28 October 2010

Togetherness Meditation - Day 99 (And yet more Sit-A-Thon 411)

Hello and a wonderful day to everyone at the #OMCru!

We're just ONE day away from our 100th! Time sure flies when you're having fun. :-)

Scheduled and impromptu shout-outs have been flowin' throughout the day...with still many more to come!

Our midday togetherness meditation shout-out will go out at 11:30am PDT / 2:30pm EDT, so set a reminder and make yourself some time if you wanna sit with the #twangha.

Please don't hesitate to do a Stop. Drop. MEDITATE! shout-out whenever you would like to share in practice with the CREW!

Just use these simple steps:

1. Use the #OMCru hashtag to do a pre-meditation check-in ~ 5-15 minutes before you would like to begin your meditative practice (giving the folks joining you a chance to tell you they are present and to get ready!). It's also nice if you include the #wannasit and #twangha hashtags.

2. Let everyone know when to 'begin' - synchronizing the start for body, heart, and mind.

3. Do a post-meditation check-in/out: say farewells and jot down any reflections on Twitter and/or the OMC blog.

We've all been looking forward to this and now it's finally about to happen....

This Saturday October 30th our dear Zen Outlaw will represent the #OMCru during the afternoon meditation sessions of Against The Stream's first annual Sit-A-Thon and, thru the magic of Twitter, the CREW will be sitting along with her!

For this we plan to have relayed 30 minute sits starting at 1:00pm PDT / 4:00pm EDT and ending at 5:00pm PDT / 8:00pm EDT.

Please be on the lookout for #OMCru #ATSit shout-outs from the following CREWmembers:

1:00pm PDT / 4:00pm EDT - @The_KamikaZEN
1:30pm PDT / 4:30pm EDT - @kaikibean
2:00pm PDT / 5:00pm EDT - @punkrockbuddha
2:30pm PDT / 5:30pm EDT - @spacecadet31
3:00pm PDT / 6:00pm EDT - @silvercrone
3:30pm PDT / 6:30pm EDT - @hellofromhere
4:00pm PDT / 7:00pm EDT - @punkrockbuddha
4:30pm PDT / 7:30pm EDT - @Shuliji

You are all invited to join in for as long as you wish and as many sessions as you want, and if you plan to invite your friends to sit along at any time during the day just be sure to include the #OMCru (Online Meditation Crew) and #ATSit (Against The Stream Sit-A-Thon) hashtags.

Go Team #OMCru!

Before you leave, check out and leave your comments for today's community-fostering question, with big tip o' the hat to @gameandpc for bringing it up on Twitter:

Do you tend to practice/study one meditative tradition/lineage
or do you find and take teachings anyway you can get them?


Namaste Crew! Mucho heavy metta to all! _/|\_ \m/ Enjoy the day! :-)

10 comments:

  1. I used to be lineage-centered, but life showed me Dharma is Dharma, so I take from all sources and am grateful to all.

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  2. I like listening to talks and reading stuff from all lineages, but I keep my practice the same. I'm just having too much fun with it to change anything! :)

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  3. I am a novice and humbly take study from all who are on their path. I seek serenity in mine any where I can find it :) My short experiences with the meditation crew have given me much strength and courage. thank you all so much :)

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  4. I stick with one tradition/lineage though I do read from others.

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  5. @_karmadorje said.....
    My daily practices come from mostly one lineage & I no longer take empowerments from other lineages. I go to many teachings from different lineages within the Tibetan tradition. I read anything about the Dharma I can get my hands on.

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  6. Most of the teachings I started with are associated with Lama Yeshe, who was in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a big believer in "rime" or non-sectarian study. He thought Christian monks could be good examples of non-attachment or refuge, for example. I've been to Nyingma retreats with a friend, find inspiration in music and art, and have also gained insight by talking to my Dad's heavily Christian girlfriend (which I really didn't expect).

    So I agree with the idea that you can find instruction in many unexpected places. Even spending time in nature can be a guide. I usually try to relate what I discover back to what I learned in class with the geshe, or read in one of Lama Yeshe's books, to compare and contrast in order to see what rings true.

    On a side note, before I became formally Buddhist, I compared a lot of what I read in Buddhism with Christian teachings, which were more familiar. This helped me decide that Buddhism was what made the most sense for me. So even with the different worldviews presented, I think interfaith study can be very helpful. Thanks.

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  7. I love The_Kamikazen's observation "Dharma is Dharma," and totally agree. To me, all life, all living, all experiencing is (or can be, if I'm aware) dharma.

    If I were to identify with a tradition/lineage, I would have to say Dharma Punks, but I have yet to find a "meditation home."

    I identify as a mindful Jewitch (a Jewish pagan who practices mindfulness in all things). I want to have a practice more deeply based in the Jewish tradition/idiom but the resources, support and community that have come to me are mostly Buddhist so that's what informs my practices - without the deity-based stuff...

    I've learned a lot from Pema Chodron's contributions in all spheres (books, facebook, twitter, CDs etc); after my daughter, I consider her my main teacher/influence.

    My favourite all-time dharma books are Cheri Huber's There's Nothing Wrong With You and Kevin Griffin's Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery. The third strand in my formal learning path is the "Jon Kabat-Zinn school."

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  8. My current meditation consists of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and chanting gongyo a la Nichiren Buddhism. However, I am still seeking and will take what I need from all Buddhist teachings. Like Shulamit, I'm a hybrid and I call myself Buddhagan (Buddhist + Pagan). Currently reading mythology of the Egyptian god/desses and the 2nd book by Lama Surya Das.

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  9. A lot of interesting and encouraging discussion here on how people's paths develop. It seems even those who have found something that works for them in terms of practice are still open to the literature in other traditions and use it to enrich their understanding. That is a good lesson for me in that if I happen to find a line I like, that is no reason to close myself to different ideas... Thanks! :-)

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