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Re: How is everyone?

 

I meant to thank you for those comments too, Jaya. I've also done some meditation exploring in recent years and practiced regularly for a year and a half or so (often with the help of the app called Insight Timer). I draw the line at lovingkindness meditations for Trump, though. I've come to the point of pretty much abandoning the practice except in times of upheaval. And I'm in one of those now - my dad is failing and was admitted into hospice care last week. For now there are good days and he's often his old self, but I don't think it's going to last long.

Modern (or ancient, for that matter) Stoicism is not quite what you describe, Jaya - it isn't what we mean when we say someone is stoic with a small S. It does have many commonalities with Buddhism and meditation traditions - but no mysticism. It really appeals to me because of its? faith in the rationality and wisdom of the natural world and its processes and its focus on reflection and cosmopolitanism. The idea is to be a good human, basically, and that means one who is rational (but not unemotional) and who strives for not only a better self, but for a better world for all fellow humans.

If anyone's interested LMK and I'll recommend a couple of modern Stoics who write good material for beginners. Unfortunately some of the loudest modern Stoics practice a "bro-style" stoicism that is not my kind of thing - focusing on athletics, work productivity, stuff like that. Those people are not the real deal.

Jacqui, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics sounds like my cup of tea - going to go check that out.

--Therese

Th¨¦r¨¨se Shere
Freelance indexing & digital information design



On Tue, Sep 15, 2020 at 5:00 PM jacqui whittemore <jackiechris.is@...> wrote:
This is really interesting to hear!?

For the last few months, I have been cultivating meditation skills myself. I started with an app called Healthy Minds. It mixes guided meditations with the underlying science. So far, I have completed 24 hours active meditation (112 sessions) while walking the dog and 3 hours learning time (58 sessions). It seems like it is transforming my life and soul, enough that I plan to repeat the entire HealthyMinds curriculum using sitting meditations once I am done!?

Somehow I also stumbled upon Dan Harris¡¯ Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, which led me into a whole world of other resources - audiobooks I listen to while walking the dogs, podcasts, additional guided meditations, and the Do Nothing project (helping me carve nonexistent time for sitting meditation). Anymore, I find most meditations too heavily guided vs the opposite (but I still am not doing more than 30 minutes at a time).?

Of all the practices, Tonglen and metta have been some of the most powerful for me, and I too have started sending loving kindness to Trump and people who seriously wounded me in past. This is not something I ever thought I would be able to do. It is great to be growing and healing myself - even if I likely am much slower and have further to go than others like you. Thanks for the inspiration, Jaya!

jacqui

Because I already know an awful lot of people. Until one of them?dies, I couldn't possibly meet anyone else.
-Audrey Hepburn, Charade

On Sep 7, 2020, at 8:07 PM, Jaya Srikrishnan <ermabom@...> wrote:

Your philosophy is very similar to the way I was raised. My mother was a Stoic and so is my uncle. Their attitude is that whatever comes is a problem that needs to be solved and one continues without complaining, focusing on the next thing that has to be tackled.?

For me these days, I am more in tune with Buddhist philosophy which is to focus on the moment. Not to focus on what was, what might have been, or what will happen. I have done Loving Kindness Meditation for people who I used to dislike a lot - even Trump. I now do a form of Tonglen meditation where one takes in other people¡¯s problems (that are like yours or like those of people you love) and send out thoughts that heal those problems. These mental exercises help me deal with lot of situations with calm and equanimity although I am no where near being in that state most of the time.
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