Leicester Great Heart Circle - February 2013

An intimate gathering on a cold dark evening at the Great Meeting Unitarian Chapel in Leicester.
Our theme for discussion was integrating our meditation practice with daily life. There is a nice list of activities in Lama Surya Das' book "Awakening The Buddha Within" that we went through, which includes for example :

-  Whenever you cross a threshold, got through a doorway, or enter a room, see it as entering a temple and do so reverently

- Walk barefoot in the grass or on a thick carpet and feel fully each sensation with your toes and soles

- Try chewing one single raisin for several minutes and experiencing everything you can about it

- Before speaking, notice what motivates your words

New Weekly Metta Meditation Session in Chester

 

The new weekly Chester Metta Circle sessions began this afternoon in the historic 17th Century Dutch Houses in Chester.  This follows on from a couple of months of evening meditation sessions in the same venue, Sally's Secret Garden crafts and gift shop.  It was a lovely beginning, eight people  came along and after some guided metta we discussed the old Buddhist story of Kisa Gotami.  We'll have a theme for discussion each time connected in some way with love, not only "spiritual" love, but all the complex, sometimes messy, often beautiful  expressions of love and friendship and connection in our daily life.  The sessions will be weekly at 3.30pm-4.45(ish) on 22 Bridge Street Row North.  Suggested donation of around £4 very welcome, but not essential, to cover costs.

On a personal note - I thought long and hard about whether to focus the weekly Chester group on metta meditation or stay with longer silent zen-style practice.  The day after I decided to go with metta, I found this lovely statue in a charity shop in Chester... it's Kwan Yin, the female Buddha of Love from China.  I took it as a poetic affirmation that I've made the right choice, and I brought it along to be a small symbol of what we're doing together.

May we all be well and happy and appreciate one another,

Chris Starbuck