Monday 15 March 2010

MINDFULNESS 8: FAITH-SPECIFIC CONTEXT

 
At ChristChurch, Clarendon Park, for the final session in the course, "Mindfulness". This eight-week course is an interfaith opportunity presented by Christians Aware (as part of its Faith Awareness programme) in association with Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group.
 
Our topic this evening is "The Faith-Specific Context", facilitated by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons, from the Serene Reflection Group. The emphasis this evening is on establishing and maintaining our own practice.

To start, Kevin leads us through discussion of "object-based meditation"; that is, meditation on the body (breath, heartbeat, physical sensations), a mantra or visual objects (such as a mandala). This leads into talking about "just sitting", the style of meditation practised in Soto Zen.

The phrase "monkey mind" is used several times, meaning the tendency of the mind to run off if left unattended. When we're meditating and a thought arises naturally, we may notice it, but not engage with it. The same goes for any sensory stimulation.

One of the basic aspects of practising meditation is sitting comfortably - in a chair, on the floor, on a small individual bench (padded or unpadded), using cushions of different size and shape. We should be able to relax into a comfortable position - upright, but not "fiercely upright". We should not be trying to make a martyr of ourselves, physically.

We rearrange the seating, dim the lights (I'm designated "light monitor") then sit together in silence for fifteen minutes. Kevin starts and ends this period of group meditation by lightly tapping a brass bowl; the first ring signifies the start of the period of meditation, the second, a quarter of an hour later, its end. It's an unusual thing to do, just 
being with people rather than having to do something with them.

As the session - and the course - come to an end, we're encouraged to consider establishing our own practice, if we don't have one already. We're encouraged to find the opportunity to meditate regularly, either on our own as individuals or with others in a group - either an existing one or one that we might be able to form in our own community of belief.

Barbara Butler (Executive Secretary of Christians Aware) expresses our collective thanks to Ian and Kevin for having led us through this fascinating journey over these eight sessions. For those of us who've taken these first steps together, we're aware that the journey has only just begun.
 
 

Monday 8 March 2010

MINDFULNESS 7: POINTING BEYOND THOUGHTS & FEELINGS


At ChristChurch, Clarendon Park, for the seventh session in the course, "Mindfulness". This eight-week course is an interfaith opportunity presented by Christians Aware (as part of its Faith Awareness programme) in association with Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

Our topic this evening is "Pointing Beyond Thoughts and Feelings", facilitated by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons, from the Serene Reflection Group. It turns out to be the most overtly Buddhist of all the sessions so far.

We begin with a short period of guided meditation, in which we are able to relax physically and reflect mentally on the themes of the first six sessions. Then, in small groups, we're asked to discuss the question "What is the purpose of religion - or faith?" As usual, we come up with a variety of answers, which reflect both the positive and the negative: 

"It gives a sense of belonging"

"It gives a narrative that you can be part of"


"It provides a sense of mutual obligation"


"It provides a framework for human searching and longing"


"It offers transcendence above the self"


"It can offer hope for something beyond this life"


"It can provide membership of a worshipping community"


"It can offer the chance to become sanctified"


"It can help to integrate and interpret"


"It makes us think"


"It helps one understand oneself"


"It can stunt and distort"


"It can provide social control"


"It provides a source of authority"


"It can provide one with the means of 'individuating'"


"It can lead to the loss of ego as one's dominant function"


"It offers the opportunity to grow in holiness"


"It can engender feelings of satisfaction - or dissatisfaction"


"It can transform the experience of suffering"


"It can give feelings of guilt"


"It can lead to loss of a sens of self-worth"


"It can be a source of power greater than oneself"


"It is a pull from eternity"

Kevin leads us through a quarter of an hour or so, where he explains how the practice of mindfulness can be mapped on to Buddhism. Clearly, Buddhism is a very diverse way of thinking and being, so he has to be pretty general in doing this. However, it's definitely useful and interesting. He then takes on the (even more) difficult task of organising us to look at how to map mindfulness and meditation on to our own belief system and practices. Considering that the group this evening is made up of eight Christians (of various denomination), four Buddhists, two Hindus, one Bahá'í  one Humanist and one Unitarian, a few of the groups are a bit pik'n'mix. But once again, it's a useful and interesting exercise, which allows us to share with each other and learn from each other.


In our discussion, I recall that for a few years when I lived in Oakham, I was involved in a monthly meeting of the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer, which I found very beneficial. I would love to get back into that practice.

Monday 1 March 2010

MINDFULNESS 6: BELIEFS & VALUES


At ChristChurch, Clarendon Park, for the sixth  session in the course, "Mindfulness". This eight-week course is an interfaith opportunity presented by Christians Aware (as part of its Faith Awareness programme) in association with Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

Our topic this evening is "Beliefs and Values", facilitated by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons, from the Serene Reflection Group.

We consider how our beliefs and values can form goggles that stop us from seeing things as they really are - which could be good or bad, all things considered. After all, as T.S. Eliot famously said, "Human kind cannot bear very much reality." Our beliefs and values can, of course, prevent us from seeing, acknowledging or appreciating other beliefs and values as well as (arguably) other people who hold them.

Having listened to Alexei Sayle speaking earlier today (as part of De Montfort University's Cultural eXchanges programme) about his childhood being raised in a strictly Communist household, I find this a "join-the-dots" moment here.

If one is hostage to one's beliefs and values, then one is powerless before - or under - them. I'd link that back into a point made at last week's session: Once we become aware of how we think, we become more aware that we can be the author of what we think. This reminds me of a phrase summarising an important aspect of Buddhist belief and practice that Dharmavidya David Brazier gave me when I was writing the Council of Faith's Buddhist leaflet: "that mind can be cultivated". But what if one's beliefs and values are of the sort that don't permit change ... well, let's leave that sort of double-bind for the moment, shall we?

To start with, we were each given a page with reflective and inspirational short passages, some no more than a sentence long, some overtly religious, others spiritual, some others more of a humanist nature. All of them are shown below:

"There will never be any more perfection than there is now. Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now. ... Why should I wish to see God better than this day?" (Walt Whitman)
"Paradise is still upon earth, and only because of our self-thinking and self-willing we do not see and hear God." (Jacob Boehme)
"It is eternity now. I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it, as the butterfly floats in the light-laded air. Nothing has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is the immortal life." (Richard Jeffries)
"Better keep yourself clean and bright: you are the window through which you must see the world." (George Bernard Shaw)
"Truly my soul is silently waiting for God." (Eckhart)
"In the true silence of the flesh, and in the pure Stillness of Spirit. ... Tasting the hidden life, the hidden manna in the heart." (Isaac Pennington)
"Speech is of Time, Silence is of Eternity." (Thomas Carlyle)
"Go, sweep out the chamber of your heart.
Make it ready to be the dwelling-place of the Beloved.
When you depart out, He will enter in.
In you, void of yourself, will He display His beauty."
(Marmud Shabistara)
"God be in my head
And in my understanding
God be in my eyes
And in my looking
God be in my mouth
And in my speaking
God be in my heart
And in my thinking
God be at my end
And at my departing.
(Walford Davies)
"When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself." (Shunryu Suzuki)
Consideration of these gave rise to interesting reflections. Some describe the passages as being richer in feeling than they are in logical thought; some say the passages were struggling to say something rational, but still something worth trying to say; others speak about the extracts conveying something of acceptance and appreciation of the moment; but then there's something more, something of awe, of wonder - something of which we've all surely had some experience.

We undertake an exercise to help each of us identify our core values and get the chance to talk about these. We also discuss the difference between mindfulness and other terms that are bandied about in these contexts (e.g. concentration, contemplation, meditation). We're going to pick this up again next week.

Ian Grayling, who's been leading these sessions, isn't entirely happy at how it's gone this evening. He wonders aloud if he's not been as good as he could have been at communicating what he's wanted us to do. I don't think he should be so hard on himself, and tell him so in front of the group. Each week we've gone deeper into this topic and have dealt with increasingly subtle areas. Digging into our core values and central beliefs is a bit more demanding than closing our eyes, sitting quietly and thinking about what me might be hearing.