To Amma brothers and sisters: spiritual practices

[Guest guest]

Dear Amma brothers and sisters ~ I would like to know if any of you have

difficulty doing your spiritual practices and, if so, what do you do to

overcome the obstacle(s). My own practice is best if I wake very early, 5:00 or

5:30 am. Then I have privacy; I can be alone with Amma, and I have more

time to extend my practice to include something extra.

 

But lately I have been waking at 6 or 6:30. Then I feel I can't do it.

Today, I overcame that one and went ahead anyway. But the difficulty is my pain

and the need for privacy. Even though I have an altar of sorts it's in the

bedroom, on a shelf, and, because of my knee replacement, I am unable to

even sit on the floor. I live in a loft, so the other part of the apartment

is one big room. Then if I do practices, my husband is always around. I can

imagine meditating with him there because he is so quiet. But I feel funny

about doing anything else. Perhaps if I miss my morning hour, I can read

the archana silently instead of chanting it.

 

I am hoping to make it to the local satsang this month, and perhaps that

will help. But I am open to anything you have to share. Jai Ma!

~ Linda

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivaya, Linda,

 

What I do or don't do (and I'm pretty bad about sleeping in) may not be of

use to you, as the situation you've described is fairly specific.

 

First, the waking time. Is there some reason you can't (or feel you can't)

scale back to 5am again? Are you being kept up late at night, or not getting

enough rest? Or being hard on yourself?

I have found for myself that, though it seems a small thing, replacing the

synthetic comforter on my bed with a simple, affordable down duvet (thank

you, IKEA) has allowed me to feel much, much better rested (even if I'm only

getting 5 hours of sleep). I think the vibrations from the synthetic

material can be somewhat agitating, which affects the quality of rest. Maybe

this will be relevant for you too.

 

Second, the placement of the altar. If it is not in a place where you can

comfortably sit and move it, why not? There is no point in positioning God

where you cannot access Him/Her. It's rather symbolic, isn't it? Move the

altar or, if this simply is not possible, set up another one where you can

be comfortable.

 

Third, the privacy. Is it harmful or disruptive to your husband if you chant

audibly? Has he communicated to you that he does not like or approve of it?

Does he understand how important it is to you? Is this a self-consciousness

issue or a genuine concern about disruption? What if you invested in one of

those folding screens to temporarily wall off part of the large living space

- would that help?

 

If chanting silently feels expansive to you, then go for it. I find that I

do not yet have the steadiness of mind to get benefit from silent chanting

the way I get from chanting aloud - my mind wanders, I lose my place, I do

not feel the same degree of Shakti. But that's still better than not doing

archana at all.

 

 

I think we have to be careful as spiritual aspirants with the obstacles

placed or imagined in the way of our sadhana. The tendency to think " oh,

I've missed my window and now I can't do it because x, and y, and z " is

trickiness. We wouldn't skip breakfast just because we've slept a little

late, or because we're out of our favorite cereal. There is still a need for

food, and therefore we find the opportunity and we make it work. The more we

" go for it " in our spiritual practices even when we feel we've " missed the

window " , the more we develop the muscle of awareness and the easier it will

be to get up earlier and enjoy the benefits of unrushed practice. The voice

that says things like " I can't, I missed the window, it won't be the same

now, I don't want to be a bother, I'm not worthy, etc " is a sorry story, not

the Self.

 

What if Amma were waiting for us every morning with Her arms open wide and

Her eyes full of compassion? Would we not run to Her even if our hair wasn't

brushed and we'd only got one sock on and we were out of milk for coffee and

the laundry hadn't been folded?

 

And is it not so in our sadhana? This is our time to sit with Amma who is

waiting for us with tremendous love and joy and compassion - and never

judgment. This is our time to run to Her who is holding Her arms out wide.

In such occasions, the minor details are not that important, are they? It

isn't about " getting it right " . It's about enjoying the nectar of Her

embrace.

 

Enjoy your morning time with Amma. Drink it in.

 

Jai Ma,

Pranada

 

 

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 7:51 AM, <nierika wrote:

 

>

>

> Dear Amma brothers and sisters ~ I would like to know if any of you have

> difficulty doing your spiritual practices and, if so, what do you do to

> overcome the obstacle(s). My own practice is best if I wake very early,

> 5:00 or

> 5:30 am. Then I have privacy; I can be alone with Amma, and I have more

> time to extend my practice to include something extra.

>

> But lately I have been waking at 6 or 6:30. Then I feel I can't do it.

> Today, I overcame that one and went ahead anyway. But the difficulty is my

> pain

> and the need for privacy. Even though I have an altar of sorts it's in the

> bedroom, on a shelf, and, because of my knee replacement, I am unable to

> even sit on the floor. I live in a loft, so the other part of the apartment

>

> is one big room. Then if I do practices, my husband is always around. I can

>

> imagine meditating with him there because he is so quiet. But I feel funny

> about doing anything else. Perhaps if I miss my morning hour, I can read

> the archana silently instead of chanting it.

>

> I am hoping to make it to the local satsang this month, and perhaps that

> will help. But I am open to anything you have to share. Jai Ma!

> ~ Linda

>

>

[Guest guest]

Pranada, what wise words.

 

I think you are so right about not getting stuck on the time. Better

to meditate late than not at all. As someone with a physical

condition that creates extreme problems with not enough sleep (and i

suspect Linda may have something like this too) i have started as

late as 11 am. Continuity and quality of practice, so much more

important.

 

And yes, chanting out loud does really help concentration and going

deep. I can't always do it, situationally, all the time, and those

times are opportunities to deepen Manasa Puja practice, but i'd ask

the same questions as you have around consideration for a partner.

I'd guess that would be more of an issue at 5am if the living space

is small, and less if there are other rooms, or later in the day.

 

But whatever is the case, putting Goddess first is the sadhana.

 

much love to Linda and to you

 

Max

--

Max Dashu

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