Dear Friends
I’m on retreat this weekend, but I’ve queued up this message to keep you company until I’m back on line on Monday.
There’s a poem I appreciate from Kay Ryan:
The Niagara River
As though
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/niagara-river
the river were
a floor, we position
our table and chairs
upon it, eat, and
have conversation.
As it moves along,
we notice—as
calmly as though
dining room paintings
were being replaced—
the changing scenes
along the shore. We
do know, we do
know this is the
Niagara River, but
it is hard to remember
what that means.
Christina Feldman writes,
We do not always realize how much we rely upon the great and small things in our lives to stay the same for us to feel balanced and poised—until they change.
page 119
Andrea Fella has a short talk and guided meditation that explore impermanence. In the talk, she says that many of us intellectually understand that things change, but we don’t necessarily get it on an actual, experiential level. If we can have a visceral understanding, we can learn to let go.
Morning Instructions: Impermanence
https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/7842.html
Morning Reflection: Additional reflections on Impermanence
https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/7843.html
In terms of letting go, Christina advises:
Shouting at ourselves to “let go” is ineffective and dooms us to failure. Cultivating kindness, joy, and compassion gives birth to a mind that is no longer prone to clinging. Understanding impermanence teaches us to stand in the midst of all things with equanimity.
page 120
and later,
Impermanence, held at the forefront of our consciousness, has the potential to guide us to a life of integrity, appreciation, care, and wakefulness.
page 121
It’s a powerful subject for contemplation, and one I’ll be observing this weekend.
Warm wishes,
Andrea