Today we had our monthly Bake Off in which members of the group bring items of spiritual writing or news of other sort with a spiritual bent to stimulate the discussion. As usual, these discussions can be free wheeling. A synopsis of today's discussion is presented here.
Our opening casual discussion was about South Africa. Todd and Sue had recenlty been at a meeting where Desmond Tuto spoke about the reconciliation process in South Africa after Apartheid ended just 15 years ago. Mr. Tuto discussed how the process was handled there, with people who had been wronged bringing their testimoinials forward at public trials. I know from our trip there that people were encouraged to listen over public address systems in schools, in places of business, and even outside on the street corner. This went on for months. But after it was finished, people were encouraged to forgive and let the suffering go, to move forward, not look back. I commented that during our visit there that is indeed what most people seemed to have been able to do. There have been episodes of retaliation, but for the most part that is not the case. We discussed how that might have happened and how we have a long way to go here in the US regarding racism and forgiveness for things that happened 150 years ago.
Sue presented a list of quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh. These were found in the popular press. Indeed the magazine Oprah, March 2010, has an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh. It does appear that this man that Martin Luther King Jr called, "an apostle of peace and nonviolence" has become more known and more popular than ever before. Following are 12 inspiring quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh which the group discussed today.
People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.
Enlightenment is always there. Small enlightenment will bring great enlightenment. If you breath in and are aware that you are alive -- that you can touch the miracle of being alive -- then that is a kind of enlightenment.
Many people are alive but don't touch the miracle of being alive.
It is possible to live happily in the here and now. So many conditions of happiness are available -- more than enough for you to be happy right now. You don't have to run into the future in order to get more.
People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don't suffer anymore.
Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.
Life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and now.
When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?
To be loved means to be recognized as existing.
Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.
Some of these quotes prompted a discussion of grief. A few members of the group have lost loved ones, some recently. We tried to examine the process of grief, whether there is anyway to shorten or lighten the process. It is felt that there really are no shortcuts. But some of the mindfulness practices and some of the statements above might help somewhat. No easy answers to this this one!
Next week we will discuss Chapter 9-11 of The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. I was mistaken in the previous blog: Gary will lead the discussion of Chapter 9 Divinity With or Without God. Richard will lead discussion of Chapter 10 and 11, Happiness Comes From Between, and Conclusion on Balance.
2 comments:
An enlightened summary. Our discussion of grief was important as it was juxtaposed to experiencing peace in the present. For grief, as important as it is to let ourselves be ok with those feelings right now, is a refection of loss in the past. So to embrace the experience of grief in the present is affirming the necessity of not suppressing strong emotion arising from past loss. It seems paradoxical but important. The past will be past when it is ready, not on our time table.
A very nice view which, I hope helps anyone in the group who is traveling through their past, working through the grief. I am sure there can be future discussion that can bring out later steps in this journey.
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