We have a Group Member in New Orleans. She is in her fifties, with an amazing warm smile, short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her accent though, is something else. She speaks in an un-rushed manner, moving her head slowly from one side to the other. She speaks in a confident, slow manner, tilting her head slightly. And her words, spoken in a thick southern accent, are curved and accentualized in all the right places. She sounds like an Angel grabbing your hand about to take you to heaven and show you around. Hypnotic, warm and seductive accent.
She asked a few days ago if anybody knew of any specific meditation to accompany lent and Mardi gras approaching the following week. I thought deeply. While I knew nothing about Lent, Mardi Gras though, brought about a memory and an exercise. Before I could formulate my thoughts and answer, the meeting had already moved on, and in hindsight, I should have spoken up right there and then.
A few years ago, somehow I ended up in Bucharest, Romania. My initial impression was that I missed Kiev, and that I liked that city better. The apartment I had booked turned out to be just a room in a three bedroom apartment, with the Host and another guest both staying there. And it was on one of the busiest streets downtown.
At 3am I woke up to cars honking their horns steadily, like in a Wedding. This happened night after night, and despite my best efforts to the contrary, I had the worst jet lag in my life, which lasted for about a week.
However, on the first Saturday, I woke up to a very loud melody of the nicest, warmest Piano music playing on the street down below, just outside our apartment. It sounded very nostalgic. It was so loud and consistent that I knew you would never hear that play in Vancouver, as someone would complain. Which was a shame. But it was very pleasant.
I heard some people a bit later when I looked down again from where the music was being played. People were gathering. A bit later people were dancing, and after my meditation, I went down for a walk. To my surprise, the entire street was closed down, and pedestrians were walking everywhere. I walked around for what seemed like forever, then came back home for rest and a snack. I saw the Host there and told him, very excited, that there was a festival going on on the streets. “No, no, we have these every weekend here” was his reply. Every weekend? I stood there in shock.
I did most of it that weekend. However it wasn’t till the second weekend that i really hit it home. By then I had mostly managed the jet lag, and had gotten to know the area, the logistics, where to get good food, where to buy coffee, and i was assured that the area is indeed safe and that i do not need to clutch my phone in my pocket wherever I went, as was the case previously.
The second weekend started as usual, with music playing around 10am, then people gathered, then a crowd formed around the musicians playing on the street. This time I was ready. Had my meditation session, ate something, then at some point headed out. It was a sunny beautiful day around 28 degrees celsius.
As I headed out, I was surrounded with people, small children with their parents, young couples, elderly couples, people just wandering about, whole families tagging along. I carried the afterglow of my meditation session with me. I walked in the festival, delighted by the sounds, sights, smells of food, the beautiful women in their colourful french dresses, the french architecture, the statues standing motionless in front of buildings. As I kept going, I forgot about time and space. I just kept walking, surrounded by love and joy and happiness and beauty everywhere. I grabbed a coffee, then walked some more. I quietened my mind, and became somewhat still, focusing on the joy within. Then taking in all the beauty around me. The love and tenderness parents showed towards their child, the beauty of people’s faces, the round asses of Turkish looking women out and about, with their long, curly hair trembling in the wind, reminiscence of a distant past, yet ever present. The smell of food, the beautiful blue sky, the sound of exquisite music, joy, laughter, chirping about.. Then all this love somehow moved me deeply and I felt a kind of communion, an intense feeling of joy coming from within. There was silence. And there was an indescribable feeling of joy and peace, happiness, love. I came to tears, and tried to hide it behind my sunglasses. We do not deserve this feeling of unconditional love and joy. Yet it is granted to everyone, regardless of who they are. 1,2,3
Then, a young guy that had stayed in the apartment passed by, or so I thought. I had felt a sense of resentment towards him. But when he walked by, to my surprise, I felt nothing. I tried looking for resentment and anger, but could not find anything. In its place was a deep resting compassion and forgiveness, for everyone and for everything, for that matter. I felt like the joy and happiness inside was so vast and felt so complete, that it was impossible to hate. I tried again to find resentment towards someone else. But I could not. In the same manner, that resentment was gone too. It was as if the joy and happiness, beauty and love that surrounded me had washed away all resentment and hurt. In its place was pure joy and happiness, brimming with compassion for everyone and everything. 4
I was very shocked, and in disbelief. It seemed that I was unable to hate any longer. And to this very day, three years later, that is still the case. It was as if the streets of Bucharest washed away my sadness and hurt, filled up my heart to the point that I can no longer hate anyone, or anything.
In my Spiritual Teaching, there is an exercise called “Doing love” (not making love). It consists of quieting the mind, and focusing and meditating on an object of love in and around ourselves. And to delve deeper into it. This may be the sunrise, sunset, A blue sky in winter, a beautiful song or music,a rainbow covering the horizon. It may be an act of kindness that we observe. Anything. And as we practice this exercise deeper and deeper, its vibration settles into our heart, into our nervous system. And in the process, we become a person of love. I presume that’s what happened to me that day. Even Though I had practiced the exercise for years.
Everyday we are presented with beautiful things and objects in our lives. And we can meditate and exercise with them through this exercise. Through this process, we internalize this beauty and vibration of love. To the point where this love becomes a living thing and carries us in its vibration of love. Like first siphoning water through a hose, then gravity takes over and the water flows on its own.
By Practicing this exercise day after day, we become a person of love. We will be held by love, and be nourished by its tenderness, like a baby being fed by its mother with tender love.
So, to my friend mentioned above, I would suggest this exercise, which can be practiced anywhere and at any time. Particularly at Mardi Gras, I would imagine, although I have never been there.
This world is a never ceasing Mardi Gras, a never ending carnival. We are surrounded by love and beauty wherever we go.
Notes:
1 This is not anything special, communion happens when meditation practice is deepened over weeks and months, sometimes days. This is not to be confused with deep level change. In Sufism these experiences are called Haal vs Magham, which is called Condolences vs Raptures in Christian Spiritual language. So the difference must be acknowledged. These are joyful experiences on the journey that are meant to be celebrated and enjoyed, not the path or destination itself.
2 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16
3 The same am I to all beings, to Me there is none hateful nor dear; but those who worship Me with devotion, are in Me and I am also in them. Bhagavad Gita 9:29
4 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 Commentary: The opposite of love is not hate, but fear. This has been pointed out many times. Fear of not being or having enough. Fear of losing face, etc. And unconditional love removes all these obstacles single handedly.