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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Before beginning the journey upon a spiritual path, most people go through life believing that the stories running through mind are "reality"; most are unaware that it could be otherwise. They aren't necessarily happy with that situation; most are dealing with frustration, disappointment, irritation, anger, annoyance, doubt, fear, etc, one or more of these pretty much every day.
Most search for relief from external sources. Watching tv, going to a sporting event, dinner with friends; these things can often bring a temporary respite. But the pleasures are soon replaced, as the all too familiar patterns soon fill the space of one's experience.
Some will begin questioning this "reality"; and some will at some point find themselves on a spiritual path.
For many who begin this journey, the going can seem difficult. For instance, just establishing a meditation practice, or hatha yoga practice, or mindfulness practice, or whatever practice, can seem to take a lot of effort.
But the interesting thing is that at some point, and it can take a while, but at some point along the spiritual journey, one's life will become more effortless. The frustration, disappointment, irritation, etc slowly fade. The stories running through mind about our experience, and all the disagreeableness that arises with them, fade; and we experience the world around us directly, unfiltered by the stories.
And the really interesting thing is that we discover that the stories take effort. We discover that we've been expending a lot of energy running these stories in mind all the time. And at that point, it becomes easier to let go of the burden of the stories, and just be as we are in the moment.
For most who enter upon a spiritual path, the going will not be easy. But the alternative, being stuck in the stories of mind, being stuck in the endless day after day frustrations of that "reality", is not easy either. In that world, happiness is only temporary.
But when the stories of mind, the stream of thoughts, the reactive patterns, conditioning, when they are seen through, when they fall away, when we experience life just as it is in the moment, then life becomes more effortless, lighter, free.
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Just for a moment, look up into the sky. Day or night, clear or cloudy, doesn't matter. Look up into the sky, through the clouds, the atmosphere, the stars, into the immensity of the universe. Let go of thoughts, and just experience this.
You may notice a feeling of awe, or perhaps joy, or maybe wonder. Be with this feeling. Again, let go of any thought about the feeling; just be with it. Notice where it is arising. Notice the space within which it is arising; the same space within which the universe is arising.
Notice that within this sense of wonder or joy is a connectedness. Notice that this body, this mind, this heart, this sky, this universe are all happening right here, right now, together, as one experience, one wondrous, awesome, joyful, experience. Not even an experience; it all just is.
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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