The Spiritual Aspects of Life Are Often Invisible, Yet the Most Meaningful
I’m Convinced We All Have a Spiritual Essence
Perhaps we’re spiritual beings having a human experience
Jackson Browne writes in his somber memorial, For a Dancer, written for a late friend:
“I don't know what happens when people die
Can't seem to grasp it as hard as I try
It's like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
But I can't sing, I can't help listening…”
Like Browne, I don’t know what will happen when I die either. Anyone who ever told me they did was either lying or had been co-opted into believing someone else’s version of a story they’d heard from another person, who had also heard it from another person, and so on.
That’s Religious Dogma — Spirituality is Different
Spirituality is the faint whisper of an angel’s wings for some, the palpable presence of the divine for others, and the absence of sound in deep meditation for people like me. I don’t think it matters which flavor of spirituality resonates with you as long as it helps you become more authentic and peaceful.
Cultivating Peace is a Universal Practice
The best way to achieve this individually is to cultivate inner peace through simple meditation. As a trained meditation teacher and longtime practitioner, I know firsthand how a meditation practice can help us achieve lasting change.
Since Buddhism doesn’t reference a deity or prescribe any specific beliefs, I draw on its influences to include everyone.
Its simple practices promote a peaceful demeanor and kind heart.
On most Monday evenings, at 7:30 PM Pacific, I host a FREE online meditation gathering. Anyone is welcome to join, and no prior experience is required. If you’d like some basic instructions, please login at 7:15 PM, and I’ll provide some brief guidelines.
A Brief Primer on Buddhist Philosophy
I offer the following articles —not to convert you from one tradition to another— but to demonstrate how Buddhist philosophy about reality and natural phenomena can assist those who:
Feel caught between two faith traditions (no longer religious, not entirely secular).
Worry they're letting down family members because they no longer believe the dogmatic assumptions of their tradition.
Experience physical anxiety symptoms when discussing mortality.
Feel isolated and alone in their post-faith tradition life.
In This Section:
Monday Meditation Info
Google Meet: To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/fkz-hoyo-jrm
Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 518-551-0249 and enter this PIN: 244 717 125#
Limited View vs. Wider View
If we operate with a limited view and believe that we exist separately from the universe and everything else, we become focused on our perceived uniqueness and grow attached to the concept of and focus on our differences, which further reinforces this misunderstanding.
However, if you adopt a wider perspective and are open to the possibility that we are profoundly interconnected to the universe, one another, and all living things, our differences mean less and less. At our atomic core, there is no difference between you and me, the ocean, its many species, or the stars in the sky.
The Buddha Taught Four Basic Truths that Examine This
The first can be found by clicking the link below: