Re: A Beginning, an End, and an Eternity and God's creatures
Posted December 1st, 2007 by sharani_sharani(#21346)
Dear Sumangali,
Your words of encouragement for ongoing and especially new bell
ringers feel like the perfect first place to share a few words here
now that I have returned from ten days on retreat.*
Since I usually share here frequently, my not using the Internet for a
while brings an altogether different perspective. I came home
and read a host of illumining, thought and soul provoking messages
from the silent reader point of view because I didn't use the Internet
but once on my trip. Now that I'm out of the flow, it truthfully feels
somewhat daunting to dive back in and do a few laps -- yes you'll find
some swimming and ocean imagery from me with so much time in
the idyllic waters of the Caribbean fresh in my being. :-)
The shoe is suddenly on the other foot. Putting that first toe in the
water can be tough. Then if someone writes, it must be hard if
dialogue does not flow from it. Sumangali wrote,
"It means a lot when someone takes time to say how they feel, and
sticks their neck out to do so: either in an original message or in
response to one written by someone else."
I often sincerely wish time permitted thoughtful replies to all who
share here even though I know it would be a time-consuming task. I
find myself remembering Subarnamala's beautiful message #20940 about
oneness during the Memorial Week and regretting that I never replied
to it specifically. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration/message/20940
She shared this with us on November 3rd as a reply to Suren's equally
powerful post #20822 on oneness after Sri Chinmoy's mahasamadhi: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration/message/20822
Sadly she has not written since then - I miss the peal of her bell.
Luckily Suren is still writing.
Even though I'm ordinarily chatty here, I truly struggled to overcome
a sense of intimidation about writing again after I finished reading
most of the messages I missed while away. Then my thoughts flew to a
prayer recitation by Ashani's prayer group I was lucky enough to
participate in. The morning of the day I flew home a group of girls
led by Ashani recited 50 "My God-Hunger-Cry" prayers from memory. Kind
of true to form as an American (one of only a couple in the group), I
needed a little remedial instruction on the goal of blending and
melting all as one voice because I was reciting a little too loudly
during the practices. Ironically, my loudness was not because I felt I
knew them thoroughly, more just a quest to convince myself of what
came next through sheer exuberance.
I suddenly thought of my own stereotype of Americans in a kind of
frontier mode (Hey I even have pioneers who went by covered wagon out
West in my family history) going along a little oblivious to the rest
of the world and slightly over eager and zealous in one very big
country. That spirit sometimes creates a strong independent streak and
that "too many chiefs and not enough Indians syndrome." :-) In places
like Europe, there are so many countries adjacent to one another and
the European Union fosters ever-increasing cooperation. None of the
European members of our group needed coaching on the one voice from
many method we strove to achieve.
I tried to quickly mend my ways and learn by their example. I lowered
my voice and redoubled my efforts to feel oneness within the group.
This immediately intensified a feeling of sweet soulfulness and
harmony. By the time of the performance, I was blessed to deeply
experience that sense of oneness that far surpasses my individual
self. My voice didn't even seem to be my own and I hardly recognized
it. The surface me was not the one who spoke that's for sure.
Somehow I feel that there is a lesson for hesitation to write and
share here and the feelings we glimpse in deep meditation or in
singing and reciting Sri Chinmoy's utterances.
Perhaps it is partially the feeling that the deepest beauty comes in
oneness and fulness. The more people that share here the sweeter the
expression.
Perhaps it is also the feeling that if some posts engender a feeling
that what we might share is a tiny hill in comparison to their
loftiness, it is rather the opposite. When we blend as one voice with
true banishment of a sense of superior or inferior, only then does the
deepest beauty again flourish.
And finally perhaps it is just another expression of the intensified
yearning for community, family and oneness that has become a real key
in our lives since October 11th. In this forum, that takes the form of
wishing for silent readers to become at least fleeting bell-ringers.
And just like how in the prayer recitation it was so special to strive
for oneness without any one voice standing apart, the more voices that
could chime in here would truly herald victory.
May I finish with one of the prayers we recited that is exquisitely
beautiful:
"My aspiration-heart is breathlessly in rapture in the blue vast sky.
It has seen God's signature."
My "God-Hunger-Cry" prayer - Sri Chinmoy
[unofficial]
-Sharani
*In their essential core, these days offered vivid and powerful
opportunities to deepen our oneness and heart's connections with each
other along with the certitude of Guru's inner guidance in our lives
even if no longer supplemented by his outer physical presence.
I honestly feel no less transformed from the experience than
any other Christmas trip. My ordinary human mind is still awed and
overwhelmed by such an experience. More on that will have to wait
until the entire trip is over.
- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, sumangali_m
wrote:
>
> Ten days late, *thank you* for this kind message, Purnakama. Your
> chiming is music to my ears. Sometimes it is not so comfortable baring
> one's soul to the whole world. It is more solace than you may know to
> find that my words sometimes find a safe harbour of kindness.
>
> Just because someone might find it relatively easy to put their
> thoughts and feelings into writing, does not mean those thoughts and
> feelings are any less vulnerable in a public arena. It means a lot
> when someone takes time to say how they feel, and sticks their neck
> out to do so: either in an original message or in response to one
> written by someone else. I don't do this myself as much as I could.
>
> To any silent readers out there, I hope we hear from you soon, even if
> it's just to say hello. I know even that might not be easy (really, I
> *do*), but it might just be worth the effort. It's sometimes lonely
> out here on the public limb :-)
>
> I love the sound of many church bells ringing together in a round, I
> love the sweetness of many hand bells playing a tune; so much merrier
> than one tolling into a void. Oneness seems more important now than it
> ever was.
>
> Sumangali
> Bringing some bells and bidding you ring, dear World (even
cacophonously)
> Go on, I dare you
>
Dear Sumangali,
Your words of encouragement for ongoing and especially new bell
ringers feel like the perfect first place to share a few words here
now that I have returned from ten days on retreat.*
Since I usually share here frequently, my not using the Internet for a
while brings an altogether different perspective. I came home
and read a host of illumining, thought and soul provoking messages
from the silent reader point of view because I didn't use the Internet
but once on my trip. Now that I'm out of the flow, it truthfully feels
somewhat daunting to dive back in and do a few laps -- yes you'll find
some swimming and ocean imagery from me with so much time in
the idyllic waters of the Caribbean fresh in my being. :-)
The shoe is suddenly on the other foot. Putting that first toe in the
water can be tough. Then if someone writes, it must be hard if
dialogue does not flow from it. Sumangali wrote,
"It means a lot when someone takes time to say how they feel, and
sticks their neck out to do so: either in an original message or in
response to one written by someone else."
I often sincerely wish time permitted thoughtful replies to all who
share here even though I know it would be a time-consuming task. I
find myself remembering Subarnamala's beautiful message #20940 about
oneness during the Memorial Week and regretting that I never replied
to it specifically.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration/message/20940
She shared this with us on November 3rd as a reply to Suren's equally
powerful post #20822 on oneness after Sri Chinmoy's mahasamadhi:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration/message/20822
Sadly she has not written since then - I miss the peal of her bell.
Luckily Suren is still writing.
Even though I'm ordinarily chatty here, I truly struggled to overcome
a sense of intimidation about writing again after I finished reading
most of the messages I missed while away. Then my thoughts flew to a
prayer recitation by Ashani's prayer group I was lucky enough to
participate in. The morning of the day I flew home a group of girls
led by Ashani recited 50 "My God-Hunger-Cry" prayers from memory. Kind
of true to form as an American (one of only a couple in the group), I
needed a little remedial instruction on the goal of blending and
melting all as one voice because I was reciting a little too loudly
during the practices. Ironically, my loudness was not because I felt I
knew them thoroughly, more just a quest to convince myself of what
came next through sheer exuberance.
I suddenly thought of my own stereotype of Americans in a kind of
frontier mode (Hey I even have pioneers who went by covered wagon out
West in my family history) going along a little oblivious to the rest
of the world and slightly over eager and zealous in one very big
country. That spirit sometimes creates a strong independent streak and
that "too many chiefs and not enough Indians syndrome." :-) In places
like Europe, there are so many countries adjacent to one another and
the European Union fosters ever-increasing cooperation. None of the
European members of our group needed coaching on the one voice from
many method we strove to achieve.
I tried to quickly mend my ways and learn by their example. I lowered
my voice and redoubled my efforts to feel oneness within the group.
This immediately intensified a feeling of sweet soulfulness and
harmony. By the time of the performance, I was blessed to deeply
experience that sense of oneness that far surpasses my individual
self. My voice didn't even seem to be my own and I hardly recognized
it. The surface me was not the one who spoke that's for sure.
Somehow I feel that there is a lesson for hesitation to write and
share here and the feelings we glimpse in deep meditation or in
singing and reciting Sri Chinmoy's utterances.
Perhaps it is partially the feeling that the deepest beauty comes in
oneness and fulness. The more people that share here the sweeter the
expression.
Perhaps it is also the feeling that if some posts engender a feeling
that what we might share is a tiny hill in comparison to their
loftiness, it is rather the opposite. When we blend as one voice with
true banishment of a sense of superior or inferior, only then does the
deepest beauty again flourish.
And finally perhaps it is just another expression of the intensified
yearning for community, family and oneness that has become a real key
in our lives since October 11th. In this forum, that takes the form of
wishing for silent readers to become at least fleeting bell-ringers.
And just like how in the prayer recitation it was so special to strive
for oneness without any one voice standing apart, the more voices that
could chime in here would truly herald victory.
May I finish with one of the prayers we recited that is exquisitely
beautiful:
"My aspiration-heart is breathlessly in rapture in the blue vast sky.
It has seen God's signature."
My "God-Hunger-Cry" prayer - Sri Chinmoy
[unofficial]
-Sharani
*In their essential core, these days offered vivid and powerful
opportunities to deepen our oneness and heart's connections with each
other along with the certitude of Guru's inner guidance in our lives
even if no longer supplemented by his outer physical presence.
I honestly feel no less transformed from the experience than
any other Christmas trip. My ordinary human mind is still awed and
overwhelmed by such an experience. More on that will have to wait
until the entire trip is over.
- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, sumangali_m
wrote:
>
> Ten days late, *thank you* for this kind message, Purnakama. Your
> chiming is music to my ears. Sometimes it is not so comfortable baring
> one's soul to the whole world. It is more solace than you may know to
> find that my words sometimes find a safe harbour of kindness.
>
> Just because someone might find it relatively easy to put their
> thoughts and feelings into writing, does not mean those thoughts and
> feelings are any less vulnerable in a public arena. It means a lot
> when someone takes time to say how they feel, and sticks their neck
> out to do so: either in an original message or in response to one
> written by someone else. I don't do this myself as much as I could.
>
> To any silent readers out there, I hope we hear from you soon, even if
> it's just to say hello. I know even that might not be easy (really, I
> *do*), but it might just be worth the effort. It's sometimes lonely
> out here on the public limb :-)
>
> I love the sound of many church bells ringing together in a round, I
> love the sweetness of many hand bells playing a tune; so much merrier
> than one tolling into a void. Oneness seems more important now than it
> ever was.
>
> Sumangali
> Bringing some bells and bidding you ring, dear World (even
cacophonously)
> Go on, I dare you
>