First Friday Night Special #46: Saying Yes to Life and to the “Impossible” & EXCERPT: “The Powerful Possibilities That Come From ‘A Brother’s Love’” August 2, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, James Baldwin, Life, Loss, Love, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wisdom, Writing, Yin Yoga, Yoga.Tags: 988, Aimee Lehto, America, Beau Lotto, being present, Boyd Croyner, Civil Rights, courage, Emily Dickinson, inspiration, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, PRIDE, Richard Avedon, samskāras, truth, vasanas, yoga
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
“The light that’s in your eyes / reminds me of the skies / that shine above us every day—so wrote a contemporary lover, out of God knows what agony, what hope, and what despair. But he saw the light in the eyes, which is the only light there is in the world, and honored it and trusted it; and will always be able to find it; since it is always there, waiting to be found. One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light. It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere, to know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light. What the light reveals is danger, and what it demands is faith.”
“What a journey this life is! dependent, entirely, on things unseen.”
— quoted from the essay “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin (b. 1924), original published as part of a collaboration with Richard Avedon
Born today in Harlem, New York, in 1924, the author James Baldwin was — by his own words (see excerpt below) — an impossible person. He was someone who said yes to life and yes to the light inside of himself. He was someone, as Maya Angelou pointed out, who lived with his whole heart and encouraged others to do the same.
To live with one’s whole heart is the original meaning of “courage,” a word James Baldwin put in the same category as words like “artist,” “integrity,” “nobility,” “peace,” and “integration.” Words that, he said (in the speech “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity”), “[depend] on choices one has got to make, for ever and ever and ever, every day.”
Of course, to make those choices wisely, we need to have some semblance of balance — especially as it relates to the heart.
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
FTWMI: The Powerful Possibilities That Come From “A Brother’s Love”
“I have slept on rooftops and in basements and subways, have been cold and hungry all my life; have felt that no fire would ever warm me, and no arms would ever hold me. I have been, as the song says, ‘buked and scorned and I know that I always will be. But, my God, in that darkness, which was the lot of my ancestors and my own state, what a mighty fire burned! In that darkness of rape and degradation, that fine flying froth and mist of blood, through all that terror and in all that helplessness, a living soul moved and refused to die. We really emptied oceans with a home-made spoon and tore down mountains with our hands. And if love was in Hong Kong, we learned how to swim.
It is a mighty heritage, it is the human heritage, and it is all there is to trust. And I learned this through descending, as it were, into the eyes of my father and my mother. I wondered, when I was little, how they bore it—for I knew that they had much to bear. It had not yet occurred to me that I also would have much to bear; but they knew it, and the unimaginable rigors of their journey helped them to prepare me for mine. This is why one must say Yes to life and embrace it wherever it is found—and it is found in terrible places; nevertheless, there it is; and if the father can say, Yes. Lord, the child can learn that most difficult of words, Amen.”
— quoted from the essay “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin (b. 1924), original published as part of a collaboration with Richard Avedon
Please join me tonight (Friday, August 2, 2024), 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Saying Yes to Life and to the ‘Impossible.’” 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.
This Yin Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” 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.
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.
NOTE: The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration. Start with track 1, 8, or 10.
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.
### MORE LOVE ###
EXCERPT: “Interior Movements” July 31, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alan G. McDougall, Contemplation, discernment, kriya yoga, Patrick J. Ryan S.J., Saint Ignatius of Loyola, spirits, Spiritual Exercises, svādhyāya, tapas, Yoga Sutra 2.1, Yoga Sutra 2.44, īśvarapraṇidhāna
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Many blessings to everyone observing the Feast Day of Saint Ignatius and especially to anyone contemplating and working for peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
“He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.”
— the August 14th aphorism quoted from Thoughts of St. Ignatius Loyola for Every Day of the Year (with a new introduction by Patrick J. Ryan, S.J. and the Forward to the 1928 Edition by Alan G. McDougall)
Saint Ignatius of Loyola died today in 1556. Click on the excerpt title below for more.
Interior Movements (the “missing” Sunday post, with Monday notes)
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 31st) 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 “07292023 Still Breathing, Noting, Here & at the UN”]
NOTE: Click on the excerpt title above for other playlist options.
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.
### MORE PEACE ###
A Quick Note & Excerpt: “Sitting in Grace & ‘A center of stillness surrounded by silence’” (a Monday post-practice post) July 29, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Vipassana, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Dag Hammerskjöld, Daniel Goleman, Joseph Goldstein, Mahāṭīkā, Mahāsī Sayādaw, meditation, Mindfulness, Theraveda Buddhism, United Nations, Vipassana, Vipassanā, Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee, yoga practice
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working for peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, July 29th. The 2024 prompt question was, “What do you appreciate about your practice(s)?” (Noting that this can be related to any practice.) 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.
“The Mahāṭīkā says that the delight leads to jhāna [meditation] in certain cases. However, this does not mean that it cannot also give rise to insight concentration. Some Pāḷi texts explicitly mention that spiritual delight leads to the wholesome arising of other mental states such as rapture, calm (passaddhi), happiness (sukha), concentration, and knowledge of things as they really are (yathābhūtañāṇa). In the context of insight practice, every time one notes an object well it gives rise to delight. As a result of this, practice becomes enjoyable. This enjoyment in turn supports the progress of insight knowledge, step by step, until noble ones are liberated from the cycle of suffering. This is why delight is regarded as a cause of liberation for the noble ones.”
— quoted from the “Delight and laziness” section of “2. Purification of Mind: Liberations and Hindrances” in Manual of Insight by Venerable Mahāsi Sayadaw, translated and edited by the Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee (Forwards by Joseph Goldstein and Daniel Goleman)
One of the things I find delightful and amazing about mindfulness-based practices — and particularly about my yoga and meditation practices — is that they meet you where you are, accept you as you are, and embrace all that you are.
Then, the practices encourage you to do the same for yourself (and, eventually for others).
I appreciate that this means we can practice even when we don’t feel super motivated to do anything (including a practice). I also appreciate that this means we can adapt and adjust the practice as needed — based on how we’re feeling, where we are, and/or what else we need to do in the course of the day. Finally, I appreciate that regardless of how any one of us feels about props, music, teachers, and other practitioners (all of which I love), we don’t need them to practice.
All any one of us needs to practice is our breath and our awareness of our breath.
Which means we can practice anywhere — including at the United Nations Headquarters.
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
Sitting in Grace & FTWMI: “A center of stillness surrounded by silence”
“…delight will arise spontaneously when one’s mindfulness, concentration, and insight mature. There is generally no need to try to deliberately develop it. However, when laziness is an obstacle, one should arouse delight by contemplating the virtues of the Triple Gem, the benefits of insight, how much one has purified one’s moral conduct since beginning to practice, or the pure and noble quality of the noting mind.”
— quoted from the “Delight and laziness” section of “2. Purification of Mind: Liberations and Hindrances” in Manual of Insight by Venerable Mahāsi Sayadaw, translated and edited by the Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee (Forwards by Joseph Goldstein and Daniel Goleman)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The 2023 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07292023 Still Breathing, Noting, Here & at the UN”]
The 2020 playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07292020 Breathing, Noting, Here & at the UN”]
“The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding inside.”
— quoted from Markings by Dag Hammerskjöld
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).
### Peace In, Peace Out ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts About Sleeping (& Dreaming) July 27, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: dreams, National Sleepy Head Day, sleep, sleeping, Yoga Sutra 1.10, Yoga Sutra 1.38, Yoga Sutra 2.20
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to the “sleepyheads” and anyone dreaming of and working for peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
Yoga Sūtra 1.10: abhāvapratyayālambanā tamovrittirnidrā
— “[Deep or dreamless] Sleep is the mental activity based on the absence of other mental content.”
Do you remember your dreams? Are they vivid? Even more importantly, do you consider your dreams?
Over the last couple of days, I have had several conversations about dreams and the idea that they are the way all the different parts of of mind (conscious, subconscious, and unconscious) communicate with each other. I don’t sleep on my dreams. I am of the mindset that we work out things in our dreams that we haven’t quite worked out in our waking hours. To be clear, that doesn’t preclude dreams of a mystical nature. However, regardless of the source of our dreams, Yoga Sūtra 2.20 signifies that the things we dream are things our mind/intellect believes we will understand. In other words, we show ourselves things we think we will understand — and we do it for a reason.
Consider that idea for a moment. What if what we dream is what we need to understand in order to move through the world with more ease and grace, more freedom and fulfillment?
Now, click on the excerpt titles below to find out about National Sleepy Head Day (in Finland).
Yoga Sūtra 1.38: svapna nidrā jñānālambanaṁ
— “Or by meditating on the knowledge gained from dreams and sleep, one acquires stability of mind.”
Please join me today (Saturday, July 27th) 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 “07272021 National Sleepy Head Day”]
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.
### Don’t Sleep On Your Dreams! ###
Wednesday’s Quick Note & Excerpts About Symbols and Faith (the “missing” post) July 24, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, First Nations, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wisdom, Yin Yoga, Yoga.Tags: "Major Heat", 988, Alex Johnson, Bannock, Brian Maffly, Brigham Young, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Dà shǔ, Diamond Sutra, Dr. Gill, Efrem Korngold L.A.c. O.M.D., faith, Goshute, Harriet Beinfield L.Ac., Intertribal Powwow, John Newton, Navajo, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Paiute, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Pie and Beer Day, Pioneer Day, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Shoshone, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, tapas, Ute, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, White Mesa Community of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, 大暑
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone practicing peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
This is the “missing” note and excerpts related to Wednesday, July 24th. 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.
“The lord Buddha continued:
‘If any person were to say that the Buddha, in his teachings, has constantly referred to himself, to other selves, to living beings, or to a universal self, what do you think, would that person have understood my meaning?’
Subhuti replied, ‘No, blessed lord. That person would not have understood the meaning of your teachings. For when you refer to those things, you are not referring to their actual existence, you only use the words as figures of speech, as symbols. Only in that sense can words be used, for conceptions, ideas, limited truths, and spiritual truths have no more reality than have matter or phenomena.’”
— quoted from “Chapter 31” of the Diamond Sutra – A New Translation, translated by Alex Johnson
Using food as a symbol comes up a lot during this week’s practices. Monday it was tacos, Wednesday it was pie. It could have been pie and beer; but, since I don’t drink, I didn’t think to ask people what kind of beer represented their faith. In the past, no one really pointed out my oversight. However, it came up this year and it turns out that (when they think about it for a moment) people had really good answers.
Of course, by “good,” I mean meaningful.
Click on the excerpt titles below to find out why pie and beer come up today, what other foods people consume this time of year, and what it all has to do with faith and our origin stories.
Symbols for Reflection & Self-Study (the “missing” Monday post)
“Since everything is connected by the circle, health is understood broadly, defining the whole being within the social and natural order. What is good for nature is good for humanity, what is good for one is good for all, what is good for the mind is good for the body, and so on. To harm a part is to harm the whole. What is bad for the heart is bad for the body, what damages one person damages all people, what injures the earth injures me. Conversely, to restore and preserve the good health of one body and mind is to foster the well-being of the whole, the earth and all life upon it.”
— quoted from “Chapter Three – Philosophy in the East: The Doctor As Gardener” in Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O. M. D.
Dà shǔ “Major Heat” 2023 (an updated and revised post) *UPDATED*
“For generations, various Shoshone bands gathered on the lake’s shores for an annual fish festival to celebrate the lake’s bounty, according to Mary Murdock Meyer, chief executive of the Timpanogos Nation.
‘Our people raised families around these waters. We laughed and played. We worked and toiled. We swam. We fished. We utilized the surrounding foliage to make the necessary tools and medicines,’ Meyer said at last year’s Utah Lake Symposium. ‘Above all, we prayed. We held ceremonies. We danced, and we sang around the lake.’
Within a century of the pioneers’ arrival, much of this biological diversity would, like the Timpanogos, be gone….”
— quoted from The Salt Lake Tribune (March 31, 2022) article entitled, “How Utah Lake once sustained tribes and Mormon pioneers and why it needs help: After neglecting it for decades, Utahns want to make Utah Lake great again, but are sharply divided over how or even what that means.” by Brian Maffly
Wednesday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify.
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).
“Family worship succeeding, the portion of the Scripture read had in it the following words, ‘By the Grace of God I am what I am,’ –– It was [John Newton’s] custom to make a short familiar exposition on the passage read. After the reading, he paused for some moments and then uttered the following affected words –– –I am not what I ought to be — ah, how imperfect and deficient – I am not what I wish to be, I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good –– I am not what I hope to be — soon, soon shall I put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection –– yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowledge; by the grace of God I am what I am, Let us pray.”
— quoted from passage entitled “Anecdote of Mr. John Newton” by Dr. Gill, in the “Gleanings” section of The Religious Monitor, or, Evangelical Repository (March 1825)
NOTE: John Newton was born July 24, 1725, according to the Julian calendar.
### Don’t Forget Your H2O ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts About Using the Hook… (the “missing” Saturday post) July 20, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Mantra, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Poetry, Suffering, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Carlos Santana, Emily Perl Kingsley, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Four R's, Neal Schon, Pema Chödrön, Rosemary Kennedy, Sahasrara, Santana, shenpa, Shenpa & The Practice of Getting Unhooked, Special Olympics
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone putting together the pieces for peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is the “missing” note and excerpts related to the practice on Saturday, July 20th. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a related 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.
“Today
Is all I really need to find the answers
I’ll find the constant flow
Of all the harmony”
— quoted from the song “All the Love of the Universe” by Carlos Santana (b. 07/20/1947), written by Carlos Santana / Neal Schon
This present moment is the culmination of all our previous moments and — whether we recognize it or not — it is informed by our previous moments So, right here, right now, we all come into this present moment with stuff. Without judging or categorizing the stuff, just recognize that it is a lot of stuff and because we bring this stuff into the moment — and into the practice — each moment and each practice is unique. Even when we repeat a sequence and/or a theme, there is something that is new and different.
Yes, the fact that different people show up at different times means that some things will be different. Plus, I often tweak the sequence, how I cue it, and/or which parts of the theme to share. I may even remix the music or use a different playlist. All of that is part of “the stuff.” So too is how our bodies change as we practice and as we age. So too is whatever is going on in our lives and in the world. All of that (plus how we feel about all of that and how we process all of that) is “the stuff” that makes this present moment different from all the other moments.
All of the aforementioned stuff is the energetic and symbolic purview of the Sahasrara (“thousand-petalled”) chakra. Also known as the crown chakra, the seventh chakra is associated with the top of the head; thought, consciousness, and self-knowledge. Some teachers also associate it with our connection to the Divine/Source (whatever that means to you at this moment). Finally, it is associated with this present moment and one’s ability to be present in (any given) moment.
Of course, our ability to truly be present and to truly comprehend the present moment — as well as understand how this present moment is informed by previous moments and will inform future moments — can be hampered when we get “hooked” because something or someone pushed our buttons. Throughout this last week, as we practiced with Pema Chödrön’s teachings related to the the R’s, I have mostly referenced “the hook” in a negative way. However….
Click on the excerpt titles below to learn about a different kind of hook and how past experiences that hook you can also motivate you to create change in the world.
Using the “hook” to get unhooked (the “missing” Tuesday post)
“Like diabetes, deafness, polio or any other misfortune, [intellectual disabilities] can happen in any family. It has happened in the families of the poor and the rich, of governors, senators, Nobel prizewinners, doctors, lawyers, writers, men of genius, presidents of corporations – the President of the United States.”
— quoted from a September 22, 1962 article by Eunice Kennedy Shriver printed in The Saturday Evening Post
“But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.”
— quoted from “Welcome to Holland” by Emily Perl Kingsley ©1987
“Everybody needs a helpin’ hand
Everybody needs a helpin’ hand”
— quoted from the song “All the Love of the Universe” by Carlos Santana (b. 07/20/1947), written by Carlos Santana / Neal Schon
Saturday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07202021 Using the Hook”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist has an extra track in the before/after section.
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).
### BIG HUGS ###
EXCERPT: “A Little Grace [plus] Compassion and Peace (with regards to Ralph Waldo Emerson)” July 15, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Harvard Divinity School, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Religion, shenpa, transcendentalism, yoga philosophy, yoga practice
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone practicing peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, July 15th. The 2024 prompt question was, “When is it hard for you to offer compassion (to yourself and/or to someone else)?” 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.
“The intuition of the moral sentiment is an insight of the perfection of the laws of the soul. These laws execute themselves. They are out of time, out of space, and not subject to circumstance. Thus; in the soul of man there is a justice whose retributions are instant and entire. He who does a good deed, is instantly ennobled. He who does a mean deed, is by the action itself contracted. He who puts off impurity, thereby puts on purity. If a man is at heart just, then in so far is he God; the safety of God, the immortality of God, the majesty of God do enter into that man with justice. If a man dissemble, deceive, he deceives himself, and goes out of acquaintance with his own being. A man in the view of absolute goodness, adores, with total humility. Every step so downward, is a step upward. The man who renounces himself, comes to himself.”
— quoted from the 1838 “Divinity School Address” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
On July 15, 1838, Ralph Waldo Emerson addressed the Harvard Divinity School graduating class. Click on the excerpt title below to find out why that speech pushed so many people’s buttons (and got him banned from his alma mater for 27 years… and 6 days).
A Little Grace & FTWMI: Compassion and Peace (with regards to Ralph Waldo Emerson)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
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).
### Peace In, Peace Out ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts About Practicing the R’s July 14, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Anushka Fernandopulle, attachment, Buddhism, compassion, compassionate abiding, Elephant Journal, loving-kindness, lovingkindness, Matt Caron, Metta, non-attachment, Pema Chödrön, Pema Chodron, shenpa, Shenpa & The Practice of Getting Unhooked, yoga philosophy
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone practicing peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“Somebody says a mean word to you and then something in you tightens — that’s the shenpa. Then it starts to spiral into low self-esteem, or blaming them, or anger at them, denigrating yourself. And maybe if you have strong addictions, you just go right for your addiction to cover over the bad feeling that arose when that person said that mean word to you. This is a mean word that gets you, hooks you. Another mean word may not affect you but we’re talking about where it touches that sore place — that’s a shenpa. Someone criticizes you — they criticize your work, they criticize your appearance, they criticize your child — and, shenpa: almost co-arising.”
— Pema Chödrön
For the record, I am not going to say, practice, teach (or preach) anything I haven’t been teaching, practicing, and saying (or preaching) for years. Maybe I will tweak the phrasing. Maybe you will hear/see/understand things in a special way — thereby gaining new insight. Either way, regardless of all that is happening in the world, it still comes back to this: Sometimes the only thing you can do is not make it worse.
Yes, sometimes we can do things that make our life and the lives around us better. Sometimes we can write legislation, vote for legislation, and/or vote for people who write and/or vote for legislation that creates more opportunity for peace, freedom, prosperity, and wisdom. Sometimes we can create organizations or work, volunteer, and/or donate to organizations that cultivate peace, freedom, prosperity, and wisdom. There are, however, times when we are too poor — in spirit, heart/courage, skills, and/or material resources — to do anything other than send “thoughts and prayers.”
All that being, I am of the mindset that we can not know what we are able to do and/or what is the best way to respond — rather than react — until we sit down, get still, get quiet, and get honest about our intentions. Once we are grounded and centered, then we can act accordingly. In other words, practice the four R’s:
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RECOGNIZE (that your buttons have gotten pushed and you have the urge/impulse to react).
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REFRAIN (from doing anything, especially that knee jerk reaction).
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RELAX (maybe breathe peace in and breath peace out, or do use a centering prayer).
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RESOLVE (to move forward with mindfulness and intention).
This is the practice taught by the American Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, who was born today in 1936. I often add another R (or two):
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REMEMBER (your intention and why you are doing the thing you are doing).
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RECOGNIZE (again, that sometimes the only thing you can do is not make it worse).
You may be thinking, I don’t have time for all that “navel gazing” and introspection. And, yes, there are definitely times that require a quick response. At the same time, if you make this practice a habit, it only takes a split second to engage when you really need it.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE!
“By trying this, we learn exactly where we are open and where we are closed. We learn quickly where we would do well to just practice abiding compassionately with our own confused feelings, before we try to work with other people, because right now our efforts would probably make a bigger mess. I know many people who want to be teachers, or feed the homeless, or start clinics, or try in some way to truly help others. Despite their generous intentions, they don’t always realize that if they plan to work closely with people they may be in for a lot of difficulty—a lot of feeling hooked. The people they hope to help will not always see them as saviors. In fact, they will probably criticize them and give them a hard time. Teachers and helpers of all kinds will be of limited use if they are doing their work to build up their own egos.”
— quoted from “Unlimited Friendliness: Three steps to genuine compassion” (Winter 2009 issue of Tricycle) by Pema Chödrön
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, July 14th) 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 “07142020 Compassion & Peace for Pema”]
“Prince Guatama, who had become Buddha, saw one of his followers meditating under a tree at the edge of the Ganges River. Upon inquiring why he was meditating, his follower stated he was attempting to become so enlightened he could cross the river unaided. Buddha gave him a few pennies and said: “Why don’t you seek passage with that boatman. It is much easier.”
— quoted from Matt Caron and from Elephant Journal
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.
### OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI OM ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts About Origins and Memories July 10, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow, Code of Hammurabi, creationism, evolution, First Amendment, John T. Scopes, Marcel Proust, Nigel Tomm, Scopes Monkey Trial, William Jennings Bryan, Yoga Sutra 1.11, Yoga Sutra 1.43, Yoga Sutra 1.6, Yoga Sutra 4.9
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone making memories full of peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“We are able to find everything in our memory, which is like a dispensary or chemical laboratory in which chance steers our hand sometimes to a soothing drug and sometimes to a dangerous poison.”
— quoted from The Captive, Volume 5 of Remembrance of Things Past (or In Search of Lost Time) by Marcel Proust
It is super ironic that I have a hard time remembering that today (July 10th) is the anniversary of the birth of the French author Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust, who was born today in 1871 (in Auteuil, Paris, France). This lapse in memory is not new. In fact, I could weave in a little Yoga Philosophy — see Yoga Sūtras 1.6, 1.11, 4.9, and maybe 1.43 — and tell you a long and funny story about the origins of this gap in my mind. However, my long story wouldn’t be nearly as long as the Marcel Proust’s most well-known tome: À la recherche du temps perdu. Known in English as Remembrance of Things Past or In Search of Lost Time, it is 1,267,069 words and was printed in 7 volumes over 14 years (1913-1927). At the time of its publication, it was the longest novel every written. Today, I believe it ranks as the 6th longest novel. (Although that ranking annoyingly places it behind The Blah Story by Nigel Tomm, which includes pages with just one word: Blah.)
Marcel Proust wrote all about the origins of our memories and how we recollect things, at will and involuntarily. In doing so, pointed out that we have fool hearted memories, whimsical memories, and memories that have gaps. That is just part of being human. We have faulty memories. Strong emotions (and preconceived notions) can sharpen our awareness of certain things, causing us to forget things, remember things in the wrong order, and/or misremember things all together. Another thing that can create faulty memories is the way we learn about things — especially things about which we (or our teachers) have strong emotions. Throw in a situation none of us were around to witness and watch the sparks fly.
“We will now discuss in a little more detail the struggle for existence…. I should premise that I use the term Struggle for Existence in a large and metaphorical sense, including dependence of one being on another, and including (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny.”
— from On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin (pub. 1859)
Today in 1925, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, better known as “The Scopes Monkey Trial,” kicked off in Dayton Tennessee. Click the excerpt title below for more.
“It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”
— from The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin (pub. 1871)
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 10th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07102024 ‘Scoping’ Memories”]
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.
### [What] Will You Remember? ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts About Life and Cultivating a Good Heart July 6, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Love, Meditation, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, bodhicitta, bodhisattva, Buddhism, Dalai Lama, Geshé Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, Geshé Langri Tangpa, lojong, loving-kindness, lovingkindness, samkhya, siddhis, Sāmkhya, Tenzin Gyatso, yoga philosophy
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating a heart full of peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion.”
— quoted from the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (December 10, 1989)
Today is the Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday and, even as he recovers from knee surgery here in the United States, he is focused on suhrit-prapti (“the ability to cultivate a good heart; obtain friends”), which is one of the siddhis (“abilities”) described as “unique to being human” in Yoga and Sāmkhya. In the aforementioned philosophies, as well as in Buddhism, lessons of the heart are also lessons of the mind. In fact, the entirety of the Yoga Sūtras could be considered mind training techniques.
As I mentioned in 2020, the Dalai Lama celebrated his 85th birthday by giving “A Short Teaching on Mind Training” to a group in Taiwan. (He was in India.) He focused his dharma talk on the end of Geshé Langri Tangpa’s Eight Verses for Training the Mind. In Tibetan Buddhism, lojong are “mind training” techniques to prepare a practitioner for a variety of loving-kindness and compassion practices. They are aphorisms designed to cultivate bodhicitta (the awakened of enlightened mind/intellect). The most common lojong practices in the West are approximately 59 statements found in a 12th century text by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje. Geshé Chekawa based his instruction on the teachings of Geshé Langri Tangpa (which is whole story unto itself). While the Dalai Lama focused on the end of the text in 2020, he has previously taught and written about the entire text — and in particular, the eight verses.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE!
A Big G’s Gift On His Birthday (with video)
The Power and Responsibility of Cultivating a Good Heart (the Wednesday post)
“In all my deeds may I probe into my mind,
And as soon as mental and emotional afflictions arise-
As they endanger myself and others-
May I strongly confront them and avert them.”
— Verse 3 from Eight Verses for Training the Mind by Geshé Langri Tangpa
Please join me today (Saturday, July 6th) 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 is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07062021 HHDL Big Day”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes the Dalai Lama’s 2021 birthday message. Since it was not available on Spotify, I substituted a prayer.
“The whole world naturally seeks peace, and peace is rooted in having a good heart.”
“I believe we can combine our traditional [Tibetan] understanding of the mind and modern science to show how to cultivate love and compassion and achieve peace of mind. We all want to be happy and fundamental to that is having a good heart.”
— quoted from the speech to the 8th World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet (in Washington, D. C., June 22-23, 2022) by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
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.
A Joyful Practice 