This trip to New Camaldoli had a much different feel then last month's. It was calmer, more insightful and more centering. The weather was much the same though. Friday was warm and sunny. Saturday and today cool and foggy. I got up very early and discovered a whole world of spider webs, dew soaked and dancing in the dawn light.
They became the theme of my morning meditation yesterday. As I've worked through ways to heal, I've noticed that strands of information seem to come my way as I need them. Further one links to the other. Before I knew it I realized that I've woven together a web of practices for wellness. The intent is for any cancer cells to become stuck and consumed by my well cells so to speak.
Meditation was the point of this retreat time. While there I read an inspirational story of Gandhi and how he came to be able to center and still the so called monkey brain. Something clicked for me and the inspiration helped guide me to be able to take a Metta Kindness technique to use as a mantra.
Stephen Cope described how a family servant named Rambha gave Gandhi a mantra and then used the following to help him understand the power of a mantra....
...she compared the practice of mantra to the training of an elephant. "As the elephant walks through the market," taught Rambha, "he swings his trunk from side to side and creates havoc with it wherever he goes-knocking over fruit stands and scattering vendors, snatching bananas and coconuts wherever possible. His trunk is naturally restless, hungry, scattered, undisciplined. This is just like the mind-constantly causing trouble."
But the wise elephant trainer, said Rambha, will give the elephant a stick of bamboo to hold in his trunk. The elephant likes this. He holds it fast. And as soon as the elephant wraps his trunk around the bamboo the trunk begins to settle. Now the elephant strides through the market like a prince: calm, collected, focused, serene. Bananas and coconuts no longer distract.
So too with the mind. As soon as the mind grabs hold of the mantra, it begins to settle. The mind hold the mantra gently-and it becomes focused, calm, centered....
So I'm grateful to the universal source for the lessons of the last few days. I'm home soothed and centered and opened.
Joan Osborne, "Spider Web":
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