DANCING ACROSS THE ABYSS - Day of Reflection

Seeking Together

The Satsang Association
( UK Midlands & North)
HOSTS

A Day of Reflection   
 
Saturday 13th July 2013 ( 10.30-4.30)
Friends Meeting House

8b Summerfield Road, Wolverhampton

DANCING ACROSS

THE ABYSS

Dancing Across the Abyss

The whole of creation and the Cosmos are on an Evolutionary Journey. We are part of this journey and, just as we evolve physically and psychologically, we need to focus on our Spiritual Evolution.

The Spiritual Wisdom of the ages and of the major Faith Traditions, remind us that to evolve spiritually our task is to Transcend the Ego Self and   begin to find our Evolutionary Self.  To requires us to have the courage to cross the Abyss that separates the Evolutionary from the  Ego Self  with its tendency to resist change and attempts to retain control.

Spiritual Wisdom suggests that to relate to the Mystery ( we call God) we need to calm and subdue the Ego Self  and find the space within where the true  Self is. This is a space of Inner Silence and Stillness. Our task is to courageously let go and in the Stillness relax and learn to Dance Across the Abyss.

This Day of Reflection will focus on this theme and provide the opportunity to listen and watch input, reflect and find time for Silent Prayer/Meditation.

This is an OPEN EVENT and ALL are WELCOME

COST: To cover the cost of hiring the Hall and drinks there is a suggested donation 

                  of £5 /person

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN PACKED LUNCH

Swami Chidananda - A Fruitful Life

SIGNPOSTS ON THE JOURNEY

Great Spiritual Lights 

The pathway for Spiritual Seekers can often be both long and, at times, arduous. Fortunately all the great Faith Traditions have examples of Great Saints and Sages, who by their life and example help to 'throw light' on the spiritual pathway.  One such was the great Hindu Master , Swami Chidananda.

Many years ago I visited India  with my wife Angela and  other members of the International Satsang Association. It was a 'pilgrimage' to many of the important sacred places of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.  This pilgrimage was  led by Sister Ishpriya. We stayed at the Sivanandas Ashram in Rishiskesh and , from there, went to Haridwar, where  we were  fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet with this humble and holy man.

Chidanandaji, was the President of the Divine Life Society, based in Rishikesh. He was a devout  and humble disciple of his Guru , Swami Sivananda, who founded the Divine Life Association.  Chidananda was a quiet, humble and very holy man, whoce very presence illuminated any gathering. Below is a simple teaching of his on living a Fruitful Life.

The secret of a fruitful life

The secret of a progressive and fruitful life is to be inwardly ever linked with God, linked with the Cosmic Being.When there is no connection, when you cut yourself off from the source of your being, then your life will be full of pain and suffering, misery and fear, negativity will prevail.

If you want to put an end to this, the only way is to link yourself with God, who is your source, your origin. Keep that connection either through enquiry and discrimination, or through constant unbroken remembrance of God and devotion, or through meditation and continuously thinking about Brahman, or through worshipfully dedicating all activities to Him. Then, day by day your spirit will begin to unfold. It will grow, develop, progress, expand and you will attain divine experience.

So remember that separation from God is the rootcause of all human miseries. Put an end to this; seriously strive after that supreme state of being constantly in a state of oneness, attunement with the Supreme and overcome the sorrows of samsara.

May God bless you.  Swami Chidananda

Breathing Under Water - Spiritual Wisdom

Reflections on Satsang Meeting Sat 11th May 2013

We met in Satsang at the Friends Meeting House in Wolverhampton. The theme for our meeting was Spiritual Growth - Relationships - Finding the Real Self and Living Freely without Fear.

The meeting opened with a poem from Sister Ishpriya  that set the scene for our main input and the whole meeting. Its words are copied below :

Caught in the Moment of  Half Light

O Lord I am caught in that moment of half-light,

the breathless point of balance between sun and moon.

As I bid farewell to the cold purification of the night,

in that same movement,

I fling wide my arms to be embraced by the warmth and glory of the sun,

knowing that in due time I will bow to the receding light

and open my arms to darkness once again.

Thus, O Lord,
You come into our lives, in the blaze of splendour,
the certainty of Your presence,
in the times of aridity and isolation,
even to the point of despair.
Throughout this continuing journeying,
from the zenith of midday

to the depths of midnight and back to blinding noontide,
we grow towards You, the true light,
that shines like the sun beyond darkness, forever.

Sister Ishpriya rscj

We then moved on to the main input which was a video clip from Richard Rohr.  This had the title Breathing Under Water. Richard Rohr  talked about the connections between spiritual teachings and traditions and the 12 step AA Program.  An outline of the 12 Steps is shown below.

THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

1.We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

•

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Some Notes on the Meeting and Rohr's Input

Rohr used these as a backdrop to his inspiring talk. He suggested that in order to reach spiritual maturity we had to let go of the ego, reach a point of pain and powerlessness and only then 'breakthroug'h' into genuine spiritual maturity. He remarked on how  humility and honesty marked were the hallmarks of his experience of attending AA Meetings. Any reflection on the above 12 Steps bear this out. Further more, he suggested that formal  Christian Religions  could learn a lot about the grace of humility and honesty from the 12 Steps of AA.

Broadening out his talk, he contended that we were all 'addicted' ( not just those who formally recognised the label of 'substance abuse' )  We were all addicted to our form of thinking, to our views and our preferences. We all tended to suffer from black and white or Either : Or  thinking. 

Once we made our decision or preference we then logically and intellectually confirmed it. That is, we found the evidence to support our preference. Yet every preference we took was an inevitable pathway towards a potential disappointment. In addition, our 'preferences then led to distinctions between peoples and groups. Inevitably this led to conflict and a failure to mature.

The first half of our life was designed to build up our Ego, give us a sense of value, worth, purpose and self-love. The second half was really about detachment.  This is where we let go of the self and move upwards into a more mature relationship with the Mystery - we call God - the Higher Power of AA.  However, for many, who have a blighted or abused childhood ( or sometimes adults who suffer setbacks and trauma )  then they have no sense of the Real Self and thus cannot let go or detach from the EGO. In fact , they cling to the False Self and remain in a rut. Rohr suggests that they first need to build a 'container' around their damaged EGO and then from this safer place begin to move out and learn to detach.

The way of detachment was to recognise the BINARY THINKING MIND. To practice meditation/contemplation and thus mindfully begin to catch ourselves making these false distinctions /preferences.

These reflections end with the poem that informed the title of Rohr's talk.They contain a deep spiritual message concerning the importance of trust in our relationship with the Ultimate Reality we call ' God'

 House by the Sea

From the Poetry of   Carol Bialock rscj

I built my house by the sea.
Not on sand, mind you.
Not on the shifting sand.
And I built it of rock.
A strong house.
By a strong sea.

And we got well-acquainted, the sea and I.
Good neighbours.
Not that we spoke much.
We met in silences.
Respectful, keeping our distance,
but looking our thoughts across the fence of sand.
Always, the fence of sand our barrier;
always the sand between.

And then one day
(I still don't know how it happened),
but the sea came.
Without warning.
Without welcome, even.
Not sudden and swift, but sifting across the sand like wine.
Less like the flow of water than the flow of blood.

Slow, but coming.
Slow, but flowing like an open wound.
And I thought of flight and I thought of drowning

 and I thought of death.
And while I thought the sea crept higher,
till it reached my door.

I knew, then, there was neither flight nor death nor drowning.
That when the sea comes calling you stop
being good neighbours,
Well-acquainted, friendly-from-a-distance neighbours.
And you give your house for a coral castle,
And you learn to breathe under water.



Equality of Women - A Challenge for Fundamentalism

We are all created equal and in the image of God, the Mystery, by whatever name we call GOD.  The ethos and values of the International Satsang Associaton are set out in its Triple Commitment. A copy  of this Commitment can be downloaded by accessing the Resources Page of  www.satsang-companionship.org.uk. 

One of the main purposes  and/or commitment of both the Satsang Association and its Members , is to work towards the removal of barriers that separate people from people.These barriers, mainly erected  from fear and ignorance, try to differentiate between peoples on grounds of race, ethnicity, economic status, sexuality, gender and other 'false' differences. One of the major 'isms' is directed at women.

 I recently received  the following extract from an article by President Jimmy Carter, first  published in 2009. I am grateful to Monica Courey , a Satsang Member from the USA , for forwarding the following reflections.

President 'Jimmy' Carter rose to the high office in the USA. He  was President  from January 1977 until January 1981. He  served as the 39th President of the United States and was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office.

Losing my religion for equality…by Jimmy Carter

Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God. I HAVE been a practicing Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women’s equal rights across the world for centuries. At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities. The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met. In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime. The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in the West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day.

It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family. It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.

I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy - and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it. The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. We have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights and have recently published a statement that declares: “The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.” We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world’s major faiths share. The carefully selected verses found in the Holy Scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths. Similar biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers. I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same Scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn’t until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy. The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.

OBSERVER http://www.womenspress-slo.org/?p=11440