This is our 45th week of On-Line Meditation
…and at long last we look like we’ll be able to commence meeting face-to-face in the Malone Room in Richardson Street. At present if we met we would be required to wear masks so until this restriction is lifted I think it’s best we continue on-line but I’m optimistic with the numbers under control that very soon we should be back.
Don’t forget to take a look at the Carmelite Centre offerings, some of which might be of interest. Go to www.thecarmelitecentremelbourne.org
Tonight’s Reflection…
We practice meditation to help us with our capacity for awareness, i.e. developing the clarity and insight to see things as they really are. Each day when we sit in meditation and when we complement our sitting with mindfulness it helps us to stabilise the mind and gives us the space to let go, fall silent and gradually begin to understand what is going on in our lives.
Mindfulness practices in the course of our everyday lives, those techniques that help us maintain awareness throughout the day whether at home, at work, at leisure or play greatly enhance the formal meditation experience.
If you’re like me I usually give about half my attention to the things that I do. I often think I am doing things wholeheartedly when in fact I’m likely to be thinking about a hundred different things at the same time. Generally I’m not conscious of this. Author Tenzin Palmo says, “We are a bit like the person who thinks she is walking her dog, but ends up following the dog wherever it leads her. She is so busy trying to keep up that she does not notice whether the dog is going in a straight line.” (Reflections on a Mountain Lake by Tenzin Palmo, Snow Lion 2002)
Mindfulness is not hard, certainly not as demanding as the concentration required for meditation. We can take simple everyday actions like brushing our hair, cleaning our teeth, shaving or having a cup-of-tea, and bring our attention fully to what we are doing.
Mindfulness like meditation is not thinking about, it is being present and actually knowing the moment without any mental commentary. Let’s resolve to enhance our mindfulness practices throughout this week……..
And now let’s meditate in the way we are accustomed. You may wish to dedicate this meditation practice to those affected by the pandemic or you might have some other worthy intention.
(Meditate for up to 20 minutes.)
As we go about our daily activities I hope that by our attention, our awareness in the present, our wakefulness ….we will find joy in the midst of the losses brought about during these challenging days..
Peter