Devon: Glad you're OK ... brings home the fragility of things doesn't it.
I haven't been commenting here because I haven't really been meditating properly and it didn't feel right. Why haven't I? Don't know. Too scattered and tense. I do sit for 5 minutes or so but that doesn't seem like enough ...
All sorts of excuses, but that's all they are. If you all can do it, then there's no reason why I can't .....
I hope everyone is doing well. I have to catch up on some comments here ... but I wanted to break the silence first ....
Just to clarify ... I started going to the Buddhist Centre recently and they teach a mindfulness of breath technique that they recommend students spend 20 minutes a day doing ... and I suppose I've begun to think that anything less than that therefore doesn't count .....
Love to you, Beth. In yours and your Dad's sadness, and the mix of all the other emotions as you go through everything. xo
Devon, oh, that's close! Harnessing some of that electrical energy for home-making would be great. My daily HOME OM meditation continues unabated. Since I have had yet another painting dream, I am thinking to let the need of enough space to paint (which I do not have here, & can't even force out a nook anywhere) guide me in the next few days. Even if most of my household goes into a closer, accessible storage space, we should move to a larger apartment in this area. Oh, the tornado energy seems apt! Things are swirling around and about to be picked up and flung down somewhere else - intact I hope! Sending wishes for the perfect house for you to open its doors in welcome.
Jean, I've posted a few "days" and don't think I ever added the words!
Mary, three long breaths count! Any moment of deep breathing and stillness takes one into that meditative state. No guilt! You probably meditate when you walk, I can imagine that...
Devon, I'm glad you are safe! I used to live in tornado country and they are nothing to be messed with!
Mary, it sounds like you have the same kind of tendency I have to be self-critical about this. I haven't found that to be of much help yet, but I keep trying it — a bit silly of me, eh? Still working on my commitment of five minutes.
Brenda, space for painting sounds eminently sensible for you!
mary i am commenting though i am sitting about 10 minutes every two days. However, I am being much more mindful and aware in rehearsal and I am choosing to count that. Aware of my judgements is part of the awareness and that it pretty scary, but also becoming aware that the music itself is, like the breath, a place where there is no judgement. rehearsals very ego driven. our chef is getting more and more that way. I am trying to stay with my faith in the music. so mary, i think being aware of your own judgement that your are not meditating enough is a good place to come back in????
beth, lots of loving thoughts to you and your father. how lucky he is to have you.
Reading Middlesex, I remember the worry beads given to me by an old fisherman in Molivos, and I look through pockets of all the sweaters and jackets I could find. I used to carry them with me all the time so I could finger them (hidden in my lap during interminable boring faculty meetings) and drift away to dream of beaches and ouzo and calamari.
I still haven’t found them, but then I moved on to my rosewood mala. Sometimes I use it for chanting or just to time myself. I know how long it takes to move around 108 beads.
So, here’s the point of this whole preamble. I have a question for those of you here who are familiar with Buddhist practices (I know there are a few of you). I’ve forgotten the significance of the number 108 … 108 bows, 108 beads. I think there are differing stories on this. Would you remind me, please
Waiting to hear from you while I continue to worry along searching for the worry beads.
Devon, I'm glad you weren't touched by the tornadoes: they're scary! I hope the cats have recovered from their storm-panic.
Mary, rest assured that it ALL counts: 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 minute. It's the *waking up* that's important, so it doesn't matter how *long* you spend doing it. There have been many retreats where I've pretty much goofed off for most of the sittings, only "really" clicking into focus right at the end. So I would have probably been better served to have skipped all the goofing off & just sat 5 minutes with complete concentration!
Janice, the number 108 is a carry-over from Hinduism. In Hindu philosophy, there are 108 defilements that humanity is prone toward, so each mantra, bead, or bow is supposed to help practitioners avoid each one of them.
9 Comments:
Devon: Glad you're OK ... brings home the fragility of things doesn't it.
I haven't been commenting here because I haven't really been meditating properly and it didn't feel right. Why haven't I? Don't know. Too scattered and tense. I do sit for 5 minutes or so but that doesn't seem like enough ...
All sorts of excuses, but that's all they are. If you all can do it, then there's no reason why I can't .....
I hope everyone is doing well. I have to catch up on some comments here ... but I wanted to break the silence first ....
Mary, it counts! Sitting for 5 minutes counts. Sitting for 1 minute counts. Sitting even though you feel scattered counts especially.
Devon, oooh, glad the tornado passed you by.
Jean, thank you. But I feel it doesn't .... it feels like a pathetic excuse for "proper" meditation, i.e. 20+ mins.
Maybe I just like beating myself up!
Just to clarify ... I started going to the Buddhist Centre recently and they teach a mindfulness of breath technique that they recommend students spend 20 minutes a day doing ... and I suppose I've begun to think that anything less than that therefore doesn't count .....
Love to you, Beth. In yours and your Dad's sadness, and the mix of all the other emotions as you go through everything. xo
Devon, oh, that's close! Harnessing some of that electrical energy for home-making would be great. My daily HOME OM meditation continues unabated. Since I have had yet another painting dream, I am thinking to let the need of enough space to paint (which I do not have here, & can't even force out a nook anywhere) guide me in the next few days. Even if most of my household goes into a closer, accessible storage space, we should move to a larger apartment in this area. Oh, the tornado energy seems apt! Things are swirling around and about to be picked up and flung down somewhere else - intact I hope! Sending wishes for the perfect house for you to open its doors in welcome.
Jean, I've posted a few "days" and don't think I ever added the words!
Mary, three long breaths count! Any moment of deep breathing and stillness takes one into that meditative state. No guilt! You probably meditate when you walk, I can imagine that...
((Beth))
Devon, I'm glad you are safe! I used to live in tornado country and they are nothing to be messed with!
Mary, it sounds like you have the same kind of tendency I have to be self-critical about this. I haven't found that to be of much help yet, but I keep trying it — a bit silly of me, eh? Still working on my commitment of five minutes.
Brenda, space for painting sounds eminently sensible for you!
How is it possible we are up to Day Ninety?!
lovely to have your poetic voice back mb.
mary i am commenting though i am sitting about 10 minutes every two days. However, I am being much more mindful and aware in rehearsal and I am choosing to count that. Aware of my judgements is part of the awareness and that it pretty scary, but also becoming aware that the music itself is, like the breath, a place where there is no judgement. rehearsals very ego driven. our chef is getting more and more that way. I am trying to stay with my faith in the music. so mary, i think being aware of your own judgement that your are not meditating enough is a good place to come back in????
beth, lots of loving thoughts to you and your father. how lucky he is to have you.
Reading Middlesex, I remember the worry beads given to me by an old fisherman in Molivos, and I look through pockets of all the sweaters and jackets I could find. I used to carry them with me all the time so I could finger them (hidden in my lap during interminable boring faculty meetings) and drift away to dream of beaches and ouzo and calamari.
I still haven’t found them, but then I moved on to my rosewood mala. Sometimes I use it for chanting or just to time myself. I know how long it takes to move around 108 beads.
So, here’s the point of this whole preamble. I have a question for those of you here who are familiar with Buddhist practices (I know there are a few of you). I’ve forgotten the significance of the number 108 … 108 bows, 108 beads. I think there are differing stories on this. Would you remind me, please
Waiting to hear from you while I continue to worry along searching for the worry beads.
Devon, I'm glad you weren't touched by the tornadoes: they're scary! I hope the cats have recovered from their storm-panic.
Mary, rest assured that it ALL counts: 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 minute. It's the *waking up* that's important, so it doesn't matter how *long* you spend doing it. There have been many retreats where I've pretty much goofed off for most of the sittings, only "really" clicking into focus right at the end. So I would have probably been better served to have skipped all the goofing off & just sat 5 minutes with complete concentration!
Janice, the number 108 is a carry-over from Hinduism. In Hindu philosophy, there are 108 defilements that humanity is prone toward, so each mantra, bead, or bow is supposed to help practitioners avoid each one of them.
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