a good evening
an unfinished post from wednesday, that i now complete:
this morning, i had an email saying i was to drive 5 people down to santa clara at 6.15pm. this surprised me, until i realized that i had signed up for the 1st of april to go down to santa clara. multiple things came together. this wednesday night event takes place weekly, and i was introduced to it via ijourney.org (that i posted about earlier today). anyway, i couldn't quite withdraw from driving 4 others, and i didn't even think of pulling out. but i didn't know what to expect. as i chatted with a, i shared with her the event information as well. she too decided to come.
i picked up 3 others to carpool with from berkeley bowl. it was an interesting car ride, and i found myself constantly introspecting to gauge how i felt about and reacted to the conversation we had. one of the guys in my car had quit his phd in his final year because he didn't want to support the uc system because it supported nuclear weapons. that's berkeley for you, i suppose.
we reached santa clara at 7.35, and the first hour was an hour of silence. there is something special about meditating around a large group of people. when it was over, all of us gathered in one room and the mic went around as people introduced themselves and shared their reflections for the week. i was moved to hear many of their stories - the theme was mindfulness, doing one thing at a time.
the hour after was yet another one of silence, when we all ate the food that had been prepared lovingly by our hosts. it was really the most wholesome and fulfilling meal i have had in an age. when the meal was over, some of us talked, got to know each other. s got a and me to sing vaishnava jana to before everyone. we followed that with st. francis of assisi's prayer - make me a channel of your peace (a favorite for both of us that we'd learned to sing in school).
the drive back to berkeley was inspiring as well. i finally had the chance to talk with nipun mehta, who i've heard much praise for over the years. as he shared his stories from a pilgrimage he and his wife had been on not too long ago, i was filled with awe towards his overwhelmingly accepting demeanor and his non-discriminating love for people. it is where i want to be. sometime in this birth would be nice :). for now, the ideal will have to do.
in reflecting over that evening, now that a few days have passed, i am most struck by how these individual journeys that we're on are so remarkably intertwined. we're all headed in the same direction, with varying rates of movement towards one goal. some of us take more detours than others, but really we're all going the same way. those who walk straight, forward, and undistracted will reach the same place as those who take several loopy detours along the way. time, after all, is an artificial concept, isn't it? and perhaps when we truly internalize this understanding, we'll find ourselves less impatient with others and with ourselves?
this morning, i had an email saying i was to drive 5 people down to santa clara at 6.15pm. this surprised me, until i realized that i had signed up for the 1st of april to go down to santa clara. multiple things came together. this wednesday night event takes place weekly, and i was introduced to it via ijourney.org (that i posted about earlier today). anyway, i couldn't quite withdraw from driving 4 others, and i didn't even think of pulling out. but i didn't know what to expect. as i chatted with a, i shared with her the event information as well. she too decided to come.
i picked up 3 others to carpool with from berkeley bowl. it was an interesting car ride, and i found myself constantly introspecting to gauge how i felt about and reacted to the conversation we had. one of the guys in my car had quit his phd in his final year because he didn't want to support the uc system because it supported nuclear weapons. that's berkeley for you, i suppose.
we reached santa clara at 7.35, and the first hour was an hour of silence. there is something special about meditating around a large group of people. when it was over, all of us gathered in one room and the mic went around as people introduced themselves and shared their reflections for the week. i was moved to hear many of their stories - the theme was mindfulness, doing one thing at a time.
the hour after was yet another one of silence, when we all ate the food that had been prepared lovingly by our hosts. it was really the most wholesome and fulfilling meal i have had in an age. when the meal was over, some of us talked, got to know each other. s got a and me to sing vaishnava jana to before everyone. we followed that with st. francis of assisi's prayer - make me a channel of your peace (a favorite for both of us that we'd learned to sing in school).
the drive back to berkeley was inspiring as well. i finally had the chance to talk with nipun mehta, who i've heard much praise for over the years. as he shared his stories from a pilgrimage he and his wife had been on not too long ago, i was filled with awe towards his overwhelmingly accepting demeanor and his non-discriminating love for people. it is where i want to be. sometime in this birth would be nice :). for now, the ideal will have to do.
in reflecting over that evening, now that a few days have passed, i am most struck by how these individual journeys that we're on are so remarkably intertwined. we're all headed in the same direction, with varying rates of movement towards one goal. some of us take more detours than others, but really we're all going the same way. those who walk straight, forward, and undistracted will reach the same place as those who take several loopy detours along the way. time, after all, is an artificial concept, isn't it? and perhaps when we truly internalize this understanding, we'll find ourselves less impatient with others and with ourselves?
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