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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So, where are you now?
What story is running through mind? What, or who, has pushed your buttons? What are you reacting to? What are you feeling?
Go beneath the story; look within; feel within. If there is any dis-ease, or dissatisfaction, if there is annoyance, frustration, disappointment, dejection, anger, if you aren't at peace, then notice what this dissatisfaction feels like. Be with this feeling. Open your heart to it; be compassionate with it. This dis-ease is unmet conditioning, unresolved karma; it's release comes in an open and loving heart.
This isn't an intellectual exercise, this is about the heart; this is about opening the heart and having compassion for yourself, for all the karma you carry around, buried, hidden, unmet, unloved, unreleased.
Our conditioning is like hidden landmines; you can be driving in your car, see a bumper sticker on the car in front of you, and boom, all of a sudden your whole being has changed. What was, just a few moments ago, a pleasant drive on a sunny afternoon, is now a steady stream of angry thoughts and stories, one after the other, branching off in different directions, some on auto-replay, some building fantasies of revenge, and all of it having nothing to do with paying attention to driving a four thousand pound vehicle in traffic with other drivers who are quite likely similarly distracted by the thoughts pouring through their minds.
Learning to watch the mind, throughout each and every day, watching how reactive conditioning arises, noticing how it feels when we get sucked into reactive conditioning, noticing how it affects us physically, emotionally, mentally; this practice changes everything.
It will take a while; but the change in the quality of your life will be profound.
Your body will be healthier, your mind at peace, your heart compassionate to yourself and all beings.
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Breathe
Just breathing
No story
No thoughts
Just notice the breath
moving in and out of the body
This human body
This breathing human body
Notice what if feels like to be
a breathing human being
No story
No thoughts
Just being a breathing human being
Now, letting go of the noticing
Just fully be
this breathing human being
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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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