So last week, I brought my book, and
we had an extra 1 and so grateful
to see it gone on the shelf, but
I was relying on pulling it off self
to use it.
But I have that I want on my
phone so that will work.
The book.
Self just beautiful
beautiful book.
The first free women,
it... And I think I may have misrepresented
a little bit last week.
So they're in the Poly canon, which is
the Poly was the language, the original teachings
of the Buddha
were first written down in.
There is a collection
of
accounts
by early buddhist nuns of their awakening,
and it's
has kind of been this hidden jewel
for a long time in the midst of
the canon, and I'm sure it's emerged over
and over in lots of ways in various
times.
But for us
here now, there's a guy named Maddie, Wine
gap
who
reads Poly,
found, you know, found his way into these
teachings
and the more time he spent with these
teachings from these early buddhist nuns, these nuns
of like 2000
years ago, who left accounts,
moving
and helpful
enough that they spoke to this guy,
2000
years later
and became his root teaching, his root teacher.
And so he really spent about 5 years,
just
immersed
in reading,
they're, like 70 or 80 of them something
like that, reading them over and over.
And
living them as his primary
guide,
to
to his practice and his way of life,
and his his own gradual
opening
And what he found is he lived with
them long enough, he began to be inspired
to
write poems.
And so it's not it's not a direct
translation by any means.
These are
a poem
inspired by each.
Of the the accounts
in there.
And last week, I shared the elephant.
And I had planned to do 2, but
of course, there's never time for that. There's
good time for 1. So I wanna do
the second 1 that that I brought, do
it, share that 1 today.
If you were here last week, you know
how we sometimes
break up and and look together at at
a particular point or passage,
if you haven't done that with me before,
you weren't here last week, Me tell you
a little bit about how
I wanna do this with us altogether.
There's a old Christian practice called le,
Le
vimeo.
And
it
was
brought forth as a means to take people
as they contemplated
the scripture, take people out of their heads
and into their hearts.
It's a way of not
analyzing or thinking about a passage.
It's a way of bodily
engaging.
With the words
to see what comes forth from you,
with with these particular words. And it's a
very... It's a very
step by step way of doing this,
so then there was a guy named Gregory
Kramer who,
some of you may know through insight dialogue,
and he took this old Lexi theo.
D practice and kind of reformed it a
bit for
buddhist
su
contemplation,
and then I knew of both of those,
and I took them and I do whatever
I want with them.
And so you have my version,
and it's usually a point that that we've
done this before with. And it's a very
set kind of way.
So, like, the first reading, you just
hear it. You just let it land.
Not trying to think about it. The words
just flow through, flow out.
Second reading.
You listen for a word or a phrase
that... And I said just land with the
first 1, but the second reading really when
you listen for a word or a phrase
that does have some sort of internal landing
place for you, some sort of of resonating
for you. For The third round
is
you pay attention to what that is in
your body.
What is it when you
when you hear that phrase, what happens?
Literally in your body in your heart?
With that.
And then the fourth fourth round is just
a sharing. So I think it's best done
and small group
and I'll do this very formally as a
meditation.
Okay.
So the first reading
from,
via Maddie Wine.
Victor.
Remember for this reading, just allow the words
to flow through.
When everyone else was meditating,
I'd be outside circling in the hall,
Finally,
I went to confess. I'm hopeless.
I said,
the elder nun smiled.
Just keep going.
She said.
Nothing
stays in orbit
forever.
If this circling is all you have,
why not make this circling
your home?
I did as she told me and went
on circling
in the hall.
If you find yourself partly in and partly
out.
If you find yourself drawn to this path,
and also drawing away.
I can assure you
you are in good company
Just
keep
going.
Sometimes the most
direct path
isn't a straight line.
Second reading.
Allow a word
or phrase,
to land for you,
When everyone else was meditating,
I'd be outside. Circling in the hall.
Finally,
I went to confess,
I'm hopeless,
I said,
the elder non
smile.
Just keep going.
She said,
nothing stays in orbit forever.
If the circling is all you have,
why not make this circling?
Your home.
I did as she told me.
And went on circling in the hall.
If you find yourself partly in
and
partly out.
If you find yourself drawn to this path
and also drawing away.
I can assure you
you're in good company.
Just
keep
going.
Sometimes
the most
direct path
isn't a straight line.
So in your small group,
you feel comfortable.
You can allow whatever
word or phrase, and you don't have to
explain it or anything, just the simple word
or phrase.
Allow yourself to feel right now whatever landed
for you.
And then in your small group, a chance
to listen and share.
What that word or phrase might be for
you,
and then moving back into the silence
And so take a moment
to
feel what you need and what you heard
me.
Feel how it lands in the body
and the heart
And again, I really encourage you to let
your sharing be very simple at this point.
You don't have to explain just really, really
simple.
Take a moment right now to feel how
they land in your body and your heart.
Notice what happens in your body and your
heart.
Notice physical
sensations,
notice
emotions,
notice
qualities,
and then a simple sharing of just
that
with your group.
You can begin that now.
Sorry. The clock is always moving.
So just take a moment to sit back,
and again feel what you shared.
Or feel what you didn't have time to
share,
either is good,
and what you heard
Just breathe in and out with that for
a moment or 2.
And then this final round with your group.
Is just an open sharing, whatever you want
to share with your group.
And it will be a short time to
make sure you kind of pick 1 or
2 things
for some concise of sharing.
So thank you for working with that with
conditions as it is,
and just invite you to sit for a
moment.
Notice what you shared, what you heard,
what else is present for you.
And what in these words
was useful for you to carry
into your day.
Into your practice
into the next moment now,
We have just a couple of minutes if
anyone's willing to go couple people willing to
do a short share would love to hear
1 or 2 people if you're willing.
So
I'll just say for me that line,
the most direct path, sometimes the most direct
path, is not a straight line.
We think if I'm gonna be mindful, I
should be able to figure out the next
step that makes the sense in terms of
the mythology of doing it right, and it
always looks good. And it just doesn't work
that way.
The most direct path is meeting what's here,
not some mythology
mythological straight line,
The baby that means the next step to
be just right will never learn to walk.
Yeah.
Thank you. Yeah.
Victor.
When everyone else was meditating,
I'd be outside circling in the hall.
Finally, I went to confess, I'm hopeless
I said.
My elder nun smiled.
Just keep going.
She said,
Nothing stays in orbit forever.
If this circling is all you have.
Why not make this circling
your home?
I did that she told me and went
on circling
in the hall.
If you find yourself partly in and partly
out
If you find yourself drawn to this path
and also drawing away.
I can assure you you are in... Good
company.
Just keep
going
and
Sometimes the most direct path
isn't
a straight line.
May our willingness
to show up in this moment.
And the next
and the next,
wherever
the moment is landing on even if it's
not a straight line.
Mere willingness to show up on the direct
path of our life as it is.
Bring forth a healing for ourselves,
that makes us more available
in a world that needs available people.
May I practice be of service?
Inward and outward.
Thank you.
Monthly being with you all.