Joining a group, whose membership comprises great variety in terms of background and experience, from all over the world, is a joy and a privilege. The compassion with which we meet one another is, for me, never more apparent than in the laughter we share as we acknowledge our struggles, and foibles as human beings. Whilst we are all striving, and ‘doing’, as we share our experiences I am both humbled and reminded that we are, before anything else, ‘being’ to the best of our ability. Alongside the humour is a profound reminder that we identify with one another, which shatters any illusion of isolation that can sometimes develop when we practice on our own. I am reminded of the added value of group, and community experience, and feel comforted to have literally ‘re-connected’ in this way. Our days are largely, but not exclusively silent, and are punctuated by themselves beautiful moments which, to my mind, exemplify as much as the formal practice, our humanity.
"So, how many channels does your TV get?"
...I quickly responded to explain that I hardly ever switch it on, but that when I did last, I thought probably only the five, terrestrial, channels were available. She smiled, and rephrased the question, to ask my about the TV in my room at the retreat centre... It was a brilliant moment, to realise how I had immediately gone somewhere, far far away, into the land of compare and despair, to a world of fantasy that my room lacked the facilities of others’, and that I was ‘missing out’. We both roared with laughter which arose from our hearts, and our bellies.
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