Blessings: Each Day, Each Moment
Thursday, 4. October 2007, 13:32:26
Praised are You. . .who [fashions] the human body in wisdom, creating openings, arteries, glands, and organs, marvelous in structure, intricate in design. Should but one of them fail to function by being blocked or opened, it would be impossible to exist. Praised are You. . .healer of all flesh, sustaining our bodies in wondrous ways.- Asher Yatzar, Blessing for Going to the Bathroom, composed by a fourth century Babylonian rabbi named Abayei
Water flows from high mountain sources.
Water runs deep beneath the earth.
Wonderfully, water comes to me.
Its benefits touch me deeply.
- Mindfulness Gatha for Turning on the Water, www.manzanitavillage.org/articles/gathas.html
Good morning, everyone,
"I'm so busy." It's the mantra of our culture, it seems. In some places I've lived, it's worn like a badge of honor, this busyness. "I am an important person. People need me. I matter," the mantra seems to imply.
Underneath, I suspect our hard-working ancestors are living through us: "I am industrious. I am making a contribution to the society in which I live. I am not wasting the precious time I have been given on this Earth. I am a good boy / girl / man / woman. I am not lazy."
But bodies get tired, brains get overloaded, relationships become strained, and people suffer with too much busyness.
Enter mindfulness practice.
Here we come together to stop. We stop and sit. We greet each other with gentle words, spoken from the heart. We share silence by candlelight, following the gentle rhythm of our breath. We walk softly on the earth, noticing the stars overhead, the coming chill in the air. We listen to teachings that nourish our spirits, and guide us toward momentary islands of peace within our busy lives.
* * *
Two new people came to our group on Monday night. We did a simple guided meditation: In, Out, Deep, Slow, Calm, Ease, Smile, Release, Present Moment, Wonderful Moment. Our new visitors reminded me what a powerful practice this is. In such a short time, practicing this way led to such a profound stillness within each of us, and within the group.
They both eagerly wrote the words down to post at home where they could see them daily.
Mindfulness practice is filled with these kinds of phrases, called "gathas." Judaism is, too, with blessings for everything from witnessing lightning and thunder to going to the bathroom. No doubt Christianity and other religious traditions have created countless reminders of the sacredness of seemingly mundane moments. Little ways to stop and behold what is happening in our world with a sense of appreciation and wonder.
* * *
In our little sangha, and in our community at large, many people right now are struggling with health issues. A blessing for going to the bathroom might seem like a silly idea, until you or someone you love encounters a difficulty in that department. Then, there is no taking for granted that organs work as they should. Then, there is extreme gratitude for when things work just fine.
Why wait until there is a problem to nurture this gratitude?
Why not look for any excuse to celebrate the moments of our lives?
It's a great antidote to busyness.
You are welcome to join us this coming Monday.
Enjoy your week!
