Hello Online Meditation Crew!
Today, impromptu Stop. Drop. MEDITATE! shout-outs have greeted the day and there will be two scheduled midday meditative meetups at 10:15am PST/1:15pm EST and 11:30am PST/2:30pm EST - both led by @TheZenOutlaw. Later in the day, the 'after dark' Crew will share in togetherness with @violetsblue leading the shout-outs at 7pm PST/10pm EST.
Many new folks have joined the CREW recently or have showed interest in the OMC. Here is the idea that a Zen Outlaw jotted down one day that manifested as the #OMCru:
"Straight up, being with others - having shared experiences - is important. For Buddhists, the word 'sangha' is used to represent the collaborative spirit of individuals who study and practice together. In modern-day Christianity, the Greek term 'oikos' is employed to indicate a collection of individuals who through social interaction and commitment to mutual growth form familial bonds. A common thread for many spiritual and religious traditions is communing and practicing with others, underscoring the benefits of having a 'crew'. Shared practice is a means of accountability to self and others, as well as an awareness of others' presence on the path - whether seen or unseen. In essence, shared practice is both a comfort and a kick in the pants - avenues by which to foster one's intrinsic motivation to deepen practice.
For some, shared practice is a struggle; time, money, access all pose challenges on the path. Online networking, however, opens up shared practice to all and creates the space for communities of online practitioners to develop and grow.
The Online Meditation Crew (OMC) is a group of individuals who, through the wonders of technology and a common interest in shared practice, have bumped into each other along the path. The purpose of the OMC is to foster the meditation practice of the individual through the support and company of a crew. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come along on the journey. You can sit. You can walk. You can snuggle under the covers. Just be one with your meditative practice and one with the Crew in sharing your journey.
How do you become a member of the OMC?
- Everyday a Tweet will sing out into the interwebs calling for crewmembers to join together in meditation for 15 minutes (a notice on the Blog will be posted too).
- When the initial call to meditate goes out, crew members will be asked to reply with a 'CHECK-IN' message that they are ready to begin.
- Each individual will set a timer for 15 minutes and begin the countdown once the official 'BEGIN' alert goes out.
- Meditate, per usual.
- When the 15 minutes are up, another 'CHECK-IN' message will go out and all crewmembers will be asked to send back a reply (either in short on Twitter or a bit more lengthy in the comment section on the OMC blog).
Ready to get meditatin' with the OMC?"
Breathe the day in deeply Crew! And rock on! _/|\_ :-) \m/
@_karmadorje said....
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about the OMCru is that it works. 131 days may not seem like long, but for something that is world-wide, it has worked beautifully. It has also changed lives in that people who have no sangha, now have one.
We may not always be able to meet up for all the meditations because of time differences, but at least once a day we can. Then there are the other spontaneous shoutouts. Today I have meditated with one other & then with others during a scheduled OMCru meetup.
It is the simplicity, the openness, the acceptance of all lineages, traditions, degrees of experience that has made it work. No-one is trying to push their way onto others. We do what we do together.
I have made friends in the OMCru & this was not something I expected. Reading the tweets I know other friendships have been formed. It's a wonderful thing thoroughly imbued with Dharma & that's why it will keep on working. I sincerely give thanks & gratitude to you for coming up with this brilliant idea & formatting it in a way that was inviting & inclusive to everyone.
simply put, this rocks!
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