By H. Raffal
When I first started this meditation some years ago, the meditation centre was a trip across town from my home ,on busy congested roads.
I was enthusiastic about the meditation but I had many other commitments and the travel was a time consuming stressful chore. I chafed against it in my mind, continuously wishing that there was a centre closer to my home.
Barely a month went by before I realised as I practised the meditation method that I had found something of real value, indeed something I had long been searching for, searching far and wide - even as far as India.
Now the journey became a trivial thing.
At that time Sydney was the only city in Australia that had a centre teaching this meditation, and I had not always lived in Sydney.
Now, instead of complaining, I marvelled at the serendipity of having moved here from Melbourne with my family quite unexpectedly a few years earlier.
Life had conspired to put me exactly where I needed to be. Wow!
There is a saying attributed to Chippewa Indians which encapsulates my realisation at that time -
“Sometimes I go about pitying myself and all the time I am being carried by Great Winds across the sky”
If this resonates with you, you can make it real in your life by following this meditation and learning how to let go of myself who thinks I am making everything happen. *NB You have to WANT to. If I am wedded to my cynicism — the straitjacket that I have put on as a defence against Life taking me by surprise -- an ultimately futile attempt to fix things in place, to create an illusion of certainty — which kills possibility and deadens the mind — I will be unable to see things just as they are; to wake up my closed mind. Again just like listening to that bullying voice I imagine that my cynicism has my best interests at heart. I used to glibly say, ‘Pardon my cynicism.’
Superiority masquerading as humility.
Throwing off the shackles of my cynicism has been liberating, so refreshing.
Without doing that, I am in a prison my own making. The door is closed, not locked. Only I am holding it closed. If I open it even a chink, light comes in.
It’s the light that dispels the darkness, but it’s me who has to open the door.
Important footnote. These days , we have centres in Sydney, WA, Melbourne and Brisbane. As well as several online sessions daily. So everyone can join from wherever they are.