Meditation & Altar

Altar
Back in the beginning of training, David explained to us the meaning of the altar in our Main Hall and significance behind an altar in general. As opposed to thinking this altar represents deities who we are worshipping, David said the altar represents our own brain. Our brain normally is filled with clutter and there is lots of old stuff just collecting dust. The altar symbolizes our mind and by consciously creating one, we act out the job of organizes the space within our minds. All the things that are not useful and are just collecting dust - we get rid of them. Instead, we invite new things, of true significance, inside. The offerings one gives to an altar represent nourishment of the mind, symbolically represented as food. On our Jivamukti altar, David and Sharon placed a bowl of water that symbolize the function of water to absorb things that are floating around that are un-useful. David advised us to feel free to offer up these things from our minds into the bowl of water, which they would change daily.

In addition to this collective altar in the Main hall, we were encouraged to set up our own altars in our private rooms. A little challenging, I thought, given the sparse materials to work with, but I was fortunate to have received some help! In my room, I flipped over a small suitcase to use as a platform, and hung the beautiful Lord Shiva hanging above the altar. Below the hanging, I also hung my going-away cards filled with support and good wishes. On top of the altar itself, I placed the singing bowl I received as a going-away present, a candle, and a bowl (unfortunately the only thing I had to work with was a Tupperware bowl!) with water. In the middle, I placed a Franciscan cross that I had made during a retreat two years ago; it is very dear to me because it reminds me of Jesus's example of total surrender to God and self-gift to others. And for me right now, Jesus, St. Francis, and Lord Shiva represent the yogis I most identify with. I am hoping to add a female yogini and am praying for some inspiration......Let me know if you have any ideas!

Anyway, I expect to have this altar change throughout the month as things change significance for me. David explained it was very important to constantly change the altar according to our current interests and pullings of the heart. So the altar is definitely a "process" just like the road to enlightenment itself.

Meditation

Sharon taught us how to teach others meditation. Its really very simple; she explained there are only three steps:

1. Choose a seat

2. Be still

3. Focus your mind on your breath

These are simple - but they sure are NOT easy! Each day we have two sessions of meditation and learn how difficult it really is to do these three things. In the mornings, meditation is the first thing we do before starting. In the evening, we start off our satsang with meditation. We are doing 20 min meditations which will gradually extend to 30 minutes. After each meditation, we have entries in our workbooks to journal our experiences in order to track our progress throughout the month.

We open each meditation session together by praying a special prayer composed by Sharon and David, a prayer that I grown to especially love:

Make me an instrument for Thy will, not mine but Thine be done, free me from anger, jealousy, and fear, fill my heart with joy and compassion.

The first couple of days I found just sitting still to be challenging - and painful. We are told to commit to the seat we choose, meaning we then sit still and NOT move. This enforces discipline on us (tapas), allows us to bring that stillness within, teaches us how to detach from sensations of pain, and inspires our neighbors to sit still because of our example. It sounds great but is soooooo difficult to do! My hips were killing me and ached after 5 minutes of a 20 minute sitting. Sharon said these pains will naturally come out because they represent old karmas that we have suppressed deep in our bodies, and through these moments of stillness, they are allowed to emerge in order for us to heal them. It is really a war, though, that occurs inside my mind between one side that tempts me to move -- just a little; nobody will even notice! -- and the other side that dearly wants to resolve these old karmas. it's a lesson that we will learn repeatedly, says Sharon, that to resolve something we cannot run away from it but must delve deeper INTO it.

Ouch. J