A man told me that once, and it has always stuck with me. He meant "gray" in terms of sadness and hardship (he was a Frenchman speaking to me in Spanish, so go figure if my translation doesn't carry the same weight it ought to!).
Anyway, thinking today about this, and reading the current events thread, I decided to share this meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh's _The Miracle of Mindfulness_.
quote:
Suffering caused by lack of wisdom
Sit in a full or half lotus. Begin to follow your breath. [Smile a half smile]...
In the case of a society, take the situation of a country suffering war or any other situation of injustice. Try to see that every person involved in the conflict is a victim. See that no person, including all those in warring parties or in what appear to be opposing sides, desires the suffering to continue. See that it is not only one or a few persons who are to blame for the situation. See that the situation is possible because of the clingling to ideologies and to an unjust world economic system which is upheld by every person through ignorance or through lack of resolve to change it. See that two sides in a conflict are not really opposing, but two aspects of the same reality. See that the most essential thing is life and that killing or oppressing one another will not solve anything. Remember the Sutra's words:
In the time of war Raise in yourself the mind of compassion Help living beings Abandon the will to fight Wherever there is a furious battle Use all your might To keep both sides' strength equal And then step into the conflict to reconcile -Vimalakirti Nirdesa
Meditate until every reproach and hatred disappears, and compassion and love rise like a well of fresh water within you. Vow to work for awareness and reconciliation by the most silent and unpretentious means possible.
Posts: 2241 | Location: In between | Registered: 06-03-02
Do you believe is possible to reach the level of peacefulness from meditation without meditation? Does it bring you to a significantly higher peacefulness than the calmest of everyday people?
Posts: 6462 | Location: Grayson, Georgia, USA | Registered: 06-03-02
Originally posted by jusork: Do you believe is possible to reach the level of peacefulness from meditation without meditation?
I don't know. I can't think of any other activity that is designed to bring a person a sense of tranquility and inner peace, except drugs, which as you may know ultimately bring about the opposite.
quote:
Does it bring you to a significantly higher peacefulness than the calmest of everyday people?
I don't know how other people feel, so I can't compare my level of tranquility to theirs. I can only say that for me, I feel more at peace now than I did before I started meditating.
Posts: 2241 | Location: In between | Registered: 06-03-02
If meditating could bring lasting peace, it would be worth a try. What are the chances of not being able to snap out of meditation. I tried it once, and things were black, I could see lights, I got dizzy, and it felt like I was losing it. Scared the heck out of me.
Posts: 6633 | Location: Land of Lincoln, USA | Registered: 07-04-02
Honilov, meditation is not hypnosis or a trance. Basically, it is just deep concentration. There's no risk that I've ever heard of that a person wouldn't be able to snap out of it, because you're fully awake and fully aware. Think of it more as a psychological tool than as a some woo-woo mystical thing - it really is much more down to earth than you might think. Buddhist meditations are particularly simple and earthy.
Dizziness isn't something I've heard of someone experiencing. What position were you sitting in? What kind of meditation were you doing? Is it possible that you were expecting something weird and scared yourself? There's really nothing to be scared of. If you are unsure or nervous about it, maybe you could try a Christian meditation to help you see that it isn't anything dangerous.
Posts: 2241 | Location: In between | Registered: 06-03-02
