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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Each person's path is unique, unfolding in ways related to their own life story, but also according to what is needed by them at each step along the path. Often, what is needed is to meet our conditioning, and this can at times be unpleasant to say the least. But on occasion, we find ourselves in a space where a greater opening into truth is available, where presence becomes more intensely experienced.
These big openings can occur in many different ways; a walk in the woods, a meeting with a teacher, a spiritual retreat, a meeting of the sangha. The further one moves along the path, the more one becomes available for these deeper openings. And I suppose by their nature, they are unexpected. Whether one is in a long period of what may seem to be relatively little movement along the path, or whether one is amidst a great dark night of the soul, the unfolding of things may be such that, all of a sudden, this opening into a deeper experience of truth is available.
And one is forever changed, transformed, moving forward with a new relationship with the world around us, with the truth of our own being.
We are fortunate to be granted this precious gift of a human life. No matter where one is in the great unfolding of their own life's story, it is a story unique in the universe, a gift uniquely given, an opportunity, an invitation, to be all that is possible, all that this gift makes available.
For this gift, I am profoundly grateful.
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Here at Daily Kos, all of us are focused on Tuesday's election. And for those of us here at DKos Sangha, it is an opportunity to really focus in on our moment to moment spiritual practice. It is an opportunity to really watch our reactive conditioning, to watch our emotions, to watch the stories that unfold in the streaming thoughts running through mind, to watch the separation, the us against them.
It is an opportunity to see through the stories, to see through the separation, to see that there is no us against them, but a we that is in need of greater understanding, greater empathy, greater compassion.
It is an opportunity to see ourselves in context of our own individual path, and within context of we as a people.
As progressive members of the Daily Kos community, and as those who walk a spiritual path, we work for social, economic, and environmental justice. We work for the benefit of all beings, and for this earth which sustains us.
No matter the outcome on Tuesday, our work will not be done. Whether it may be perceived that we may have "won" or "lost", whether we have exceeded or fallen short of expectations or of what is perceived to be "necessary", we move forward from that point. On Wednesday morning our path continues.
Tuesday will be an important day, and we will understandably be focused on outcomes. But Tuesday will be a rare opportunity for each of us to deepen our understanding and experience of who we really are as human beings, and to find our inner peace amidst the extraordinary events of the day.
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Sit comfortably; breathe easily
On the in-breath, breathe in the tension, stress, and emotions
On the out-breath, release all tension, stress, and emotions
Repeat as necessary
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May all beings be free from suffering
May all beings be at peace
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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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