What gets in the way of meditation? Well, a couple of things to mention here. You never sit still enough to allow yourself to internalize and absorb a still, quiet voice. Some people, without ever trying to listen, say that there is no quiet voice. They don’t hear anything. Well, the voice is “quiet.” Another preventive to meditation is that you only trust yourself, and thus refuse to give up control. Control means you won’t turn over your thoughts and actions to something other than your own ego. More control and fear here. Sit still enough, wait a while, and trust to let go of focus on your thoughts and just maybe you will enter the world of meditation. Oh, and maybe close your eyes nd turn off the TV, and other media.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Monday, July 14, 2025
Brother Raymond
Today is the birthday of my friend, Brother Raymond, a Trappist Monk, 87 years old and still with plenty of pep. The monastery is being sold, but Brother Raymond does not want to leave and live somewhere else. Many of us in this big country have this feeling. Where we want to live, have been living, no longer will sustain us. The job, career, necessity requires a move to another place. We are leaving home and this is not easy. Migrants want to come to the USA for work or safety, but still, they are leaving home, the familiar in language, geography, and relationships. A new job or aging can require a move. These moves are never easy. I am still trying to feel “at home” in San Francisco. I make new friends, I learn the geography’s landscape, interesting places and so on. But it takes time. And energy. So I need a spiritual practice to keep me energized to keep outreaching. Inside reach leads to a better outside reach.
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Dust
Reading the Psalms is pretty good spiritual literature no matter your belief or lack thereof. Why? They deal with reality and human emotions. Today’s thought is psalm 103 and going to the gym. What? Well the psalm says, “Remember that we are dust.” It reminds me in a sobering fashion that I must not let my spiritual life of reading, meditation and service be put aside for the purpose of building up my body. If I can do both then this is fine. So I tend to figure early in the morning when I am going to do fit spiritual and when I am going to fit physical conditioning. Being up here in the monastery at the moment this is not too difficult, but in busy San Francisco it is a challenge. Well, running up here is very difficult. No oxygen.
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Humility
I am at the monastery as I write this. Here, I get up one hour earlier than on the West Coast. My blog therefore goes out one hour earlier than on the West Coast. More people read the earlier posted blog. This means that some people will read the blog if they see it, but won’t go looking for it at a later time. I am not all that important to them in their spiritual journey. This is good to know. Keeps me humble. I can do a good act without thinking of the results. Results are not up to me. I don’t need to be popular, but I do need to be consistent. Just keep doing the good you do.
Friday, July 11, 2025
Drawing The Shades
When you enter a shaded room, windows covered up, you cannot see how much dust or mess there is. Open the shades, and let the light shine on the dust and mess. Meditation is like that. We can tend to go through the day with the shades of our inner life drawn shut, like an abandoned room. Meditation is when we let in the light and see the mess that needs our attention. Of course, that attention takes time and work. This is called action. Meditation is not just discovering our mess. Prayer and action is a good one and two.
Thursday, July 10, 2025
The Center
If you want to be the center of the universe you will find it quite crowded with people who are pretty self-centered, and never satisfied. That self always wants more, especially attention. So I don’t care so much for crowds. I try to stay out of the center, but not out of being useful to others, generous with time, patience, acceptance and a listening ear. It does not have to be joyful all the time. Joy is a feeling that comes and goes. Happiness and fulfillment have more staying power. As long as I don’t want it to be all about me.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Options
It is said that growing old is not optional. Well, if you kill yourself I think growing old can be optional. If you do something for a long time, it is because you have a long life. If someone says they don’t drink for forty years, this is partly because they lived all that time. So I don’t take much credit for doing something for a long time. But I do take credit for growing up. That is optional. It is not a physical thing, so much as spiritual. To grow up is to become selfless. Children generally are not selfless, nor are childish people. So I do some work to be physically fit, but make sure that I am doing daily work to be spiritually fit. I try not to let workouts get in the way of meditation. Growing up seems to be ongoing and I have been blessed with lots of time to do it. Work in progress!