The Center Space

Posted on January 15, 2014 by writeherewritenow

lgM107347“Thirty spokes meet at the wheel’s axis;
The center space makes the wheel useful.
Form clay into a cup;
The center space gives it purpose.
Frame doors and windows for a house;
The openings make the space useful.
Therefore, purpose comes from what is there
Because of what is not there.”

Tao Te Ching, 11

We spend our days in a fast-paced, demanding work environment, subject to chronic stress which can undermine our effectiveness, our relationships, and our health. When we’re stressed and anxious, we  make reactive decisions that only increase the suffering within and around us.

But there is a better way. Research has confirmed a central Buddhist teaching, showing that contemplative practice relieves suffering. We become less anxious, defensive, and depressed by challenges, developing better cognitive and coping skills, greater compassion for ourselves and others (Walsh & Shapiro, 2006). As the Tao, reminds us, the center space brings greater purpose and peace.

0A few years ago, I included contemplative practice in my college course on vocation, hoping that a regular contemplative practice would help my students become more centered, less stressed, more able to listen to their hearts and discern their vocations.

I introduced them to passage meditation, as taught by Sri Eknath Easwaran (Easwaran, 2008), which focuses on a spiritual passage or prayer. We began with the Prayer of St. Francis, “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. . . .” Sitting at their desks with their backs straight, the students closed their eyes and focused on the first line, one word at a time, for a few silent moments at the beginning of class. I  encouraged them to memorize this passage or another of their choosing and spend fifteen to thirty minutes each day in meditation, slowly focusing on the words. Whenever their minds wandered off into worries, memories, and planning– which is completely normal–they were encouraged to gently return to the beginning of the passage: “Lord….make me …an instrument…of thy….peace.”  Over and over again–this process of returning to center, to space, challenging as it seems, is the practice. Some days our minds are filled with distractions. Other times, we discover a brief oasis of peace.

Every day at the beginning of class, my students and I closed our eyes, and silently repeated our passage. Then I would silently send love to my students and conclude by saying, “Now when you’re ready, open your eyes, centered, refreshed, and at peace.” For the first few weeks, I didn’t know how the students felt about this meditation time, but I appreciated the time to center down before class.

Then one day on the way to class, a very distraught colleague insisted on telling me her problem, so I walked into class, ten minutes late. I paused at the doorway in surprise–my students were in their chairs, eyes closed in meditation. I entered and sat down for a few silent moments until the young woman who had been leading the meditation, said, “Now open your eyes, centered, refreshed and at peace.” I began that day’s class with joy and gratitude.

Now I include a few moments of meditation before each of my classes as we pause to give ourselves and one another the gift of peace.

If you’d like to try passage meditation for yourself:

  • Close your eyes, sit with your spine straight, and focus on a passage.
  • It can be simply the line “Lord….make me …an instrument…of thy….peace”  or a prayer of your choice.
  • Repeat the short passage silently and slowly to yourself, focusing on one word at a time, like a string of pearls in your mind.
  • If your mind wanders—and it surely will—gently return to the beginning of the passage.
  • Repeat the passage when you come to the end.
  • At the end of your meditation period, smile and open your eyes, centered, refreshed, and at peace.

Namaste,

Diane

References

Easwaran, E. (2008). Passage meditation. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press. More information on passage meditation can be found on the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation web site: http://www.easwaran.org.

Walsh, R., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). The meeting of meditative disciplines and western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist, 61, 227-239.

 

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Center Down

Posted on January 6, 2014 by writeherewritenow

“Close the door,
Focus your senses,
This is the way of Tao.”
Tao Te Ching, 56

Cosmic Awareness

The English Department at Santa Clara University is in St. Joseph’s Hall, a building over 100 years old. Once the residence of Jesuit priests, it is graced with stained glass windows, aged wood paneling, and, if you listen carefully, deep spirituality, echoing the Jesuits’ long tradition as “contemplatives in action.”

My office on the third floor used to be my friend Chris’s office before he retired. An inspiring teacher, mentor, and friend, Chris is a Quaker, who had a ritual of withdrawing to his office to “center down” before going to class. Years ago, he told me, he sang with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus. Men and women in the chorus would come to rehearsals from all over the city, making their way through traffic at the end of a hectic work day. As they took their seats, the conductor would ask them to pause, close their eyes, and “center down,” for a few silent moments to release the busyness of the day, to tune the instruments of their hearts and minds. “Now,” she would say as they opened their eyes, “Now we will sing Bach.”

Chris brought that same sense of harmony to his classes. Entering the room with a deep sense of presence, he would bring the great works of literature to life, relating mindfully to each student, asking questions with the Socratic method, drawing the diverse group of students into a dynamic dialog of discovery, blending their insights into new harmonies.

He carefully prepared for class. Not just rereading the texts, reviewing lessons and lectures, but preparing himself for those crucial few moments before class as he withdrew to his office. Closing the door, drawing the latch, he would sit quietly in his chair, closing his eyes, to center down–a sacred ritual.

One afternoon before Chris’s class, the university president wanted to return a borrowed book. He called the department secretary who said that Chris had just gone to his office. So he walked over to our building, up the three flights of stairs, and knocked at Chris’s door. No answer. He paused for a moment, then turned and walked away. Chris finished his meditation, gathered up his books, and went to class. The incident spread around our department and when the university president, a Jesuit priest, told the story, he would smile at his friend’s example as a “contemplative in action.”

As a contemplative leader, do you have your own daily ritual for centering down? If not, consider beginning this practice:

  • Before you begin your day at work, pause for a moment—after you park your car in the parking lot or in your office before that rush of meetings and appointments, close the door for a few silent moments.
  • Close your eyes and center down, releasing all the busy details. Simply be present.
  • Take a deep breath and slowly release it, feeling the sense of peace flow through you, spreading out to the people in your world.
  • Then gently open your eyes and open your heart to this new day with all the gifts it brings.

Namaste,

Diane

 

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The Need for Clarity

Posted on November 19, 2013 by writeherewritenow

Vasona damWhen I felt the cold water under my feet, my first reaction was panic. It was  dark, five minutes past 5:00 am, as I went to the kitchen to prepare some tea. This is my routine every morning–enjoy a cup of tea before sitting for forty five minutes in meditation. All I felt in that moment, however, was a cold floor, wetness everywhere, and a terrible sense of danger in the deep darkness. Only much later I realized what had happened. In the middle of the night, a pipe had burst, transforming my kitchen into a swimming pool.

In that morning darkness, in the state in between dreaming and awakening, I wanted to scream. My first reaction, without a clear picture of where I was and what happened, was to run out of the kitchen. After catching my breath, I turned on the light and investigated the origins of that mess. I saw the leak, turned off the key to the water, and slowly proceeded to clean up. By the early light of dawn, things were looking like a normal morning again. The more I investigated, the more I realized I could now take care of the rest of the day. I got dressed and went to work.

San Salvador, El SalvadorAt work, I thought about the many times in our lives when a bursting pipe, an unpredictable mess, sends us into a moment of panic. How easily we tend to make rushed decisions, overreact and press the “fear” button even before we can clearly see what happened. Fear is a main obstacle to clarity. A mindful leader can see when an unpredictable event has clouded his/her view, and overcome reactivity with a pause and then right action. Mindfulness can help us see where to go and how to work with the unpredictable accidents of life.  How do you cultivate clarity in your life?

To begin, try this exercise:

1. Take a few minutes of mindful breathing. Acknowledge your fears. Pay attention to the different aspects of the feeling and what triggers the hot energy of the emotion.

2. After a short period of meditation, write down the list of events, people or situations that trigger fear in your life.

3.  End with a few minutes of breathing, and slowly reclaim the clarity that comes when you are open to the present moment.

Juan

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The Contemplative Leader: An Invitation

Posted on October 7, 2013 by writeherewritenow

Our greatest natural resources are our hearts and minds, together with those of the people around us.

                                     –Diane Dreher, The Tao of Personal Leadership

We live in a world challenged by climate change, social and technological upheaval, political polarization and violence. Yet our world also offers us new possibilities for creativity, joy, and personal growth.

Cosmic Awareness

In today’s world, the old top-down, command and control model of leadership has become obsolete, producing only mindless polarization, short-term solutions, suffering, and stagnation. We need leaders with a new vision to see through the problems that divide us to discover the possibilities that unite us. The complex challenges of our time call us all to be leaders, mindful men and women who can create new synergies out of the experiences and situations around us.

The mindful leader does not dictate policy, does not pretend to know all the answers; rather, he or she is someone who is always in discovery, bringing greater clarity, cultivating trust, and building community, finding new solutions by drawing upon the talents of everyone involved.

The good news is that we can all become mindful leaders by leading a contemplative life and cultivating virtues such as clarity, courage, compassion, creativity, and community. Taking time to listen to ourselves and others, we can move forward mindfully, learning from daily challenges, building a world of greater harmony, cooperation, and understanding.

In our blog, we’ll be drawing upon centuries of wisdom from diverse spiritual traditions along with our own real-life experience, cultivating a vision of mindful, contemplative  leadership for our world today.

We invite you to join us on this journey through your own mindful practice and journal writing.

To begin, try this exercise:

  • Take a few minutes to center yourself. Think about your day. What is one challenge you faced?
  • How did you deal with it?
  • Given your experience today, what could you have done differently? Or would you react in the same way?
  • Meditate for a few moments. Then write down your own list of virtues that will allow you to become a mindful leader at work, in your family, in your community and the world.

Namaste,

Diane and Juan

 

 

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About Anxiety

Posted on September 15, 2013 by writeherewritenow

Have you left me
or have I left you?
and how do we get back together?

Lotus Flower

Don’t Know Mind

Anxiety is a normal response to not having a soul. I don’t know what I mean by soul. I know something is missing, so I call this missing something soul, and that feels about right. And I can look back at my life and say, it has always been like this. And I’ve tried to do many things about it. But the truth is that nothing really worked. Mostly band-aids. But this proved too serious for a band-aid.

To say that this anxiety has been debilitating is an understatement. It is devastating and disempowering. No wonder this age of anxiety is also the age of apathy and disengagement. Soul is what I need, even if I don’t know what that is. Something is not right. And though we speak of anxious individuals as if their organism has gone haywire–registering non-existent threats–we should instead respect these vigilant selves as registering a very real threat: the absence of the most important thing.

Cosmic Awareness

Looking for Direction

It feels urgent. By our mass dissatisfaction it seems to me we are agreeing on this point: life should not be like this. And we are all in the same boat. Without direction, without oars.
And this thought is empowering. Because it acknowledges that the problem is not that I am faulty. The problem is that we are all dealing with the same deficient circumstances. We are all missing something. We all have lungs, but are oxygen starved. What now?

Need to stop believing the lie that something is wrong with me. Yes, something is wrong. And I did not choose this condition. Yet I experience it 24/7. And we fumble in the dark. All together, alone, secretly and silently. How sad is that? And rotten. And something tells me that there is no one to blame. This makes us solely and absolutely responsible.

Nattan Hollander is a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern, living in Los Angeles with his wife and cat. Nattan blogs at regardingsoul.blogspot.com

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Look to the Light

Posted on August 15, 2013 by writeherewritenow

Juan’s last post reminds us that “we always have the choice to return to the source,” that we can break through the darkness by pausing, breathing mindfully, and “recognizing the true source of all love and wisdom in our lives.”

IMG_0200The light of love and wisdom is beautiful, exhilarating, healing, and empowering, but there are so many distractions in life. It’s easy to get caught up in the shadows of self-doubt, worry, or criticism, dwelling on something that someone did or said to us or perhaps something we regret that we did or said. We might even feel we have good reason to be upset. But that “good reason” can pull us away from our awareness of the source, out of the sunlight into the shadows.

This summer I’ve been practicing mindfulness in earnest, meditating each morning and evening. Remarkably, I’ve stopped obsessing about some painful patterns from the past. Instead, I’ve been feeling an expansive sense of light in my life, a greater awareness of beauty in the world around me—the small miracles in my garden as white blossoms transform into tiny green beans, my little dog sleeping in the golden sunlight, gratitude for the cup of tea beside me. It’s almost like falling in love, falling deeply into the present moment.

The Medieval Franciscan St. Bonaventura used to return to the source by IMG_0202meditating on the Book of Nature, the beauty of the natural world. Recent reports by a British mental health consortium recommend “ecotherapy”—walking in natural settings, gardening, and other forms of active interaction with nature—as an effective treatment for anxiety and depression with minimal cost and no adverse side effects. And for most of us, nature is nearby, as close as walking outside and looking at the sky.

Try Bonaventuran meditation to return to the source:

  • Center yourself by taking a deep breath, then slowly releasing it.
  • Now look at something natural, something beautiful—perhaps a tree, the landscape, your dog or cat, or the sky above your head.
  • Focus your attention on this small part of Nature’s masterpiece, becoming more aware of the subtle, ever changing patterns of life.
  • Breathe in this beauty–into your heart.
  • Smile as you feel one with it.

Remember, you always have a choice: either to stand in your own shadow or to look toward the light, recognizing your oneness with the infinite source of beauty and goodness.

Paz y alegria,

Diane

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Back to the Source

Posted on June 28, 2013 by writeherewritenow

I was struck by Diane’s last post regarding the speed of our lives and the more demanding pressures affecting us these days. I also felt in the last few weeks “overwhelmed by demands from all directions, throwing me off course, pushing my creative writing to the side.”

Back to the Source

Back to the Source

When we face those moments in life, what can we do? One of my favorite representations of the different stages of our practice in life is the Ten Ox Herding Pictures. A metaphor for the ten stages of practice, these ancient drawings summarize the changes in the relationship we have with our  busy minds through the different pictures of the child and the ox. The ninth picture, ‘Returning to the Origin, Back to the Source,’ is explained by Suzuki Shôsan in this way: “when the student, without an individual self, sees things, they are nothing but scenery. When he does anything, because he acts without self, there is only activity. That’s why only scenery appears in the picture.”  ‘Only scenery’ means clarity have taken place within you, and now only activity remains. There is recognition in the Zen tradition of the freedom implicit when you can return (without the ecstatic noise of too much thinking and planning) to being pure activity in the world.  Accordingly, the next step, the tenth picture, is explained as ‘Entering the Marketplace with Giving Hands’ or a selfless person “with outstretched hands.”

Flowing Freely

Flowing Freely

The Avatamsaka Sutra describes this state of clarity in action as simply recognizing the true source of all love and wisdom in our lives. Zen master Ta Hui explains this final stage in the following manner: “You must make yourself turn freely, like a gourd floating on the water, independent and free, not subject to restraints, entering purity and impurity without being obstructed or sinking down.”

This commitment to entering the busy world with a clear, free mind, is the final step on the road to being in touch with your source, and is best expressed by Pema Chodron, by stating that you “just open your heart in an inconceivably big way, in that limitless way that benefits everyone you encounter.”

To make this paradigm shift for yourself, take a few moments now to:

  • Center yourself by mindfully breathing in and out.
  • Witness the procession of thoughts and feelings swirling by.
  • If you get hooked by any thoughts or feelings, take a deep breath.
  • Return to mindful breathing.
  • Ask yourself, “What am I?”
  • End your meditation by writing in your journal.
  • Don’t analyze or think too much. Just let the words flow. Follow the deep,  authentic voice within you.
  • Remember you always have the choice to return to the source.

Peace, Juan

 

 

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Where Are You Going?

Posted on May 10, 2013 by writeherewritenow

Life is a journey. Yet as Juan said in his last blog, when “we’re bombarded with excessive trivial demands, the aspects of our life that once were so inspiring are pushed aside, and our journey is not our own any more.”

I’ll admit I’ve been overwhelmed by demands from all directions, throwing me off course, pushing my creative writing to the side. I’d had lots of reasons–excuses really—classes, committees, research deadlines, and a morass of mundane chores.

This week our university hosted two creative writers from Nebraska, Bud Shaw and Rebecca Rotert-Shaw, whose compelling readings and presence lit a fire in my heart. I still have that same pile of excuses. But now I realize that as long as I keep telling myself all the reasons why I “don’t have time to write,” I’ll stay stuck in excuses and won’t have time to write.

We have a choice. In graduate school, I loved studying Renaissance writers, inspired by their affirmation of free will: the empowering message that we have a choice. We always have a choice. Our actions in life follow our attention. If we focus our attention on all the reasons we can’t:  write, create, follow our dreams, then we’re stuck in the world of can’t.

IMG_0194We shift into a dynamic new paradigm when we turn from feeling victimized by externals to ask, “What can I do?” Then the door starts to open, a shaft of light enters, illuminating our choices, lighting the way.

To make this paradigm shift for yourself, take a few moments now to:

  • Center yourself by mindfully breathing in and out.
  • Let yourself watch the procession of thoughts and feelings swirling by.
  • If you get hooked by one, take a deep breath.
  • Return to mindful breathing.
  • Ask yourself, “What can I do?”
  • End your meditation by writing in your journal.
  • Don’t analyze. Just let the words flow. Following the deep, authentic voice within you will cast light on new choices, revealing the next step on your journey.
  • Remember: you always have a choice.

Namaste,

Diane

 

 

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Touching the Buddha Within

Posted on March 19, 2013 by writeherewritenow

In her last entry, Diane mentioned how “today I often find myself wrestling with shadows, rushing off to meetings, dealing with endless barrages of e-mail, spending more time on mundane chores than the ideals that once inspired me.” I can identify with that feeling. Bombarded with excessive trivial demands, the aspects of our life that once were so inspiring are pushed aside, and our journey is not our own anymore.

Touching the Buddha Within

Touching the Buddha Within

Lately, I found myself, once more, inspired by the poet and Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. In his writing he emphasizes that “the heart of the Buddha is in each of us. When we are mindful, the Buddha is there. I know a four-year-old boy who, whenever he is upset, stops what he is doing, breathes mindfully, and tells his mommy and daddy, ‘I am touching the Buddha within.’”

Pema Chodron explains that as you work with that kind of awareness in the world, you can “just open your heart in an inconceivably big way, in that limitless way that benefits everyone you encounter (…) the intention is vast: may everyone’s physical pain be relieved and, even more to the point, may everyone attain enlightenment.”  We are encourage, in that way, to take a position of mindful  active engagement as we face the suffering of the world and find the terms of ultimate liberation for all beings.  In other words, every moment in our life (if we do it mindfully) is an opportunity toward liberation, clarity and compassion for all beings (including us).

El Salvador

El Salvador

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed, stress or disappointed by work, too many demands, by verbal aggression and a violent world? Writing, just keeping a journal, helps me to stop, breathe, and pay attention to what’s happening within. Writing is a powerful spiritual practice if you can mindfully connect with the “Buddha within” everyday.

 

To practice touching the “Buddha within”:

  • Center yourself by mindfully breathing in and out.
  • Pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.
  • As you do so, notice those moments when you are “hooked,”  distracted or overwhelmed.
  • Kindly return to your breathing.
  • After meditation, write in your journal for a while. Allow yourself to write without thinking. Let your more authentic self, your “voice,” emerge as you are practicing radical awareness through your writing.

Peace, Juan

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Whose Journey is This?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by writeherewritenow

“Midway through the journey of my life,
I found myself lost in a dark wood.”
Dante Alighieri

I began my career inspired by the world’s greatest literature, determined to teach, write, and contribute to what Francis Bacon called “the advancement of knowledge.” Yet today I often find myself wrestling with shadows, rushing off to meetings, dealing with endless barrages of  e-mail, spending more time on mundane chores than the ideals that once inspired me.

Does this sound familiar? Overwhelmed by demands and distractions, many of us feel lost on a journey that is not our own.

In the opening lines of the Divine Comedy, Dante writes that midway through the journey of his life he had lost his way. This realization led him on a pilgrimage through the depths of hell and finally to a vision of Paradise with “the love that lights the sun and the other stars.”

If you’ve been lost in a maze of demands, deadlines, and “shoulds,” you can find your way by practicing what St. Ignatius Loyola called Discernment. Beneath the surface noise of childhood conditioning, peer pressure, popular culture, and external demands is the quiet wisdom we can find by listening to our hearts.

San Salvador, El SalvadorBefore making a choice, take time to listen. Often the first feeling you’ll notice is fear– fear of failure, fear of risk, rejection, loss, of not meeting others’ expectations, along with repressed emotions of hurt, defensiveness, anger, resentment—dark emotions Ignatius called “Desolation.” Yet beyond these painful emotions is “Consolation”–your deepest desires, guiding values, and feelings of love, joy, insight, understanding, gratitude, trust, openness, enthusiasm, creativity, inspiration, and peace. Consolation and Desolation are the two settings on your inner compass. As you move forward in life, they can help you find the right direction.

To practice Discernment now:

  • Center yourself by breathing slowly and deeply.
  • Think of a decision you need to make.
  • Standing at the crossroads, see yourself making one choice, then the other.
  • As you do so, listen to your heart. Which path leads to Consolation? Desolation?
  • Take a deep breath and release it.
  • Your inner guidance will come through–either now or later, as you go about your daily activities.

Namaste,

Diane

 

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