Sunday, June 3, 2007

Meditation Challenge! The Welcome

This was originally sent out to our 30 Day Meditation Challenge group on May 31. I decided to cross-post those messages for the benefit of anyone who wants to get started on meditating without being bothered by joining a group. (But if you want to join the group, just comment, and I'll add you; you can start whenever you like!)

Welcome to the 30-Day Meditation Challenge. We will begin the official challenge tomorrow, June 1. In the meantime, please let me know if you need any resources or information regarding meditation.

For a successful meditation, the following is necessary: your attention, your patience with yourself, a comfortable place to sit/stand/walk, and time. That's all. Some of us sit on meditation cushions, others sit in chairs, on beds, on sofas, on park benches. Some even lie down for their meditation, while others walk. The important thing is the practice.

I will be offering you quotes and encouragement each day. If enough of you would like, I may start up a Yahoo group so that you could all encourage each other. Do me a favor, and let me know what you think of that idea...I think a group is a great help in keeping one in the challenge, and I know that all of you have valuable experiences to share, but I realize that some of you may wish to maintain your privacy.

That's all for today. Here is a quote for you, taken from the book that inspired me to begin meditating, many years ago:

Our life is an endless journey; it is like a broad highway that extends infinitely into the distance. The practice of meditation provides a vehicle to travel on that road. Our journey consists of constant ups and downs, hope and fear, but it is a good journey. The practice of meditation allows us to experience all the textures of the roadway, which is what the journey is all about. Through the practice of meditation, we begin to find that within ourselves there is no fundamental complaint about anyone or anything at all.
--Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chogyam Trungpa

May your journey be replete with texture!

No comments: