of your mind-body needs work, which part needs rest, and which part is just here for fun?” 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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.)
“Strike: ‘A temporary stoppage of work by a group of workers in order to express a grievance or to enforce a demand. Such a grievance or demand may or may not be workplace-related.’
– -The first sentence of this definition is heavily influenced by Peterson (1937: 3),1 also used by Hyman (1989: 17).2 The only difference we make to the first part of this definition is by changing ‘employees’ to ‘workers.’
Labor Protest: ‘Collective action by a group of people as workers but without withdrawing their labor in order to express a grievance or enforce a demand. Such a grievance or demand may or may not be workplace-related. A labor protest may also consist of a group of people not acting in the protest as workers as long as the central demand is workplace related.’
We distinguish between strikes and labor protests as a core component of our labor action tracker. The major distinction between strikes and labor protests relates to whether a group of workers stopped work during the course of the event. We believe this definition of strikes is relatively inclusive, but we need to convincingly demonstrate that a stoppage of work led by a group of workers occurs to label an event a strike.”
— quoted “Section I: Definitions” on the “Methodology” page of the Cornell University Labor Action Tracker
The last few years have been the most active years, in my lifetime, with regard to labor action. According to the Labor Action Tracker maintained by Cornell University, 394 strikes occurred in 615 locations between September 4, 2022 and September 4, 2023. That is in addition to 458 labor protests (in 568 locations) during the same period. That’s a total of 852 labor actions found in 1183 locations.
2024 Update: Between September 2, 2023 and September 2, 2024, the Labor Action Tracker counted 380 strikes in 591 locations, plus an additional 609 labor protests in 705 locations; for a total of 989 labor actions in 1296 locations.
Some of these labor disputes — like the strikes involving teachers and school staffs, nurses, and members of SAG-AFTRA* and the Writers Guild, as well as the Starbucks union initiatives and various Teamster union actions — have been front and center in the media and in the minds of the general populace. Some — like the nearly 2-year long Warrior Met Coal strike in Alabama (April 1, 2021 – March 2, 2023 ) — never got the kind of coverage that sways public opinion one way (or the other). The thing is, all of these labor actions occur because people want the same things workers have always wanted: better working conditions and better pay.
On one hand, better working conditions and better pay do not seem too much to ask when companies are pulling in billions (and sometimes) trillions of dollars — and/or when corporate leaders and superintendents are being paid even as stocks fall and children struggle. On the other hand….
Yep, nope; not going to both sides this. Because, at the end of the day, the companies — not to mention the country — run because of the workers who are asking for the same things people have always wanted: to be safe and to make enough money to take care of themselves and their families. Additionally, it inevitably costs more (on a lot of different levels) to not come to the bargaining table and work out an agreement than it does for everyone to come together and work together.
Click here for the 2020/2022 post that shows how all of this is rooted in the history of Labor Day. (Includes video!)
In many ways, the way labor works in the world is similar to the way the different parts of our mind-body-spirits work. We may think one part has nothing to do with another part because the two parts are not touching on the outside (and, therefore, we are not conscious of the connections); but, let the imbalance go unaddressed and suddenly the whole system falls apart. Similarly, we can argue that focusing on one part takes away from another part. However, if we don’t work to create balance, the imbalance will (again) cause our system to fail.
Bottom line: If the workers don’t work, the company (and the country) don’t work. Everything shuts down. Additionally, when people are forced to work in unsafe and unfair conditions, they break down — which ultimately results in the company (and the country) breaking down. Finally, when we come together and figure out equitable ways to work together, everyone benefits — even those people who are not in a specific union and/or industry.
“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”
— Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918
In 2024, Labor Day coincided with the birthdays of several workers, including a couple impacted by strikes within the last year.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
*NOTE: SAG-AFTRA is the Screen Actors and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
“1Peterson, F. (1937). Strikes in the United States: 1880-1936. Washington: United States Department of Labor.
2 Hyman, R. (1989). Strikes: Fourth Edition. London: Macmillan.”
— quoted “Section I: Definitions” on the “Methodology” page of the Cornell University Labor Action Tracker
### YOGA ###
A [Quick] Note & Excerpt About History and Dreams August 28, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Hope, One Hoop, Pain, Suffering, Tragedy.Tags: 988, Democratic National Convention, Emmett Till, Florida, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, history, Mahalia Jackson, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King Jr, samskāras, Second Battle of Bull Run, Second Battle of Manassas, Strom Thurmond, Texas, vasanas
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and/or cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“It may be allowed that examples of virtue elevate the soul, and are applicable in the moral instruction of children for impressing excellence upon their minds. But the destinies of peoples and states, their interests, relations, and the complicated tissue of their affairs, present quite another field. Rulers, Statesmen, Nations, are wont to be emphatically commended to the teaching which experience offers in history. But what experience and history teach is this,— that peoples and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it. Each period is involved in such peculiar circumstances, exhibits a condition of things so strictly idiosyncratic, that its conduct must be regulated by considerations connected with itself, and itself alone. Amid the pressure of great events, a general principle gives no help. It is useless to revert to similar circumstances in the Past. The pallid shades of memory struggle in vain with the life and freedom of the Present.”
— quoted from the “II. REFLECTIVE HISTORY. (3) Critical History – the German method of modern times.” section of “INTRODUCTION. Various methods of treating History: Original, Reflective and Philosophical.” in Lectures on the Philosophy of History by G. W. F. Hegel, translated by J. Sibree, M. A.
Yes, we are back to Hegel.
We are back to Hegel, in part, because of my theory about individuals learning from history (versus the aforementioned “peoples”) and, in part, because of history related to this date.
Today is a day when I typically focus on historical events, from 1862 to 1963, related to how we deal with difference, imbalance, and injustice in United States. I could go back as early as 1565 (earlier, if we were to include the rest of the world) and can easily push as far forward as 1968 or 1996 (again, if we just stick to the United States). However, today, I come back to Hegel and these events with new questions:
What if the issue isn’t that we aren’t learning from history?
What if the issue is that we aren’t learning the right lessons?
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT BELOW for the past prologue.
Please join me today (Wednesday, August 28th) 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 available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08282021 The Heart’s Wildest Dream”]
Extreme heat (and traumatic events) can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, they can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
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.
### Consider Your View ###
What the Gurus Teach Us & FTWMI: Heart Filled… [revised] (a post-practice Monday post) August 26, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Bhakti, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, Love, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Women, Yoga.Tags: 988, Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Buddha, Chris Pine, Christopher Isherwood, compassion, Diamond Sutra, Diamond Sutta, Dorothy S. Hunt, Edmund White, Edward W. Desmond, Gospel According to St. John, Gwen Costello, Hillel the Elder, Jesus, Love, loving-kindness, lovingkindness, Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa, Nobel Peace Prize, Qur'an, Swami Prabhavananda, Swami Tattwamayananda, The Gospel According to John, Thornton Wilder, Tom Eubanks, Torah, Vedanta, Yoga Sutra 1.33
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast; and/or working to cultivate friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, August 26th. It also includes references to the 2023 practice on this date. The 2024 prompt question was, “What is (and/or what is the source of) your favorite love lesson?” 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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.)
“STAGE MANAGER….. – Now there are some things we all know but we don’t take’m out and look at’m very often. We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars . . . everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always letting go of that fact. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.”
— quoted from Act III of Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Given the fact that I love Thornton Wilder’s work and that the Stage Manager in Our Town has a special place in my heart — and given the fact that that little bit from Act III plays as a regular loop in my brain — I should not have been caught off guard by a question someone asked Swami Tattwamayananda, the Minister of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco, at the end of one of his 2019 lectures on the Bhagavad Gita. But, there I was doing my hair on a Friday, listening to the podcast, and being completely flabbergasted that someone didn’t get the lesson taught by all the “Big G” gurus associated with all the major religions and philosophies.
I’m not going to lie; for a moment, I got “hooked.” My judgement kicked in and I just waited for the answer… the answer I knew was coming. I just didn’t know how it was going to come. I knew it was coming, because (again), it’s the most consistent lesson in the world. It is the lesson that is at the heart (pun intended) of all the major philosophies and religions. In no particular order…
It’s the one underlying most of my practices (and highlighted in all of the practices over the last couple of days).
It’s the one Hillel the Elder taught while standing on one foot.
It’s the one the Buddha taught with a Diamond.
It’s the one the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught with a brother.
It’s the one Jesus taught until his final words and the one Patanjali taught, with a twist. (See below.)
It’s the one taught by so many teachers we could spend our whole lives just naming the teachers (and never even getting to the lesson). But, let’s get (back) to the lesson, the heart filled lesson.
For Those Who Missed It: The following is a revised and expanded version of a 2020 post. The revisions include more information on Christopher Isherwood, citations for quotes, and a coda related to the 2019 Vedanta lesson referenced above.
“… if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
— quoted from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University’s Architects of Peace essay, “Reflections on Working Towards Peace” by Mother Teresa
“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
— quoted from (“the last words of Jesus”) in The Gospel According to St. John (19:26 – 27, KJV)
I have officiated three weddings as a yogi and I did this after pretty in-depth conversations with the couples about their relationships, their backgrounds, their expectations, and their love languages. Each wedding was uniquely beautiful — as the relationships are uniquely beautiful. However, I ended each ceremony with the words (above) of Mother Teresa. When someone says, “Start as you mean to go on,” I again think of Mother Teresa’s words; because to me they are as vital in a marriage as they are in any other relationship — including (maybe especially) our relationships with our master teachers and our precious jewels, people with whom we have no peace.
Born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, today in 1910, Mother Teresa spoke words that remind me of one of the Stations of the Cross that falls in the rubric of “the last words of Jesus.” According to The New Testament, specifically The Gospel According to John, when Jesus looks down from the cross to see his mother and one of his disciples, he tells them that they are family. Now, I know that some folks don’t treat every member of their family with love and respect. I know that we all have a moment when we forget what many great minds and sacred texts keep telling us. Yet, the lesson on love and kindness persists. Even before Johannes Gutenberg created the first printed Bible on August 24, 1456, the lesson was there in the Hebrew Bible and in the Christian New Testament. The lesson also appears in the Diamond Sūtra and in the Mettā Sūtra. While I often say that the lesson on offering love, kindness, equanimity, and joy also appears in the Yoga Sūtra — and it does, Patanjali made a distinction that is overlooked in some translations.
“Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating feelings of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked [ or non-virtuous].”
— quoted from How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (1.33), translated and with commentary by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
Born today in 1904, Christopher Isherwood was a British-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. He was the author of the semi-autobiographical novel Goodbye to Berlin (1939) — which John van Druten adapted into the 1951 Broadway play I Am a Camera, which was the inspiration for the Broadway musical (1966) and movie Cabaret. He was also the author of A Single Man (1964), a semi-autobiographical gay romance about learning to live despite grief, which was adapted into a film by Tom Ford in 2009, and his 1976 memoir, Christopher and His Kind, (which was also turned into a television movie by the BBC in 2011). When reviewing the author’s diaries in a 2012 LAMBDA Literary article, Tom Eubanks noted Mr. Isherwood’s “melancholia [with] humorous doses of hypochondria and body dysmorphia” and stated that “As Edmund White notes in the preface, there’s a surprising amount of anti-Semitism and misogyny in these pages. Overall, it could be argued that Isherwood was an equal opportunity hater.” At the same time, Christopher Isherwood and his closest friends, like W. H. Auden and Truman Capote, were critical of Nazism and Adolf Hitler.
Other seemingly contradictory aspects of Christopher Isherwood’s life were his long-term relationships with young men and his long-term relationship with the Vedanta Society of Southern California. The former was about romantic (and sexual) love; the latter required so much austerity, discipline, and devotion to spirit (rather than to the flesh) that the author did not a novel during the six years when he was becoming a monk. Yet, there is no denying that, after Gerald Heard and Aldous Huxley introduced him to Vedanta, he was deeply committed to the philosophy. He and Swami Prabhavananda, the society’s founder, even spent 35 years researching, translating, and collaborating on several books and papers.
Christopher Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda’s collaborations included Bhagavad Gita — The Song of God (1944), which features an introduction by Aldous Huxley, and a translation with commentary of the Yoga Sūtras, called How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (1953). As noted above, they were very explicit and specific about sūtra 1.33; noting in the commentary, “As for the wicked, we must remember Christ’s words: ‘Be not overcome of evil.’ If someone harms us or hates us, our instinct is to answer him with hatred and injury. We may succeed in injuring him, but we shall be injuring ourselves much more, and our hatred will throw our own mind into confusion.”
This, too, seems to be a lesson Mother Teresa carried close to her heart. She was considered a saint by some, a pariah by others; but, there is no denying that she served, taught, and ministered to the poor, the sick, and the hungry in a way that fed bodies as well as minds. She heard her (religious) calling at the age of 12 and left home at 18-years old. She was an ethnic Albanian who claimed Indian citizenship; Catholic faith; said, “As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus;” and considered August 27th, the date of her baptism, as her true birthday. She took her religious vows in Dalkey, Ireland in 1931. Her chosen name was after Thérèsa de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries; however, she chose a different spelling as the Loreta Abbey already had a nun named Theresa.
“You in the West have millions of people who suffer such terrible loneliness and emptiness. They feel unloved and unwanted.”
— quoted from “Pentecost: Spiritual Poverty — Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost — Spiritual poverty of Western World” in Love, A Fruit Always in Season: Daily Meditations From the Words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta by Mother Teresa, selected and edited by Dorothy S. Hunt
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
— Mother Teresa, quoted from the December 4, 1989, TIME interview, “Interview with MOTHER Teresa: A Pencil In the Hand Of God” by Edward W. Desmond
While teaching in Calcutta, India, Teresa heard God telling her to leave the safety and comfort of the convent so that she could live with and minister to the poor. With permission from the Vatican, she started what would become the Missionaries of Charity. 13 nuns joined Teresa by taking vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and devotion to God through “wholehearted free service to the poorest of poor.” When Pope Paul VI gave her a limousine, she raffled it and gave the proceeds to charity. When she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she asked that the money that would normally go towards a gala dinner be donated to charity. When the Nobel committee asked her what people should do to promote peace, she said, “Go home and love your family.” During her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, she also said, “Love begins at home.”
When Mother Teresa died in 1977, Missionaries of Charity had expanded beyond India. It had become a worldwide institution with more than 4,000 workers in 133 countries. The organizations ongoing efforts include orphanages, homes for people suffering from tuberculosis, leprosy, and HIV/AIDs. Mother Teresa opened soup kitchens, mobile health clinics, schools, and shelters in places like Harlem and Greenwich Village, while also brokering a temporary cease-fire in the Middle East in order to rescue children trapped in a hospital on the front lines.
All of the above is why some consider her a saint. However, the celebrity status her work earned her, as well as her pro-life position, was criticized by people who felt she was hurting the poor as much as she was helping them. For every documentary, book, and article praising her, there is a documentary, book, and article demonizing her. While she was known to have “dark nights of the soul,” or crises of faith, she continued to wash her $1 sari every day and go out in service to the world.
“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within the reach of every hand. Anyone can gather it and no limit is set. Everyone can reach this love through meditation, spirit of prayer, and sacrifice, by an intense inner life.”
— quoted from the front page of Love, A Fruit Always in Season: Daily Meditations From the Words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta by Mother Teresa, selected and edited by Dorothy S. Hunt
“It is not how much we are doing but how much love we put into doing it. It makes no difference what we are doing. What you are doing, I cannot do, and what I am doing you cannot do. But all of us are doing what God has given us to do. Only sometimes we forget and spend more time looking at somebody else and wishing we were doing something else (HP, 138).”
— quoted from “Pentecost: Martha and Mary — Monday — Wishing we were doing something else” in Love, A Fruit Always in Season: Daily Meditations From the Words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta by Mother Teresa, selected and edited by Dorothy S. Hunt
𝄌
“Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”
— Mother Teresa, quoted from “22. A Simple Response” in Spiritual Gems from Mother Teresa by Gwen Costello
So there it is: the lesson that, according to the Stage Manager in Our Town, “All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always letting go of that fact.” And, there is no denying that we can’t seem to hang on to it. Because, if we got it — really, really got it — we would not be so disconnected, disenfranchised, and without peace.
While I (mostly) hold on to the lesson, I sometimes forget that not everyone gets it. So, as I mentioned before, I was flabbergasted to hear the 2019 exchange between an unnamed person and Swami Tattwamayananda — an exchange that could have just as easily been between Christopher Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda in the 1930s or any other teacher at any other time in history. I paused, hands still in my hair, and this is what I heard:
“Unnamed Person: You mentioned compassion for others as leading to a state of equilibrium or — I was wondering what that has to do with – anything, really. Why is that important?
Swami Tattwamayananda: Compassion for —
Unnamed Person: Compassion for others, and purity of thought. Why is that important to —?
Swami Tattwamayananda: Yeah. Vedanta tells you that this spiritual reality is present in everyone and everything. So compassion is not really an act of charity. It is rooted in the idea of the spiritual unity and oneness of humanity. So, when we show compassion to somebody, we are spiritually helping our self. When we do not do that, when we are [doing] harm to someone, we are spiritually doing harm to our self. So, the idea of the spiritual oneness of humanity, [of] one spiritual family, that is the practical aspect of Vedanta metaphysics.
The metaphysics tells you the same reality is present in everyone. It’s practical application makes you a better human being. And that, compassion, humanistic impulse is not an act of charity. It’s rooted in the understanding and realization of the fact that when we do good to others, we are doing good to our self. And the opposite way! When we do harm to others, we are doing harm to our self.
The spiritual unity and oneness of existence is the foundation of this compassion.”
— quoted from an exchange between a person in attendance and Swami Tattwamayananda (at the end of the guru’s lecture, “4 – The Real and the Unreal: Beyond Pain and Pleasure,” recorded February 22, 2019 as part of the “Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta” lecture series)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The heart-filled playlist used in previous years is available is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08262020 Heart Filled for Teresa & 2 Christophers”]
(The second “Christopher” is Chris Pine, born today in 1980, so I have also previously offered last week’s (Courage filled) playlist, which is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08192020 To Boldly Go with Courage”])
It’s hard to be loving or kind — to yourself or another — when you’re uncomfortable. Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
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).
A Joyful Practice 