My journey continued as it had begun, full of serendipities. Despite the last minute uncertainty about where I would stay during the retreat, the Air BnB that Jack booked for me for one night was perfect. Arriving at dusk, I found it accessible, cozy, comfortable, and “safe” feeling. I began paying attention to owning my … Read more
This past weekend I went on a journey. This was a far greater and deeper journey than my recent European river cruise. It had to do with my emotions; with living and dying. I thought I was attending a retreat to support my daughter-in-law, Michelle, who has stage 4 cancer. It was being given by … Read more
How we perceive reality can change in an instant. Or that was my experience at Sherborne where I was gently, but inexorably, led into a world of immediate perception. Helping me down that garden path was a young visiting instructor, Henri Bortoft. His field in philosophy stemmed from phenomenology and was leading him to relate … Read more
“Who am I” is not something I still ask myself. Who I am feels well established at this point, with all its gold stars and “room for improvement” notes attached. But writing a book has thrown me a curve ball I was not anticipating. Since fifth grade I’ve always “known” I would be an author. … Read more
Many are familiar with Gurdjieff’s notion of the different parts of ourselves. Over the years, this has boiled down to the three main centers which we refer to as the moving, feeling, and thinking parts of ourselves. Ouspensky talks about our “higher” centers as well—especially the higher intellectual and emotional. So how do we connect … Read more
“Eat, drink and be merry.” Or so the Roman God, Bacchus, supposedly advises. “For tomorrow you shall die.” I have always taken this sentiment to mean, live it up now baby, ‘cause heck, we’re all going to die in the end! The antithesis to a spiritual practice in life, right? Eating and Drinking on the … Read more
Bhante as Healer, is the third blog in my three part series. This Cambodian Buddhist monk was instrumental in healing my son. * As a healer, Bhante held four year old Chris on his lap. He directed golden yellow light from a high-intensity lamp, onto Chris’s swollen knee and gently massaged it using “colored” oil. … Read more
This is the second of a three part series on the Cambodian Buddhist monk, Bante, who taught “green” meditation at Sherborne on my course in 1973. “Green Meditation with Bhante” began showing up as part of the weekly schedule on the bulletin board at Sherborne. We could just squeeze one group of thirty into … Read more
While I’m drifting down the Rhine on a river cruise, I thought I’d leave a series of out-takes about the Buddhist monk, Bhante, from my memoir, Real People. He met Mr. Bennett and visited Sherborne for the first time in 1973, during my course. Bhante, a Cambodian Buddhist monk, arrived at Sherborne from India. … Read more
I experienced a moment of compassion this morning with a friend. It happened as we were practicing one of Gurdjieff’s movements called the Great Prayer. This movement never ceases to reveal something to me in the practicing of it. There’s a lot of kneeling in this movement. Neither one of us is young, and she … Read more