Boulder, Colorado
My alarm went off at 6:45 this morning. I arose, dressed and went downstairs to find the bell, light a candle and some incense.
At 7:00, Marie and my friend Sandy took a seat next to me and I rang the meditation bell. Twenty minutes later, I rang the bell again and we shared a cup of coffee and some laughs. Great way to start the day.
My friend Pat Johnson from Snowmass gave me some great meditation advice. She said “Just sit. My husband and I set an alarm. When it goes off, we just get up, go to our room and just sit. No thinking, no changing clothes, no cooking, no nothing, just get up and sit.” I love the advice. Even though I’m not very regular at a formal “sit”, when we decide to do it, Pat’s method makes it easy. We often sit when Sandy asks if we are going to. Just the question gets us moving. We get by with a little help from our friends.
The Three Jewels of Buddhism are the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sanga, loosely translated as the Leader, the Truth and the Community. Often a Buddhist meditation session ends with a prayer taking refuge in the Three Jewels. For example “I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Sanga.”
Well, on these mornings I take refuge in our little sanga – Marie, Sandy, & Bud. It’s amazing the difference between meditating alone and meditating with friends. In Ringo’s immortal words, “I get by with a little help from my friends;” alternatively “I take refuge in the sanga.”