News from the Nepali Sangha

We are so glad that Mark, our subscriber has finally reach his destination in Nepal and he is now with Dharma Sangha and the Sangha there, we reproduce his mail here for whom had not chance to read it, it is dated 23 June 2012.
We really hope for some fresh heart-felt news from there, I like the willing disposition of Mark of whom I heard was already giving english classes in the nearby village!...

 (Mark): "There are so many maitri hearts following Maha Sambodhi Dharma Sangha. Not all can be here in Sindhuli. I did mention this last night with Brother Michael Dorje and Brother Jyampa Topchzien (sorry if spelling is wrong). Maybe we'll see a few more posts from people here in the jungle instead of "just me" :p I know how it feels to follow from such distance and to wonder how it goes for Guruji and the "Sangha in the jungle". I'll try to include some photos next time I'm here.

Some word pictures: The rivers here are flowing with rejuvenating energies and the jungle plants hug together to provide shade from the sun...And yet they leave us space to clear paths and building spaces. The Sangha animals are all happy and Chetty (the little white dog, sorry for spelling if it's wrong) is so funny and happy and friendly! There's some creations that not all will find appealing, but hey the bad with the good and the good with the bad. Ramro Cha (It is good/beautiful). The Sindhuli committee meet directly with Guruji to discuss the necessary issues. Lets us also include the committees and communities in our dedications and prayers, as well as all Sanghas? We take time to walk and talk and greet each other. Everything is fine. Guru is here and everywhere. I love Guruji and you all so much. The earth meets the sky in a small place and a big place at the same time and the greenness of the jungle and the ruddiness of the soil, the clear waters mixed with river rocks and soils wash us clean as we play and splash. We work and we play. In the jungle. I pray all Sanghas take time to splash. Maitri feelings in all we do, even for the voice that doubts and second thinks, the one that compares, criticizes and separates. Surely we love all parts with Maitri kindness?


With Maitri mindfulness we may now enjoy, and any parting from that will be temporary and fleeting as soon as we recognise and accept it. We may choose to ignore or embrace. For this one soul in the great soul-sea it only works to embrace and let it be and go at the same time.


May all that is holy and loving and kind be with you in your hearts always.
Maitri Mangalam _()_
Mark

Birth of True Mental SincerityWith its birth the mind will understand that it is only an intermediary and not an end in itself.

Melampodium paludosum
Small single yellow compositae flower with a dark brown centre; borne in leafy cymes. A long-blooming perennial herb.

As I said in my previous post, I was led to believe that a "meditative condition" could be installed in our quotidian and could have as much value as sitting in meditation.
Jiddu Krishnamurty described an "immediateness" which was out of reach normally and an aspect of meditation, a "Here and Now" that could be inscribed into a meditative condition, the zen monk too enhanced the small daily activities as conducing to perception of Reality and Satori, so I had a certain ground and understood the reason why Sri Aurobindo wanted to extended his meditation through the day as a steady, unmovable condition. I was not emulating anyone, I had an urge, and perfectly understood that meditation had to be a "personal experience".

But I had not the easiness of the Silence Sri Aurobindo almost immediately had.
My mind was undisciplined, and I soon discovered sitting still in meditation was not an activity for me and I had to search for some solution.
There was not much that could be done, the only other worth solution was the Here and Now.
Even that at the beginning would not work or not completely, before I could realize it I was already somewhere else with my mind but here and now.
So I had to impose myself a certain "over-control", figuratively as someone observing the mind to take it back on the "here and now" whenever it distracted itself.
With the time I discovered always less necessity to remind the mind of the necessity of the here and now and it become almost a self-discipline of the mind, a self-assumed attitude which would present itself spontaneously.
What I gained was that the attitude was worth in whatever other circumstance, though at a certain stage I had not a clear control of it especially when dealing with larger mass of people, there I discovered I could be easily influenced by a certain "average distraction" to which I would easily connect or resonate with.

But I could observe even this fact could be progressively come under control.
I had not give up completely sitting in meditation. Sometimes I would, but it had something of spontaneous, I would sit only if I felt doing it, but never as an obligation.

Without noticing it in advance, or even knowing about it, later I discovered that this activity of the here and now, this observer always impartially and objectively present there at any time, had given way to another process in which, this observer in the surface tuned with or even overlapped a deeper inner being, and though at the beginning it was not a clear perception, with the time yes there was no doubt anymore that an inner, central being was there, and unwillingly, I had discovered that remaining in the here and now could finally produce an identification of the surface observer with that inner being, a progressive process of fusion, or even absorption into.
                                                             ************