Outer, Inner, and Secret
June 27, 2012 | 6 CommentsIt could be said that meditation practice works on three levels simultaneously.
To receive support for your practice, please join the Open Heart Project!
categorized in: open heart project
We have so much to share with you.
Get a free meditation from Susan every Monday morning
6 Comments
Hi Susan, thanks so much for your open heart project and the chance to meditate with you. I do much better with my meditation when I do it with you! It’s very nice to hear that even in my “imperfect” way, I’m still meditating. I hope you and your family are finding peace after the loss of your Dad. take care and again,thank you. Namaste!
Mary, thank you so much for this kind message! I really appreciate it and your good wishes for my family are very much taken to heart. Love, Susan
Dear Susan – I was smiling through my tears, listening to this… I love your honesty, directness, clarity – your words are so accessible, and at the same time, so rich! I have thought of writing to you SO many times…. Ah, well.
I was remiss in acknowledging the passing of your dear father. I know now as I tear up again, that it felt too close to an inevitable loss that I face, and so I avoided.
The director of the local Shambhala center I attend passed away this spring, and we recently received a letter she had written for the sangha, with a lovely quote from DH Lawrence that she had come across during her illness. Here it is, with her loving introduction:
I wanted to be able to convey to you my feelings on precious human birth and death as part of my final message. But these things are no longer separate in my mind and are therefore beyond explanation. So instead I offer a quote from D. H. Lawrence that appeared on my Zen calendar and spoke to me one Spring day in 2011. I grant that you all will hear it, contemplate it and meditate on it.
“For man the vast marvel is to be alive. For man as for flower and beast and bird the supreme
triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive. Whatever the unborn and the dead may know,
they cannot know the beauty, the marvel of being alive in the flesh. The dead may look after the
afterward. But the magnificent here and now of life in the flesh is ours alone and ours only for a
time. We ought to dance with rapture that we should be alive and in the flesh and part of the living
incarnate cosmos.”
thank you, Susan – for all that you do, for all that You Are! ~Karen
Karen! Thank you so much for this lovely message. I really appreciate the words of condolence on the passing of my beloved father. It is so hard. The DH Lawrence quote is so accurate. Thank you for your kindness. Susan
Susan, your words are simple, yet heartfelt and deeply meaningful. it’s encouraging to hear about outer, inner, and secret. looking back on my meditation, i now see that many things in my life have changed on a ‘secret’ level, which gives me a deeper appreciation for the time i’ve spent meditating. your open heart project is helping me enjoy practicing so much. thank you, thank you!
rebecca, you’re welcome, you’re welcome! i’m so happy this post was meaningful to you and i’m glad our paths have crossed. xo s