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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Breathing; being.
Sipping coffee in the stillness.
A crow calls in the distance.
This space extends into the trees outside the window;
the far ridge
and morning sky
glimpsed beyond them.
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It can be helpful to make space in one's morning routine for stillness. For many, the morning is a constant rush from the time the alarm goes off until arrival at the workplace. But a few minutes of stillness, whether formal sitting on a cushion or informal sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee, allows one to check in and connect with the core of one's being. A few minutes of stillness grounds one into the simple beingness that is our true nature; the beingness that gets covered over by the thoughts and stories that seem to constantly move through mind holding our attention.
Starting the day with stillness allows the day to unfold from a much deeper place of awareness. There can be less tension, conflict, aggravation, annoyance, impatience. There can be an allowance and appreciation for things as they are.
And of course, stillness is always available, throughout the day, whenever, wherever, you turn to it. It may seem to be gone when covered over by the stories and the corresponding dis-ease that seems to fill the space of our experience, that even appears to be who we are. But once you have experienced the stillness, the deep peace of your being, the stories are no longer as convincing; their power over us begins to wane, they are seen through as just stories, just thoughts. They are seen to be as ephemeral as the steam that rises from the morning's coffee.
Each of us has a unique daily routine. Our days unfold within the karmic stream of cause and effect that is unique to us. So, how one makes changes to that routine to allow space for stillness, in the morning and throughout the day, will also be unique. Our spiritual practice is a part of the unfolding of the same life journey as that of our driving in traffic; they need not be, they are not, separate.
Everything that happens throughout our day is a part of spiritual practice. Everything that happens is an opportunity, an invitation, to notice; an invitation to notice how we are reacting to what is happening now, to notice what stories arise within mind in reaction to what is happening around us, to notice how we feel as a result of these reactive thought patterns, to notice the dis-ease. And with that noticing we can then see though the veil; we can see that the reactive patterns are just thought, covering over the stillness. And within that seeing through the illusive nature of the stories, there is the invitation to gently let go of the story and open to the stillness that is always here.
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As the morning air warms up, a gentle breeze moves through the trees.
Sunlight touches the higher branches.
There is the sound of a car passing by on the road down below the house.
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Within each of us, at the core of our being, there is a boundless, selfless, compassion for all beings. As we open deeper into the stillness, into our true nature, into who we really are, we begin to see ourselves in others. We begin to see their suffering as our suffering; we begin to see that beneath each person's stories, the suffering is the same.
Once we enter upon the path, once we begin unraveling the illusion that conditioning has created, once we begin pealing back the layers of muck that conditioning has covered over our hearts, once we begin to drink in the stillness, to treat ourselves with tenderness and compassion, then how we move through this world changes, how we see others, how we treat others, changes. And as how we move through this world changes, the world itself changes. Our world becomes a better place. For all of us.
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Breathing; being.
Sipping coffee in the stillness.
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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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