SPIRITUAL PRACTICES スピリチュアルプラクティス

* Your spiritual life and practices.
* How are you keeping your energy and light lately?

*あなたのスピリチュルな実践や暮らし
*最近あなたはエネルギーや光をどのようにして保っていますか？

Tea meditation is my best way to keep myself sane in this Big City...Tokyo.

As I was transcribing the sound file of a meditation class of Flint, I started to reconsider about meditation. We tend to think that meditation is something difficult like we have to follow certain forms or discipline, I simply think that mediation is a way to get back to our heart from our mind.

I am going to write my favorite way to get back to my heart, hoping that everybody can find their suitable way and use it in their daily lives.

I often had such experiences that even though I try to meditate by sitting quietly, it just becomes a continuation of thinking and thinking.. In such a case, I give up trying hard to meditate and stand up and take my Tea Bowl. Then I make tea. As I am boiling water and preparing some tools and tea powder, I am changing this occasion into a ritual... a little bit different than my usual daily life activities.

This little difference from daily life activity might be a key for meditation in my case. Listening to the sound tea whisk is making, sounds like shaka-shaka, the fragrance of bamboo of tea whisk and tea are blending nicely, I sense it at the back of the nose expanding softly there. Then I sit down on the floor and enjoy a nice cup of tea. As I hold a tea cup and enjoy the warmth of it and the feeling of the Earth through a tea cup, I drink a mouth of green tea. Then I can feel my shoulder relax, release my tension from my body, sometimes I feel as if I had carried a strong wall around me and the wall can be collapsed just by a cup of tea.

The feeling and sensing through sound, fragrance, warmth and taste is coming back to me instantly. My consciousness comes down and can be back to my heart from the world of thinking into my senses.

In my case, some kinds of movement with the feeling of my senses is the best medicine to get out of mind. How about you?

Cleaning might be a good idea to do this. In this month, December, we have more chances of cleaning than usual. I would like to change my pattern. Each action I take reminds me of my heart and my choice, instead of being chased by something I must do

Japanese translation is on my blog - 1st part.
http://arcturians.exblog.jp/9136865/