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Meditation Newsletter by Marcia Sacks April 2002 ~*~*~* Table of Contents: * Busy Mind
~*~*~* Busy Mind "At the Satsang, it's easier to meditate," said a student. "At home, when I sit down to meditate, I'm practically attacked by thoughts of things to do." Here's some helpful hints for dealing with our 'monkey minds,' the tendency for our thoughts to jump all over the place. First, we need to accept that it's the nature of our minds to think. That's the job it's had all our lives, and now we're expecting it to stop just because we decided to sit down to meditate for a few minutes. Second, we need to commit that we're going to sit there anyway, no matter what thoughts spin through our minds. The mind is a little like a puppy dog that we're trying to take through obedience training. We have to repeat 'sit!' and 'stay!' quite often until our mind gets the idea that we're serious. After awhile of consistent sitting, the mind will begin to cooperate by quieting down. Many of my beginning meditation students get discouraged because the thought process continues as they practice meditation. Somewhere they were told that in order to meditate all thoughts must cease. Perhaps that's the case in the perfection of meditation. But we're *practicing* meditation. Every silent meditation technique has a focus of meditation, whether it's watching the breath, holding a beautiful image, repeating a mantra, observing the thoughts, or just staying aware. We need to see meditation practice as a continual rebalancing, a gentle return to the focus of meditation each time we take a ride on a train of thought. Eventually, we find there are spaces of time between the thoughts where we exist in peace and tranquility. ~*~*~* "Meditation is not
the means to an end. It is both the means and the end."
"If the heart wanders
or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently ... And even
if you did nothing during the whole hour but bring your heart back, though
it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well
employed."
(Quotes are from
the book "Chop
Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday
Life" Sample pages of this book are this link on Amazon)
Kriya Yoga Satsang: A Meditation Circle with Marcia Sacks, Swami K. Adinadananda Satsang is the Sanskrit word for fellowship, a gathering of like-minded souls. These evening gatherings will include chanting, silent meditation, and a talk on spiritual living and our inner journey. The next Satsang is May 16 (3rd Thursday of the month) at 7:30 p.m. (Love offering requested). 1595 Fairfield Lane, Hoffman Estates, IL Please call 847-882-3315 or email marcia@marciasacks.com if you will be attending. ~*~*~* Sunday, April 21st
is the Babaji Festival at the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago (2414 N.
Kedzie). The Babaji Festival is a annual celebration honoring Babaji,
the founder of our line of teachers. There is music, chanting, inspirational
talks, and plays based on wisdom tales.
If you'd like to see some pics and stories from the plays 2 years ago, check out: http://www.marciasacks.com/babaji/Babaji2000-1.htm On the 'net Healing by Spiritual Affirmation: an article by Paramahansa Yogananda: http://www.ananda.org/inspiration/magazine/healing/index.html Meditation Retreats: an article in Yoga Journal: http://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/135_1.cfm A-U-M Silence: The Ancient Sound of Om by David Gordon http://www.spiritsound.com/aum.html ~*~*~* Marcia Sacks, Professional
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