Friday Reflection meets this week (January 9) at First Parish Scituate,  the usual time of 9:30-11:00.  There is parking out front and on the right side of the building.  Come in through the front doors, we meet in the sanctuary – inside and to the right. 

We move on to Chapter Three (Passing Memory) in Pema Chodron’s How We Live is How We Die.  Pema writes that “contemplating continual change is a poignant experience.  It can feel sad or scary.”  I’m struck by the counterpoint between her words.  Here’s what I notice in the chapter’s last four paragraphs:

poignant // sad, scary

natural, tender // vulnerable

open-heartedness // take breath away

curious // anxious

compassionate heart // sign of something being wrong

immeasurable wisdom // heartbreaking

braver self // shaky

true nature // melancholy

confidence, trust //discomfort

precisely where you do want to be // not where you want to be

I am discomfited by the words on right; and heartened by how Pema pairs them with the words on the left.  There is no left without right, no lotus without mud.  I yearn for these qualities on the left, as Pema gently insists that the path is through the right.

We’ll try something new in our Part One practice this week, engaging with the chant that Pema cites at the start of the chapter (via a unique recording – all you’ll have to do is listen).  Let’s see how sitting with some meditative, melodious words help us settle ourselves into a middle space between right and left, a space where mud and lotus meet.

Come sit gently with yourself and others.  Hold these questions with openhearted curiosity.  You do not have to be reading along to join in, though reading along might enhance your experience.

I look forward to seeing you soon.