Sunday, August 24, 2008

meditate 08

Gary and I went to meditate08 last night and today. A group of people decided that they wanted to hold the space of peace during the democratic convention. They created a lineup of spiritual leaders from forty wisdom traditions to share their practices over six days. The opening ceremony was last night. There were over 300 people there holding a vision of peace. It was very moving to participate in a ceremony that included such diversity. My favorite was a minister whose gospel flavored chant had us all on our feet singing and clapping. Lloyd Burton,one of my mindfulness meditation teachers led us in a silent meditation which brought me to a deeper sense of being present in my body. Joining in silent meditation with such a large group, I felt the energy of our shared intention to bring peace to ourselves and all beings palpable in the room. I was honored to be part of such a group. There was a skilled bamboo flute player whose haunting music spread a feeling of hope throughout my body. The organizers of this event have spent countless hours gathering the presenters and handling logistics. When the two main organizers spoke, they talked about doing all they could to create their vision for the six days and then letting go of the outcome. If we can come together and respectfully honor each othere's paths by listening with an open heart to views which may be different from our own, that seems to be training for being more accepting of others in daily life. That in itself is accomplishing what the organizers hoped to accomplish. They created a space for all of us to practice peace. That is a beautiful thing.The evening ended with Dances of Universal Peace which are chants and dances from many wisdom traditions. It was outside and allowed me to embody what I had heard earlier and to be in nature.
This morning the day opened with laughter yoga. Laughter crosses all boundaries and is such a wonderful way for people to connect. We also experienced a vajrayana buddhist teacher, a vipassana meditation teacher and a native american teacher. Hearing all the passion each person had for their chosen path, I felt very inspired in my practice of my spiritual path. I highly recommend that you check out the schedule on the website http://www.meditate08/ and see if there is something of interest to you. Sharon Saltzberg, one of the three people who brought insite meditation to the west and author of "Lovingkindness" will be speaking on Wednesday from 11:30 to 1. I would love to see her again and I am teaching yoga. I hope someone will go and tell me what your experience was. The event ends on Thursday afternoon with a deeksha oneness blessing with five deeksha practitioners.

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