God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.~Reinhold Niebuhr
Good evening and welcome to Monday Group Meditation, we will be sitting from 7:30 to 10:00 PM EST. It is not necessary to sit for the entire extended time, which is set up to make it convenient for people in four North American Time Zones; sit for as long as you like and when it is most convenient for you.
Monday Group Meditation is open to everyone, believers and non-believers of all stripes who are interested in gathering in silence. If you are new to meditation and would like to try it for yourself, Mindful Nature gave a good description of one way to meditate in an earlier diary, copied and pasted below:
"It is a matter of focusing attention mostly. In many traditions, the idea is to sit and focus on the rising and falling of the breath. Not controlling it, but sitting in a relaxed fashion and merely observing experiences of breathing, sounds, etc. Be aware of your thoughts, but don't engage in them. When your mind wanders (it will, often), then return to focus on breath and repeat."
The short video below speaks profoundly to me. Even though I know there is a difference between real compassion and what Chogyam Trungpa called idiot compassion, it is still very helpful for me to hear a teacher say it is sometimes necessary to be strong and say no to people and not give them what they want.
This might be clear in situations involving substance abuse, but I've learned that people are not always addicted to substances. People can be addicted to drama as well as sympathetic attention, and it can be very difficult to know when or how to be strong and say no. I am still learning that it is not my responsibility to soften the effects of the unfolding of the Universe coupled with the consequences of other people's choices. So goes life. :-)