peace and freedom

To quote Malcolm X: "You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

Through meditation we find that our bondage, at the root, comes from our thinking …

To find true freedom find the source of thought. Then enjoy Peace.

bob

fruit of meditation practice

Meditation is emptying - empty yourself utterly until you see the Divine everywhere.

(Quran 57:1-2) Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies God - He is the Almighty, the Wise. control of heavens and earth belongs to Him; He gives life and death; He has power over all things.

empty regularly,

bob

release is wisdom

We live in such Mystery! Many of us spend our lives recoiling from the Mystery … we feel more comfortable with the illusion that we are in control, and happier with the mistaken belief that we know what is going to happen in the future. But our direct experience hints at another reality.

In fact, it is our unwillingness to accept our "utter ignorance" that is the root cause of most of our suffering.

While sitting in Silence, we see that we cannot predict even the next thought that will come into our heads. How then can we predict what others will do or what life will offer next? When we realize that we are born into the Mystery, live in the Mystery, and die in Mystery, we find true happiness; gratitude for what is right here right now becomes our dominant experience.

The Quran reminds us of our 'real position' in the scheme of things with:

(18:23) do not say of anything, 'I will do that tomorrow' without adding 'God willing' and, whenever you forget, remember God and say, 'May God guide me closer to what is right'.

This quote is a clear pointer to 'what is right' … living free of the illusion of control.

bob

Eric Hoffer, the Author of "The True Believer" (a must read for those on a 'spiritual path' as it is the clearest warning about cults that I have ever read) points to where meditation eventually leads us:

"Our passionate preoccupation with the sky, the stars, and a God somewhere in outer space is a homing impulse. We are drawn back to where we came from."

meditation is coming home, and regular practice is the key,

bob

that which does not come nor go

Meditation is that act of disconnecting from the created and connecting with the Creator.

When we take time each day to release our cares and our worldly desires and embrace Silence, we shed that which stands between us and immutable Peace. Dive into the Mystery!

bob

In the Quran (2:21) we find: People, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, so that you may be mindful of Him who spread out the earth for you and built the sky; who sent water down from it and with that water produced things for your sustenance. Do not, knowing this, set up rivals to God.

A dear friend of mine (a Lutheran minister) suggests that we can tell who we worship by looking at our check books. Meditation is that practice of turning away from "our check books" and turning toward that which does not come nor go. In that practice we find amazing freedom!

peace,

bob

letting go …

Meditation is at the root about release. Many of us carry around tons of mental burdens. Burdens in the form of resentments, hardened beliefs about how we and others should act, emotional scars from the past, and myriad other stains on our souls.

During our practice periods we let all of this go and enjoy the lightness of the present moment. That which is presently arising, seen without judgment, is sweet indeed!

Practice, practice, practice.

bob