Prayer from Sacred Space

I highly recommend this web site: http://www.sacredspace.ie. It is run by Irish Jesuits and features prayers for every day. Here is a recent one:

O Lord, I remind myself that I am ever in your presence.

I will take refuge in your loving heart.

You are my strength in times of weakness.

You are my comforter in times of sorrow.

In the section Prayers for Peace on Earth are writings by Pope John XXIII from the encyclical Pacem in Terris. An example:

The world will never be the dwelling place of peace till peace has found a home in the heart of each and every person, till every person preserves in himself the order ordained by God to be preserved.

And on the same page I found this prayer from the Buddhist tradition:

Evoking the presence of the great compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion – towards ourselves and towards all living beings.

Let us pray that all living beings realise that they are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.

Mindfulness

O Lord, help me to develop mindfulness. Help me to practice mindfulness.

Perhaps it is even more difficult to act with mindfulness when there is nothing that HAS to be done. It seems almost a relief, now to have tasks that have to be done at or by a certain time: mow the grass before it rains, meet the student at 2:00 pm stack the wood before tomorrow.

Our minds can so easy be like puppies: cute but distracted, chasing from one thing to another. Sit, mind, Sit!

And mindfulness is not merely about "organizing" or "managing" your time, as in the incredible number of books written, or consultants paid to consult, on the the subject. Yes, it is about determining priorities, paying attention to what is important. Ah: what is truly important? I want to go much deeper, beyond what is to be done, or what I intend to do. How do I want to be?

Some Buddhist teachers use the term "recollection" in place of "mindfulness." "Reaching samadhi, or stillness of mind, is only possible with proper recollection." This sentence is from a chapter by Bhikku Mangalo in the book Entering the Stream. The discussion that follows is about the practice of recollection, an indispensable practice; and yes, it involves breathing exercises and letting go of distractions.

And what do you think of this line, which challenges a very big assumption for many in the Christian tradition of faith and belief: "Above all the mind must be starting to turn away from the old patterns, which is the true meaning 'repentence' - metanoia." (the original Greek term).

I digress.

Sit, mind, Sit. "Bring the mind home," in the words of another teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche.

Sea gull

After working on my music I walked down to the cove near our house. The song I had been working on was still in my head. I was singing it to myself over and over. A sea gull sat nearby on a large rock. He looked at me (or so I imagined) and squawked once.

My song, his squawk. What's the difference?

Nature sings.

Where you stand

I live on Seward's Neck, a peninsula that offers views to the east and northeast from my road of a bay and several islands, among other things. One thing I quickly learned: what you see depends on where you are standing. Even a small turn in the road that I live on gives you a very different view. I can't see the "downtown" of Lubec from our windows; but walk even fifty feet from the house and it is in clear sight from the road. What changes? The angle of sight... the trees.

Then there is the question of the road. It is so common to be totally unaware of what is beyond the trees or shrubs on either side. I was amazed when we visited the house of friends, less than one-half mile away, on the same side of the road, and not far from the road at all. They have a view to the west - not the east. They look out upon a different bay, one that I had never seen before!

How's it going in Maine?

It's really good. Four months ago I left the cubicled beige desert to live in Lubec, the most down east town in Maine. Instead of fitting music into my daily and weekly routine, it is what some might call my full time job. That term "full time" is inaccurate, though; I do not have a job, and I have only gradually begun to understand what that means. Yes, music is my primary pursuit, but it is part of what I hope is a more integrated life.

There has already been much opportunity for Linda and me here, in terms of getting to know people, enjoying the surroundings and creating a place for us to live. Musical opportunities have also abounded. I have to decide which ones to pursue.

A big challenge for me has been how to go about my day. Some days I seem to "get a lot done." Other days I get a little done. The same time has passed. Each day is as precious as another. I don't always have to "get a lot done." What I do need to do is to stay awake and present. Each day is a gift.