Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Refuge in the sangha
Last night I went to a Buddhist meditation class at the Lotus Tea House here in Waterloo. Lotus is a fantastic vegetarian/Buddhist restaurant on Regina St., the food is elegant in its simplicity (and inexpensive as well - great in a student town). Upstairs they have a be-a-u-tiful meditation room, where among other activities they host meditation classes/practices on Monday nights. Normally you'd have to register in advance for the classes, but my friend gave me an "in" and I was able to attend.
I originally came to yoga from Buddhism, as I found the former to be a more holistic approach (a greater emphasis on the body as a tool for clearing the mind) and more physically active, but I still appreciate many things about Buddhism. And then I went back to meditating yesterday and I realized just how TERRIBLE my own practice had become! It's one thing to meditate in private, in a personal space, and it's entirely another to go with a group - to "take refuge in the sangha" (spiritual community) as one of the foundations of Buddhism extolls. The energies you engage in are different, and there is a greater requirement to hold yourself accountable to your own thoughts and emotions. And really, with all the stress in my life recently, let's just say that I could experience the physical manifestations of those experiences (ie, I HURT BAD).
Some people think that meditation is all about clearing the mind, which is part of it. But really, another part is learning to recognize the sources of your mind's clutter, and learning to do away with them. It was a great incentive for me to really take a more honest look at my current situation, and inspire me to be a bit more engaged in my healing process.
Really, I don't think I'd give up my yoga practice for a life of quiet Buddhistic contemplation, because yoga I love too much. But yoga for me is as easy as breathing on most days, where as meditation class last night kicked my scrawny butt ... and I like a challenge. I may just go back, as they encouraged me to.
Afterwards, I went out for healthy drinks with my friend from the class, and we chatted until a late hour. She's a very inspiring person, one of the few I know of who, like me, openly embraces and learns from many different spiritual traditions. In addition to the eastern traditions, we both find Christianity to be very valuable, for example, as well as traditional native teachings. Good times indeed.
I originally came to yoga from Buddhism, as I found the former to be a more holistic approach (a greater emphasis on the body as a tool for clearing the mind) and more physically active, but I still appreciate many things about Buddhism. And then I went back to meditating yesterday and I realized just how TERRIBLE my own practice had become! It's one thing to meditate in private, in a personal space, and it's entirely another to go with a group - to "take refuge in the sangha" (spiritual community) as one of the foundations of Buddhism extolls. The energies you engage in are different, and there is a greater requirement to hold yourself accountable to your own thoughts and emotions. And really, with all the stress in my life recently, let's just say that I could experience the physical manifestations of those experiences (ie, I HURT BAD).
Some people think that meditation is all about clearing the mind, which is part of it. But really, another part is learning to recognize the sources of your mind's clutter, and learning to do away with them. It was a great incentive for me to really take a more honest look at my current situation, and inspire me to be a bit more engaged in my healing process.
Really, I don't think I'd give up my yoga practice for a life of quiet Buddhistic contemplation, because yoga I love too much. But yoga for me is as easy as breathing on most days, where as meditation class last night kicked my scrawny butt ... and I like a challenge. I may just go back, as they encouraged me to.
Afterwards, I went out for healthy drinks with my friend from the class, and we chatted until a late hour. She's a very inspiring person, one of the few I know of who, like me, openly embraces and learns from many different spiritual traditions. In addition to the eastern traditions, we both find Christianity to be very valuable, for example, as well as traditional native teachings. Good times indeed.
