Our Gang

"To begin a sangha, find one friend who would like to join you for sitting meditation or walking meditation or tea meditation or sharing."-- Thich Nhat Hanh

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

-- Jesus, Matthew 18:20, Holy Bible (NAS)

 

Our Gang Contemplates A Dog's Buddha Nature

Although these days I meditate alone for an hour in the morning as the day begins, and I now observe a personal Day of Mindfulness each week,  I also meditate with others.  A lot. 

It makes a difference.

In Buddhism, as in most of the world's religions, a community of kindred spirits is seen as an integral part of one's Spiritual Practice.  In fact, a commitment to Sangha (a group of one's fellow practitioners), along with "taking Refuge" in the Buddha and the Dharma, is one of the Triple Gems, the foundational vow of Buddhism.  In other faiths as well, a commitment to the fellowship found in churches, temples, mosques, ashrams and monasteries, etc. is also often seen as an important aspect of one's Path. 

I suppose that stems from the fact that humanoids, like most species of beings on this planet, naturally operate as members of groups.   We sentient beings travel through life, often moving as One whether we realize it or not, in packs, herds, flocks, prides, gaggles, colonies.  There are Buddhist, Islamic, Christian and Hindu schools and there are schools of tuna and salmon.  We live and breathe in concert with others.

Although human beings, especially here in the modern capitalist west, have a belief structure that reinforces the notion of "individuality", our fundamental interdependence plays out moment to moment.  Even when you are by yourself, alone in your room thinking, those thoughts are existing in a language you didn't invent that itself has been collectively evolving for a long, long time.   The meanings emerge to you , not as isolated phenomenon, but in the context of your past and currently perceived future interactions with other members of your family and tribe. 

Unlike most species though, we human beings have the ability to then choose which group to associate with.  Although we are born into a group, a clan, a village, a nation, if we are fortunate enough to realize and act on it, we then get to choose our gang, the folks we run with.  We can choose our colors, costumes and customs.  For those of us on the Path, ideally, our gang is a group whose values, aspirations, and intentions support our own, not one devoted to some sort of mayhem.  (although as Little Rascals, a bit of minor mayhem can be quite delightful, of course)

Over the years, I've found that if those aspirations are, like mine, to cultivate wisdom and compassion, the support and guidance provided by a meditation group can be  invaluable.   
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I see the reality of that each week in the Mindfulness Circles that I facilitate here in Greenfield, a small town in Western Massachusetts.  (I also practice with a few other meditation and yoga groups regularly.)  Just the creation of a regular "structure" in space and time to join together with others in Practice can have a huge impact in very basic ways.

On the most basic level, the peer support provided (perhaps a more palatable term than "peer pressure", right?) can help establish and regularize one's individual practice.  Over the course of the past couple of years, I've seen a number of folks who hadn't been able to develop and sustain a daily personal practice on their own do so as a result of kick-starting and supporting their practice with a regular weekly group sitting.

Even though there may be no formal commitment, just sharing one's intentions with others is a valuable way to provide the external support to follow through on those intentions.  You know that they know that you know that they know.  A feedback loop is established that resonates at the frequency of your best intentions.  Unless you get stuck in reflexively being a "rebel", which can set up another feedback loop that will probably end up with you rebelling against yourself, you can relax into the environmental support that a group provides.

Just the structure provided in a group setting supports the cultivation of Practice.  Once the bell is rung, you are much less likely to find yourself spacing out, then finding that you've pulled out the iPhone, or are standing at the refrigerator getting yourself a beer before the final bell. (Both of which I've done over the years.)  Sitting with others, someone may notice.  We notice that.  

It makes a difference.

In the midst of "the gang", the accumulating time on task on the meditation cushion, like the time on task at the gym, has an impact.  (In the Mindfulness Circles we usually sit for one twenty minute period at the beginning and another, sometimes briefer, period at the end.)  Through the repeated effort, both the comfort of our bodies and our ability to collect and direct our attention improve, the Practice deepens.  We establish a momentum.

That support also operates on another, perhaps less widely acknowledged, level.  Although the foundation of Mindfulness Practice is always one's own personal experience, it can become obvious in a group setting that who we are is much more than "skin encapsulated egos", the term that Alan Watts once used to describe the way we are conditioned to view ourselves.  Sitting together in Silence, attuned to the finer sensibilities that we are capable of, we can actually feel one another's Presence, we can actually sense the collective pool of consciousness that we are co-creating and participating in during the period of meditation.  

In its finest form, this is what Yogi Jesus was talking about in the quote above.  There is the Presence of Oneness.  It is perceptible to those gathered in the name of Love.  It is the Heart of Communion.

Unfortunately, this ever-present shared pool of consciousness isn't restricted to those on the Path.  The pool itself is infinitely clear, empty, calm and spacious.  It actually exists all the time. usually operating below the level of our conventional consciousness.  The truth of the matter is that we each are constantly co-creating the ripples and waves of thoughts and feelings that play across that pool.  It may not feel so good if those around us are stressed out, fearful, angry, grasping, etc.  Some of what we humans co-create can be quite nasty, creating virtual tsunamis of destructive energy that can then lead to horrific actions causing great harm.


That's why it is so important to make a conscious choice of who we hang with and how we spend our time.

These days, it is much easier to find a group to support Practice than it used to be.  If you're reading this, you are probably on the Web and any search engine is going to generate a number of meditation groups in your location.   There is a vast array of Teachings and Teachers and Practices available in many faiths and spiritual traditions.  Shop around for something that feels right.  Try it out. 

Myself, I tend to shy away from groups that appear to claim exclusive ownership of "THE Truth" or "THE Teacher".  After 45 years of Practice and the exploration of many approaches to spirituality, it's quite clear to me:  We are all Buddhas and we are all Bozos. There is no "one size, fits all" Dharma.  We each have the ability -- and the responsibility -- to follow our heads, our hearts, and our guts.  

Meditators of the Occupy Movement 2011 *

When it comes to following the Path as it appears to us, we're the ones doing the walking.   It's a matter of placing your focus on what matters and finding others who may share a your values and a meditation practice -- even just one or two friends that will sit with you.  What emerges will be a reflection of your sincerity, our effort, and the sheer Grace of the One Love.

I can't think of anything better to do.  How about you?

*One of my group meditation commitments arose out of the #Occupy Wall Street! Movement.  Since the fall of 2011, some of us have been sitting from Noon until 12:30, Monday through Saturday, on the Greenfield MA Town Commons.  Although in true #Occupy! style the group is leaderless and has no statement of  purpose, I call it this daily Meditation Vigil #OMG! (#Occupy Meditation Group!) 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenfield-Commons-Noon-Meditation-Vigil/436706153147071?ref=hl