Good morning! Welcome to the DKos Sangha weekly open thread.
This is an open thread for members of the DKos Sangha and others who are interested in discussions concerning how we integrate our progressive political activism into our spiritual practice. If you have observations about the political discourse of the week, or about practice, or about anything else related to walking a spiritual path through the political world, if you wish to share, or if you seek support, or if you simply want to say hello, please do; this space is for you.
If you would like to write a diary for the DKos Sangha, please let me know.
If you care nothing for spiritual practice and only wish to denigrate and disparage, please do so elsewhere, and respect that this is a community diary for the DKos Sangha.
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My recollection is that I've probably been writing a lot about "when conditioning arises", when something or someone causes a reactive pattern to arise within mind. If I write a lot about it, I suppose it is because the subject is so important to progress along the spiritual path.
When we react to a situation, it is often with tension or stress. There is a contraction felt within the body; though if one is caught up in the story, the contraction may not be noticed. And this reactive conditioning arises in response to little things and big things, all throughout the day; and is the cause of why so many people lead lives of quiet, or not so quiet, suffering.
But when one is on the spiritual path, when one has begun to bring their attention to these reactive patterns, there is the opportunity to see that these patterns are not who we really are; there is the opportunity to notice that what is arising, the anger or frustration or annoyance, is something apart from our true nature; that in the noticing there is the realization that there is a noticer who sees what is arising and a space within which conditioning arises.
This noticing becomes transformational. As we open more and more to what is arising within us in this moment throughout each day, our moment to moment day to day experience begins to change; our relationship with the world around us begins to change. As our identification with reactive conditioning fades, and it is just seen as something that is arising in the moment, the suffering that accompanies conditioning fades as well. Day to day life is a lot more pleasant, even in challenging situations.
And as our individual suffering fades, there is a feeling of gratitude. Thus, when reactive conditioning arises again, it is welcomed; for therein is the opportunity for conditioning to fade further, therein is the invitation to open further, to open deeper into our true nature, freed from the bonds of conditioning, freed from the suffering that was once our daily lives.
This journey we are on, this precious gift of a human life, is amazing. There is so much revealed in each day when the filter of egoic conditioning has been lifted. There is so much that is missed when we are caught up in the stories, the dramas, the running commentary in mind, the endless stream of thoughts that egoic conditioning creates about our experience.
Life is sometimes challenging; and that's okay. But in the midst of the challenges there is the beauty, the mystery, the wonder, the gratitude, the love.
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Breathe
Feel into the body
Open the heart
Generate loving kindness for all beings
Be that from which, through which, within which,
all things are made manifest
Namaste
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You are welcome to join us each week in our Monday night group meditation here at DKos Sangha. This online group meditation is hosted by Ooooh, and the diary is posted at 7:00 Eastern. So that we are able to be together for as many here at Daily Kos as wish to participate, the meditation period runs from 7:30 to 10:00 Eastern. This group sitting is open to beginners and advanced, and is not restricted to any particular traditions or practices. It is not expected that you sit for the entire period; sit for as long as you like, when you like. The idea is that we are here together; supporting each other, holding space for each other.
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Enjoy your day!
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