In an issue of Newsweek arrives on Tuesday or Wednesday, I peruse the contents and give priority to articles and stories that appeal to me at the moment. After that, I read it from cover to cover, starting at page 1. Recently the story No Buddha Required captured my attention and lead the competition as to what i would read first.
Rembrandt’s “Philosopher in Meditation”
No Buddha Required is by no means a critical, derogatory or fault-finding expose of Buddhism. Being the international city Clarksville is, there are believers in this world religion among us. I know several practicing Buddhists, productive citizens who have a depth of compassion. Their teachings are respectful of all God’s creatures.
No Buddha Required is a thoughtful, brief article on discovering and appropriation meditation. meditation is the common thread in all world religions. It’s a frequent theme in Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ and others within the Protestant. The Catholic Church has developed meditation as an avenue to spirituality.
Nancy Mariello is a proponent of contemplation, of deliberately budgeting time for this form of creative thinking. Even a brief time, such as a 15-minute period, is healthy and motivational. In her experience, she perpetually states:
“All the junk, all the stimuli, are pouring out of you, so you are left with a cleaner, lighter mind and body. You feel refreshed, very relaxed, and you have more capacity to take on new things.”
Wow! With these results and benefits available, I need to meditate more frequently. My meditation is reserved for the early morning hours and when I wake up at night. In the case of the latter, I often doze off to sleep again quickly as I enter into contemplation or prayer. Minutes in this discipline in the morning does change me and raises my level of enthusiasm for the day.
Meditation, as we call it, “the quiet time,” embraces reading and praying. In the case of prayer, I reserve my 20-30 minutes in the pool for creative thoughts for my five grandchildren in Evansville and their parents, and my daughter, Dana, in Reno.
Meditation is being rediscovered as a tool for enriching and balancing our busy lives. This discipline yields “a host of health benefits from increased concentration to some relief from depression. Medical schools are including it in their training of new doctors as a treatment for themselves as well as their future patients. It’s become much more mainstream in our society.
It is of such extreme benefit for our welfare that it merits the effort to start and maintain this spiritual practice. For the person interested in discovery this ancient art on mind relaxation, there are dozens books, classes, videotapes, DVDs and CDs for beginners. The principles are also found online. For an extended list of recommendations, check out the local library.
Although I meditate daily, I am still a student. For my own spiritual development, advancement and progress A group experience would be healthy in realizing my inner spiritual resources. At the Madison Street Street United Methodist church I found a weekly Yoga class, with its emphasis on inner focus and concentration, beneficial.
