The Practice of Loving-Kindness
A few people have asked me lately about metta, also known in some circles as maitri. Metta is a practice of loving kindness toward self and others. There are volumes written about metta, it is a basic Buddhist practice in all traditions. Pema Chodron is a well known teacher of this practice and has written many books on the subject. The basic practice is to first practice loving kindness toward the self, to truly make friends with yourself. When you find peace within, you can more readily practice it toward others. The Judeo-Christian version of this is “to love your neighbor as...
Read MoreForgiveness, Metta & Priorities
Good morning, Happy Thursday! 🙂 I’ve had several conversations today about priorities, forgiveness and how making forgiveness a priority is such an integral part of the journey and a good life. Forgiveness comes from words meaning “allow,” and literally means “for giving.” Everyone I’ve talked to today is having such a rough time, and there is a lot of emotion swirling around. All of this got me thinking about feelings and what we do with them, and about for-giving. I think when we forgive we give up the sense of being a victim so we can set ourselves...
Read MoreMorning Prayers & Ponderings…
I’m catching up on some reading and prayer this morning. Prayer literally means “to beg.” There is a lot of begging going on these days around me, a lot of people are having a hard time. So, as is my daily practice, I am settling in soon to pray, to meditate and to be more in touch with the Divine presence I believe is always whispering sweetly around me. But, as the Maharishi said, “the winds of God’s grace are always blowing, but it is up to us to raise our sails.” This morning I was catching up on 4011 emails and came across this nifty prayer from...
Read MoreMerton & the Path
This morning I am thinking about Thomas Merton. For the uninitiated, Thomas Merton was one of the great mystics of our time. A Trappist monk and a prolific writer, in his later years he connected with Buddhist teachers and declared them brothers in contemplation. His autobiography, Seven Storey Mountain, is a road map, his own experience with starting off as an atheist and becoming a monk. Merton spent 13 years of silent meditation at the Abbey of Gethsemani, praying for God’s will. He came out and wrote this: My God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road...
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