Namaste to my dear friends and family ... Happy Solstice to YOU.  Today marks the beginning of a new season and I am reminded of a song, Turn Turn Turn, written by Pete Seeger and popularized by the Byrds in 1965.  

The words except the title were taken from one of the books of the Bible.  They tell us of the opposites that are so prevailent in life.  This yin and yang concept (and the balancing of these opposites) is meaningful in Taoism, Buddhism, Sufism and Paganism as well as in the religions that use the Bible as a historical guide.

The Yin and Yang symbol

 Here are the words to Turn Turn Turn:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. - Pete Seeger

I believe you will agree with me that now is a time for all of us to gather together and create our time of world peace!

Again, Happy Solstice and thank you for being with me on the pathway to awareness!

 

Namaste to Everyone ... I have been spending more time with meditation.  Not always just sitting down for a lengthy time, but remembering to spend more time with my breath throughout the day and night.  

Meditation has been the topic of conversation many times lately.  I ask myself:  What is meditation?  What good is it?  Do we have to go into the cave or cave-like conditions to have results?

 Someone once asked the Buddha:

      "What have you gained through meditation?"

      The Buddha replied, "Nothing at all."

     "Then Blessed One,  what good is it?"

     "Let me tell you what I have lost through meditation:         anger, depression, insecurity, the burden of old age, the fear of death.  That is the good of meditation, which leads to Nirvana."

So there you have it.  The Buddha tells us the advantage of meditation.  And we have another question:  What is Nirvana?  Some say it is just the peace of mind that comes from being present with the moment.  

How do we get there?   Do we have to live the life of a monk?  Sitting, sitting and more sitting.  Or do you think meditation can be defined in different ways?  

To toss around some ideas:   There is the traditional sitting in meditation for a designated amount of time.  Or can it be the simple act of contemplating on a particular thought (like "I will meditate on that.")?   Or is it being with your breath, following it in and out at different intervals during the day?  Or can it be just being mindful of, let's say, the wind blowing through your hair, feeling the sun on your face or looking at an insect scurrying across the ground?

For me it can be all of the above.  Being mindful or being present or being in the moment (whatever you want to call it), I believe is our gift.  Sitting in meditation and its practice of mindfulness of our breath and body, I believe to be the roots of the practice.  We can teach ourselves to be in the moment during meditation and that will lead to mindfulness in the other parts of our life.   

  There are many ways of meditation and to reap the benefits,   it takes practice practice practice.  

We know that, don't we?

  
   Thank you for being on the pathway of awareness with me.