Maitri (and a Moment of Gratitude and Joy)


As I was walking to work and passing through the park on the north side of the Capitol, I saw this young woman first doing pranayama and then settling into meditation.
I do not know whether this is her neighborhood or where she works or whether she is in town as a tourist or to petition her elected officials. What I do know is that whether this is home or a new and different place and whether she was pausing before play or work, her reactions to all around her will likely be deeper, steadier, and brighter for having paused to meditate.
If you have not yet sat for meditation today or otherwise practiced in a way that brought you to the center and essence of your being, I invite you to start or renew your practice today. You might not have a half hour or an hour, but no matter how busy you are, you have 10 minutes.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
As I witnessed my cozy house shaking and rattling in this my first really measurable earthquake, I got a much deeper appreciation of just how quickly things can fall apart despite apparent solidity. It felt clear to my very core that to be able to weather whatever comes what we need to know as unshakable is our own deepest self. What happens when the emblems of faith, such as the National Cathedral, are shaken by the strength and awesome power of nature?
A friend once said that when he heard sirens while he was meditating, he used it as a reminder to share the light of meditation. It is easy to think of roads blocked by emergency vehicles and blaring sirens as disruptions, inconveniences, and annoyances when they are coming for someone other than ourselves. I had a moment of thankfulness this morning that the minor problems are the kind of problems that I have. I was thankful, too, to live where if something bad happens, strangers come to the rescue. I offered healing light to the emergency workers and the person or persons to whom these workers were rushing.
One moment in a long day.
