It is so hard to be still, to meditate, in a way because beginning this process has got me going in so many directions. I continue the Jesuit retreat for lent and I always look for the parallels with Buddhism. Kornfeld talks about shifting from unhealthy mental states to healthy ones. St Ignatius, having been a soldier, lists two standards (as in flags) Christ's Standard and the Evil Standard, and following the good, healthy states under Christ's standard leads to wisdom, love and generosity. Because I enjoy food so much I like the story in Wise Heart, of choosing the good mango because you get sick if you choose and eat the rotten one.
A book that has been very good for me is Thich Nhat Hanh's "Going Home ...Jesus and Buddha as Brothers". Mindfulness is the holy spirit which opens the door. Meditating or praying is watering the wholesome seeds in us. I like his way of seemingly simple expression.
Kornfeld talks about releasing unhealthy conditioning by examining your mind every day. The most important prayer for the Jesuits is the examen, or as one teacher calls it "rummaging for God" .
Pray for light, review the day in thanksgiving ( attitude of gratitude says Cornel West) review the feelings that surface in the replay of the day. Choose one of those feelings and pray from it (so we are liberated from it). Look toward tomorrow, what feelings arise. Listening to the holy spirit, being mindful, of what path we are going to take, not judging but choosing the way to clarity.
I heard a Buddhist teacher liken meditation to a glass of water with the sand stirred up. Let the sand settle until the water is clear. It is hard for me to sit still, the walking and breathing meditation is working best for me. The bible sure doesn't work for me as a starting point for meditation, as the retreat suggests. The bird picture moves me more.
Scarlett's post made me think of the ancestral home, the cultural faith, how strong that tie is. When my mother could no longer remember any of her children's names, she still remembered the sign of the cross, In the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost. Thich Nat Hanh writes about how all our ancestors are there within us. It is curious to me that reading the Wise Heart, practicing sitting meditation, and breathing meditation with qigong has led to me considering my faith.
