A new practice is working its way into my emotional recovery: mindfulness (which shares a common chord with Christian Centering prayer).
Two works on Buddhism are influencing my relationship with a Higher Power. One source came my way through a newcomer to my face-to-face group, who is miles ahead of me in her meditation practice. (Thank you HP!). I found the recommended book (by Thich Nhat Hanh) which inspired her meditation practice in the stacks of my local library (complete with chewed pages). That same library visit led me to add Pema Chodron to my list. It's an early work of Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape.
After a week of steady reading I found myself back at the library looking for a way to hear these Wise One's voices on audio cassettes for my car. My current side-trip with Nhat Hanh is a sweet complement and evocative of his practice and story. (If you've read or heard words by Chodron, Hanh or others, do share!)
That final "chord" of my study is Centering Prayer work, as exhaustively (but not boringly) explored by the late monk M. Basil Pennington a few decades ago.
I am doing a written study of all three approaches this month. I am not sure about making them front and center to my blog, but maybe I can write privately and share a few links when my written study is complete.
If anyone is open to my sharing intermediary work, and giving me feedback as I make mindfulness a "regular" practice this mont, let me know.
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I am not at the intermediate level but am interested. Have you been in touch with Irish Friend of Bill at Recovery Archive on my side bar?
ReplyDeleteI am at the intro level, Syd. If other deadlines don't interfere, I plan on writing enough to make sense of what I am reading. And in that case I would like to share my initial thoughts (or intermediary ones... LOL).... I'll just have to take it a paragraph at a time and let less be more. I notices if I don't try to say it all my SELF, then I get to listen more to others..
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