the cave

"There was something sacred about this place.  No longer distracted by anything external; he was finally able to bask in his own existence.  And found it splendid.  After a while he forgot his plans and obsessions."

"Perfume" the movie.

empty yourself utterly.
bob

reverence

The sweetest fruit of regular practice is reverence.

Reverence is a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe and love; veneration.  I'm reminded of a passage from the Quran (24:41):


Do you not see that all those who are in the heavens and earth praise God, as do the birds with wings outstretched?  Each knows its own way of prayer and glorification:  God has full knowledge of what they do.

What is your own way of reverence?

bob

distractions

Meditation is that practice of turning our attention away from that which comes and goes towards that which does not come and go (The Eternal).

O people, God's promise is the truth; therefore, do not be distracted by this lowly life. Do not be diverted from God by mere illusions.
Quran 35:5

peace upon you,
bob

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