CHANTING AND MEDITATION (3rd Sundays)

WHEN:  3rd Sundays at 9.a.m.
WHERE: HUU Fellowship Building
Facilitator: Laura Dent

In this series we will be guided in chanting and meditation practices from a variety of spiritual paths. The focus will be on direct experience.  In each session, there will be a brief orientation to the tradition, followed by chanting to invoke the power of sound and rhythm, and then meditation to go deep within ourselves. 

Outline/Schedule (Check back on this website regularly for changes as we go).

September 18. Hindu Tradition

Inspired by the image of Shiva Nataraj (the Dancing Shiva), we contemplate the still center at the heart of the cosmic dance swirling around us and within us.

Chant and Meditation:  OM Namah Shivaya = OM [the great all] Namah [honor or devotion to] Shiva.

Notes from the talk, brief overview of the Hindu tradition to orient us before chanting and meditation: This image of Shiva Dancing (Shiva Nataraj) is often emblematic of Hinduism. (I brought the Shiva Dancing statue to focus on in our practice.) Hinduism emerged in 200-1200 AD, based on more ancient scriptures: the Vedas and Upanishads, from 1500 BC onward. The Hindu "Trinity" consists of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva the Destroyer, amidst a polytheistic plethora of lesser gods and avatars. In fact that's where the word "avatar" comes from: the Hindu concept of incarnation, or a god taking a different form. The Hindu devotional tradition, Bhakti-yoga, was developed for householders (vs. ascetic/monastic/scholarly) - love and longing for God. Choose a god from your own inclinations or tradition; what matters is your devotion, as a spiritual path. God is present in all things; we focus on an image of a particular god to glimpse the divine in all.

Why would we honor Shiva, the god of destruction? In the sense of transformation. In the cycle of creation and destruction, each moment dies and falls away as a new moment is born. Even within our own bodies, we breathe in creation - oxygen, transformed in the mitochondria, the little engines of our cells - then we breathe out carbon dioxide, the products of destruction. So we participate in the cycle of life and death at each moment. (Indicating the statue of Shiva Dancing): I have loved this image for a long time; sometimes I like to recreate the movements when I'm dancing. Shiva dances the dance of creation & destruction, the cycle of life. The Hindu belief is that we are reborn repeatedly until we burn off our Karma and achieve Moksha, liberation.

(Demonstrating the symbolism): The circle of fire surrounding the figure represents the cycle of death and rebirth. Shiva's right foot is trampling a dwarf figure, to represent overcoming our own ignorance. His left foot is lifted to signify taking the step on the path to spiritual liberation. His right hand (held outward) is a gesture of blessing or protection in the midst of the destruction. His left hand points to his left foot to invite us to follow him in the path of upliftment.

What I think is really interesting is what's going on in his other two hands - he has four of them. His other right hand holds a small drum in the shape of an hourglass; this is the drum of creation. The other left hand, palm upright, holds the flame of destruction. This image reminds me of the poem by T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets, itself inspired by Hinduism:

At the still point of the turning world ... Except for that point, the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

So, in the midst of the cosmic dance of creation and destruction, we find the still point within ourselves.

October 16.      Buddhist Tradition

We chant the names of the Four Sublime States to invoke these qualities in ourselves:  Metta - loving-kindness; Karuna - compassion; Mudita - sympathetic joy; Upekkha - equanimity.

Chant:  Metta Karuna Mudita Upekkha
Meditation:  Vipassana (Insight) Meditation in the Theravada tradition 

The Buddhist Tradition Notes 2nd Session, The Buddhist Tradition Notes in pdf format. (3 pages)

November 20.  Kundalini Yoga: Sikh Tradition

We form a healing circle to support each other with our prayers in this beautiful chant.

Chant:  Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung
Meditation:  Kirtan Kriya 

December 18.   Christian Tradition

Through contemplative Gregorian chant, we invoke the prayer for God’s mercy, and meditate on the presence of God within us.

Chant: Kyrie Eleison - Christe Eleison - Kyrie Eleison
Meditation:       Be still and know that I Am. 

January 15.      Sufi Tradition

Drawing from Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, now known in the West as the “Path of the Heart,” we strengthen our heart’s connection to the divine.

Chant:  Ya Hadi Allah
Meditation:  Heart Rhythm Meditation

February 19  - Jewish Tradition

The Jewish tradition inspires us to "repair the world" - tikkun olam. Based on the mystical teachings of Kabbalah, we cultivate the balance of Mercy and Justice to act in the world with Compassion. 

Chant: El, Elohim, Adonai (names of God corresponding to Mercy, Justice, Compassion)
Meditation:  Crown, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding
Jewish meditation: Video class - breathing technique based on Kabbalah

March 18.        Wiccan Tradition

Invoking the names of the Goddess, we honor the inner divine feminine.

Chant: We all come from the Goddess
Meditation:  Encounters with the Goddess

April 15 Native American Tradition

We celebrate our relation to all beings: the four-leggeds, the flying ones, the crawling ones, the swimming ones, and all those who dwell with us on this planet.

Chant: Ho Mitakuye Oyasin = All My Relations
Meditation: Encounters with Spirit Animals

Resources:

Sources of Indian Tradition, Vol. 1 (Records of Civilization Sources & Study - De Bary ed. - my main resource for scholarly study of the religions of India; textbook for Diana Eck's class (see below). There is a new edition of this book; I've just ordered it.

Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India Diana Eck - the professor of the class I took at Harvard on Indian religion.  Read the preface on Amazon for some insight into the importance of seeing the image as a form of worship.

From a web search on the Hindu trinity:  Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva: I especially like the note of caution at the bottom:  ... God in his infinite wisdom provides innumerable paths to his devotees and gives them immense freedom to exercise their free will in accordance with their inner nature. In such matters it is always wiser to follow ones own inclinations and inner promptings of the soul rather than the advice of others.

Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition - Great introduction to meditation, from the Theravada Buddhist tradition (which we'll be exploring next).

Instructions in Vipassana (Insight) meditation:  . The overall site is worth exploring:  http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/  with the links on the left for a good introduction to Buddhism.

Insight Meditation Society - especially the Resources page.

Descriptions of the four sublime states - Brahma Viharas:

http://sped2work.tripod.com/4emotions.html

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel006.html

http://www.buddhanet.net/ss01.htm  - you can explore the buddhanet site:  http://www.buddhanet.net/