Woo WOO.

Someone got murdered in NYC. That happens here sometimes even though the crime rate has been on the decline in recent years. This one was a little different. The victim was a 31 year old coach who was walking to his car at 4:30am after a party. He got stabbed in the head, neck and chest. Someone passing by after the attack found him with his ear cut off. They haven't found the guy who did it. All of this isn't that out of the ordinary. It's the location that makes it different-just a 1/2 block from Union Square right in the middle of the city where there are always people around.  


I went to The Tibet House tonight, one block from where the murder took place. My colleagues and I have been trying to get there for the past 3 weeks to hear Sharon Salzberg teach. Tonight was her last class. None of us are very, "woo WOO" but, all of us are open to anything that might be enlightening and interesting. I know very little about Tibetan culture and I've never meditated but, free education is always welcome.


We took off our shoes and found a spot in the back of the class. Sharon did a quick intro to recap the practice of Mindfulness and Refinement of Concentration. Essentially, we closed our eyes and tried not to think about anything but our breath and maybe how our fingers felt. It's natural for the mind to wander. Mine did about every 5 seconds. It's amazing how hard it is to clear your thoughts when that's what you're suppose to be doing. I actually had some anxiety while sitting in the perfectly quiet room filled with strangers. What if...what if...I need to cough!? Finally, I felt myself relaxing while thinking of my breath and almost fell asleep at one point. The third part of Sharon's intro had to do with Love and Kindness. Hold your judgement. The wonderful thing about this class was that our teacher made everything so easy to digest and at some points very funny. I don't like traditional yoga because I don't want to chant. I'm not spiritual in that kind of way. Sharon isn't either. She immediately addressed the stigma around the two words love and kindness. She wasn't trying to blow sunshine up our asses. She simply wanted us to go easy on ourselves. While concentrating, the mind wanders. When you realize it's happened, accept it and work to keep the peace. Eventually, we all opened our eyes. 


The rest of the evening was Sharon speaking about the foundations of meditation. Meditation practice opens us up to the world, and allows us to realize fully what we are feeling as we encounter both suffering and joy. She also mentioned the doctrine of the “Middle Way,” a path that avoids extremes and remains centered in the reality of the present moment. 


Sharon shared her Meditation Phrases:

May I be free of danger. Live safely.

May I be free of mental pain. Live happily.

May I be free of physical pain. Live healthfully.

May I live with ease. Live well and without conflict.

A few other thoughts I want to remember...


"Everyone get's to play." We all exist. You don't have to like everyone. You don't have to invite them into your home, give them your money and "save" them but, everyone is a part of this life for better or worse. Having that sensibility (and in some cases empathy) can sometimes provide valuable perspective. I'll probably still get pushed or push someone trying to get off the train at Jay Street tomorrow but, maybe I'll remember this instead.

 

Our culture is competitive by nature. People are always trying to measure happiness--she must be happy because she has "X"--as if there is a limited amount of happiness to be had in the world. It's so much easier to be happy about other people's happiness than to be happy about another person's unhappiness.  So, let's get on with that. We're all vulnerable. Happiness isn't forever. Neither is unhappiness. It can change for anyone at anytime. This is a reality and something that should equalize us. 

That's all I can remember right now. Sharon shared a few antidotes about her learning along the way but, I wouldn't do them justice trying to recreate them here. I'm not converted or anything but, it was a pretty interesting 75 minutes. I'm glad I went. 

It is better to travel well than to arrive. Night.