Oneness

The rain spatters hard against the windowpanes,
forced by a prevailing wind.
The fire gently crackles, announcing heat and light
as it greedily licks up the newly-cut logs.
These are the world of name and form,
the historical dimension.

Close the eyes, become stillness,
the ultimate dimension reveals itself.

A vast space in which One
is manifest and many disappear.
Interbeing is a word unnecessary here,
a mild description of what fills the heart
and is known and recognised
in a wordless space beyond mind.

Gone are the dualistic notions that bind us to the world.
Birth and death,
coming and going,
you and me,
are not needed here,
in this empty space full of Oneness.


Close the eyes, become stillness,
the ultimate dimension reveals itself.

Reveals itself as

infinite, 

boundless, 

compassionate, 

loving, 

whole-hearted

and free.

©  27 January 2013

Mindfulness retreats in the UK

I'm rather excited to be able to let you know about my latest venture, which is to offer mindfulness retreats as part of NCMC's programme of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

The following link will take you to the website page, which gives all the details of retreats that are available this year;

http://www.yorkmbsr.co.uk/MeditationandMindfulness-Retreats.htm

Please forward  the link to anyone who you feel may be interested in such a retreat.

'Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and depth of our possibilities for growth and transformation' (Jon Kabat-Zinn). 

These weekends give the participants a chance to explore what this can mean in one's day-to-day life. For most of the retreats it is assumed the participants will have either attended an eight-week MBSR or MBCT course, or have an established meditation practice, however, there is a weekend in September which is an introduction to mindfulness for those to whom it is a new concept.

I am not going to bombard you with advertising and booking is done through York MBSR. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Lauri 

The Northern Centre for Mindfulness and Compassion
York MBSR
The mindful way to reducing stress
E:    Relax@YorkMBSR.co.uk<mailto:Relax@YorkMBSR.co.uk>
W:   www.YorkMBSR.co.uk<http://www.yorkmbsr.co.uk/>
T:     01904 634710

NCMC, Suite Z, Holgate Villa,  22 Holgate Road, York YO24 4AB

The unmoving quiet

What do you want from meditation?
Peace of mind.
I cannot give you peace of mind
you already have it.
But I don't feel peaceful.
I am agitated, restless, dissatisfied.
Peace does not come and go,
it is the foundation of everything you experience
even the restless, dissatisfied agitation.

It is the calm, unmoving base of the ocean
undisturbed by the waves rolling above.
It is the cool, pale blue sky
untouched by the thunder clouds that come and go.
It is the firm and unshakeable trunk of a tree
unmoved by the tumultuous shudders of a howling wind.
It is the empty and free space
that is unlocked from the centre of your heart when you fall quiet.


Agitation, restlessness and dissatisfaction come and go, they pass
and when they do, peace is left,
the unmoving quiet that accepts the disturbance
but does not embrace it as its own.
It is the essence of your being
resting in the centre of your heart.
When you welcome it as yours
it is unmovable, untouched and unshakeable.

©  4 January 2013

The unmoving quiet audio

New Year's Day Walk

Muddy boots,
bright sunshine,
empty trees,
nests revealed,
squirrels playing.
Sunlight brightening
bare fields.
Wind teasing,
nose running,
hair ruffled,
blowing aside
Christmas dullness.
Squelching through
slippery pathways,
searching for
solid ground.
Past fields,
through woods,
along paths,
up inclines.
Heart grateful
for all the above.

©  4 January 2013

One Bright Star

One bright star
in the inky, indigo blueness
of a fading sunset.

A bright slice of moon
that sits atop a pink and lilac
dance of sunrise.

These images
bring me back to myself,

fill my heart
with more eloquence
than a thousand words can express,

reveal the peace
that resides therein

and produce a smile of
gratitude and joy
for the simple beauty and revelation

in
one bright star
and
one slice of moon.

©  4 January 2013

I have submitted!

On Monday 26th November I finally submitted my thesis and now I have time and space to step away from the computer and academic work it feels quite odd to be back at my desk for a day. It was both a relief and an anticlimax to finally hand in the thesis, as I secretly wanted a fanfare of trumpets and shouts of acclamation at the very least. Instead I had to wait 3 hours for the printers to soft bind the copies, then queue for half an hour at students services before finally getting to that point of hand in. At least the chap behind the desk appreciated the poignancy of the moment, and stood up to recieve it, because 'it's worth standing up for'!!
Since then I have been at home, enjoying not having to travel into York every day and having time to sew, and make Christmas presents. I have also missed the cameradarie and banter of the G-lab, the Graduate centre where I had my desk. I went in at a later date to clear my desk and bring all Thay's books home, and this was another significant moment, almost a rite of passage. The end is in sight but I still have to wait for the viva date and prepare for the examination.
It feels like I am on holiday and shortly I will have to get back to 'it', except I remind myself there is no 'it' to get back to now! I really have reached that point that for the last 4 years seemed to be a mythological, moving one that I would never reach. I have poured heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into bringing the thesis into being and after a pause for a huge sigh of relief, there is also a sense of 'what now?' I am very aware of not plunging head first into the next project, and appreciating the space that has been created, whilst not filling every moment of the day as it was filled a month ago.
'What now?' remains a question that is yet to be answered. There are plans for mindfulness retreats for 2013, and running some MBSR courses, but I am in the very fortunate position of not immediately needing to earn money and so have some space to find out what will come next.
This is a real lesson in impermanence and finding out what that means, and how one lives when there seems to be a natural urge to cling to permanence, or what one thinks is permanent. Looking for the permanent in an ever-shifting, changing landscape creates many difficulties in a mind that longs for rest, for peace. Accepting what is right now must be the only answer.

Thank you to those of you following and reading this blog, and passing it on to others. This journey I have undertaken was only possible because of people like you, and what comes next will most likely involve you as well! Let's enjoy it together :)

November cold

The sharpness of the air
that took my breath away

The cold in the night that makes
my nose run and my teeth chatter

The frosty November evening
that has frozen my windows closed

has painted a pastel swirl of clarity
across the morning sky

has decorated the remaining autumn leaves
with a coat of frosted icing

has bedazzled the evening sky with a
gorgeous display of colour


has produced a plethora of
diamonds in the sky


if only one looks up.

©  30 November 2012