love and grief

"If you are in love with the Infinite,

why grieve over the ground washing away in time? - rumi

Meditation is that practice of turning our attention away from that which comes and goes and turning it toward the Eternal.

peace on you,

bob

surrender practice

Meditation is the practice of surrendering 'our way'.   During our practice we notice that often our thoughts and therefore our feelings are not aligned with present reality.  For example we may be thinking about something that happened yesterday and perhaps feeling some anger about it,  While in the present moment there is only the whissshh whissshh sound of the overhead fan in the room.

When we surrender 'our way' our recoil from life (as it presently presents itself) diminishes and we come to see the wonder and mystery of it all.  Gratitude is the fruit of our practice.

may Peace be upon you,
bob

reduction

Life is about reduction. Is it not true that what we acquire weighs us down and that what we release unburdens us? Ultimately we will release everything … why wait for the rude shock at the end?

Meditation is the practice of reduction: ultimately letting go of the idea of me and mine. When this happens, the peace and freedom that is always present shines through and we become overwhelmed with gratitude.

The key, as with anything, is regular practice … practice reduction and ride the horse in the direction it is going ... with or without 'you'.

 Salaam, bob

attachment

Buddhism teaches us that the cause of our suffering is attachment.

 Meditation is the practice of turning our attention away from those things that come and go to That which is eternal. 

In other words, meditation is the practice of non-attachment: letting go of of thought-things.

detach from thoughts,  then detach from the idea of detachment … live free.

bob

meditation

The "meditative state" is impossible to describe in words, however the following Rumi poem points to that wonderful place:


It takes courage of inner majesty to stand in this doorway,
where there is no celebration good fortune,
where talk of luck is embarrassing.


However your robe of patches fits is right.
If you are God's light, keep moving east to west as you have been.
Do not pretend something other than the truth.


Measuring devices do not work in this room
where the love dervishes meet.


No tradition grows here, and no soup simmers.
We sit in pure absence without expectation.
(The Big Red Book - translation by Coleman Barks)


empty yourself utterly and see,
bob

Light

Meditation is emptying; empty yourself utterly. In that empty innocent state we open ourselves to the Light.  Poets, like Rumi point to that Light.


Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.  I'll meet you there.


When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.
(Essential Rumi - translated by Coleman Barks)


peace upon you,
bob

gratitude

Why do we meditate?  There are many views on this. But ultimately, are we not at out best when we are grateful or appreciative? 

When we meditate, we become empty.  When we become empty we notice that everything (every breath, every noise, every smell, every person … everything) is a gift.  Regular practice leads to the appreciative state.

[Quran 2:152] You shall remember Me, that I may remember you, and be thankful to Me; do not be unappreciative.

Perhaps the goal of life, not just our practice, is to become grateful.

peace on you,

bob