Comments for Discovering Awareness Blog

Comment on How much is enough? by bud

bud — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:53:01 +0000

This is from Alice Murray:
I am meditating 20 minutes once a day. I do this as soon as I get up in the morning along with the day’s readings. I have learned to just sit and not judge my meditation otherwise I think I might stop doing it. But I do have the desire to continue and cannot seem to add another 20 minutes later in the day as Fr. Keating recommends. I don’t beat myself up on that.

Our meditation group is currently reading “The Wisdom Jesus” by the Episcopalian priest Cynthia Bourgeault. Her book has blown our minds and we are slowly getting through it as it is so rich.

Comment on Frustration as an Awareness Exercise by bud

bud — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:13:52 +0000

Thanks, Sandy. I love your yoga observation. It’s an a apt parallel. Yoga is difficult for me but this attitude of no judgment would make it much easier.

Comment on Frustration as an Awareness Exercise by Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:46:37 +0000

thanks always for your inspriation; I meditated this morning and watched a very subtl sunrise. I went to bed earlay after a very physical and fruitful day; so the ever more precious good nights sleep graced me.
My first thought when I sat; in yoga; even the masters can be “corrected” or more unjudgementally; can be encouraged to explore new relationships….no end, no perfection, and lots of opportunity for no violence.

Thanks for the acknowledgement in your blog! xo s

ps; did you get my last comment as well?

Comment on Silencing the Critic by tonyj

tonyj — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:06:11 +0000

That is a great way of meditating. I have used it sometimes and one is taken beyond the sounds, music…. deep silence happens.

Comment on Spring Tonic – Apply Awareness by bud

bud — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:32:51 +0000

Thanks for the evocative story. Sounds are a great focus for meditation although some find it difficult. I think Will is doing great *identifying* what he hears as a beat. That’s many steps away for judging or evaluating the beat as pleasant or unpleasant, or something that needs to be stopped or enhanced. It’s a big difference when applied to another’s behavior for example. “You are mean and you drive me crazy” is very different from “You said you would buy me an ice cream cone.”

It is interesting to listen to the sounds of the water at a peir and listen in a way that has no words, concepts or labels. But that’s another story.

Comment on How much is enough? by Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:28:12 +0000

I really enjoyed your writing, and look forward to more.

I was in a fairly bizarrre yoga workshop yesterday, but the gem for me was the clarification of the concept of giving up something of pleasure to LEARN something about yourself; it came closer to NO VIOLENCE than the surreptitious “SHOULD’ that lurks in my tendencies. xo s

Comment on Spring Tonic – Apply Awareness by Michele

Michele — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:23:20 +0000

On Wednesdays, I go with my 3 year old grandson to his Music class. Last week *our* homework was to listen to sounds around us and decide if they are sounds with a beat, or no beat. Since we live in an apartment on a pier, we hear the water and the moored boats. The sound of water is generally considered *no beat.* But because the water slaps gently against the boats, wise Will has decided that sound is definitely BEAT. Out come the drum sticks as he beats the rhythm of the boats and the water. It’s been a precious few minutes every day as he/we listen really carefully. He is making a judgement about what he hears, but it’s quietly reflective and I love the time.