There is a direct linkage among
self-examination, meditation and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can
bring much relief and benefit.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p. 98
If I do my self-examination first,
then surely, I’ll have enough humility to pray and meditate --- because I’ll
see and feel my need for them…
…No matter how or where I start, I
eventually arrive at my destination: a better life.
From: DAILY MEDITATIONS, p. 316
&
“A better life…” What is a better life if, before we
started our adventure, our lives weren’t that bad? Why bother if I have
everything I need or want and my life is going well enough for me? Some launch
out on this quest out of a desire for life after death: a heaven of sorts,
whether that is the streets of gold or the fear of hell of an unknown karma. My
intention, when I sit, is to make conscious contact with the Heart of Compassion
because that is what completes the circle within which my life takes on the
mantel of grace. The direct result of prayer is preparation for meditation.
Meditation might prepare me for an unknown future but I can’t bother myself
thinking about that. When I sit I give only a part of it to concentration on my
body and my breath… about 25%. And I give about that much to prayer. 50%; therefore,
goes to pure meditation where the gates are opened to inspiration. I get out of
the way and, when the monkey chatter returns, it is important that I go back to my
breathing. As I take this adventure, the chatter slows down and I spend more of the time
in blissful peace between thoughts.
Now,
this “better life” business doesn’t matter either. In that space between
breathing and thinking it all goes away and I abide within the wonder of
creation. It is an adventure more than a practice… brave and wise Odysseus on a
venture through the hazards and joy of the journey home.
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