No one can escape death and unhappiness. If people expect only happiness in life, they will be disappointed.~Buddha
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."
Death and decay, Autumn brings with it the colorful reminder of impermanence. Like two sides of a single coin, we cannot have birth without death, they are inseparable. For me Autumn is a time to think about aging and how I want to die. Although I cannot know the time of my expiration, when it comes I hope I won't be surprised. :-)
The Birth and the Death of Beings
The three realms of existence are like a cloud in autumn:
The birth and the death of beings is like a dancer’s movement;
A being’s life is like a waterfall,
Like a flash of lightning in the sky;
It never stops even for a single moment and once it starts,
It goes inevitably to its conclusion.~ Buddha
Note: This evening I will be out of town. I expect to have Wifi and I will be meditating with the group, but I will be working with a Kindle Fire so I anticipate pretty much being a silent presence this evening. Thank you, davehouck, for being here to pour the tea. :-)