This is the third of three themed meditations from my book Essentials for Living in a Troubled World.
Each begins with some words on the theme,
For contemplation,
And then I give the narration for the sitting,
Which brings together in a synthesis the theme,
Our body and our mind.
Where we meet.
If we are Westerners we are probably very concerned about our space.
We think of this in a physical and metaphorical way,
But it is as much cultural as it is an aspect of human nature.
It goes with the emphasis on individuality and results in a notion of the psychological self being something immutable and sacrosanct and separate.
But in the East the idea of self is more fluid.
The enlightened self can be likened to no self and felt as a sense of being no more than a presence in the universe of presences.
And in Southern Africa where tribe and cooperation in community are fundamental elements of society,
Self and fellow have a unique significance,
Which can be expressed as,
I can only be me if you are being you.
This is Ubuntu.
If a consciousness of me and not me,
Or a worry about what is yours being taken from you,
And a need to assert your boundaries and declare limits beyond which others may not pass.
If these are things that you are aware of for yourself,
Then consider this.
Boundaries are also meeting places.
In fact a boundary would not be a boundary unless something different is encountered at that point.
And if there is encounter,
There is the possibility of meeting and exchange.
Meeting,
Real meeting,
Requires that we be open and available with all our being and are willing to engage.
This is a meditation to help openness.
Ensure that you are sitting comfortably in a balanced position and check out the muscles which you find tense up for you.
Lift your gaze to the horizontal and allow this to lift your back straighter.
For a few slightly lengthened breaths,
Be conscious of your in-breath helping this lifting.
And with your posture maintained,
Your out-breath drawing down and dissipating the tension away through your limbs.
Start to feel your relaxed body as your clear space.
Sense your body from within in any way that comes to you,
Perhaps warmth,
Perhaps some discomfort,
Perhaps your heart beating.
Relax into this sense of your body within.
Add to this sense an awareness of how it is contained in the physical being that others see.
The you who sits or stands or moves and speaks.
The you that others see.
The you who meets them.
At the point and in the act of meeting,
Every human being is equivalent to every other.
The essence of the meeting is a willingness to give and wishing to receive.
Welcome your awareness of meeting as openness to receive and gentleness in giving.
Let this be a mantra for you.
Open to receive and gentle in giving.
Open to receive and gentle in giving.
And in your mind now,
Go to others you know,
Others you might seek to meet.
Being open to receive and gentle in giving.
Do this now for as long as you want to continue your sitting.
Open to receive and gentle in giving.
When you are ready to end your sitting,
Slightly lengthen your breaths,
Steadily lifting yourself back into the world around.
