Meditation Opportunities

Thursday evenings at 1^st Presbyterian 

We will meet for meditation on all Thursdays in June and July (except July 4) from 7:00 – 9:00 pm in the fellowship hall. Our format for the first hour is two 20-minute periods of sitting in silence with a 10 minute walking meditation in between.  For the second hour, we will be watching a portion of Fr. Thomas Keating’s “Spiritual Journey” series and sharing in discussion afterwards.

Tuesday evenings at Hei’s house

Hei has opened his house to those who would like to join him for meditation from 6:00pm – 6:30pm on Tuesdays (except June 11, 18 and 25).  It is one half hour of sitting meditation.    Please call him at 899-4845 for directions and to let him know that you are coming so he can prepare a place for you.

June Retreat Day

          Saturday, June 29, 2013   8:30 am – 3:00 pm                      In the Fellowship Hall

A Day of Zen Sitting 

Joseph and Hei will lead our retreat day with a focus on Zen meditation.  We will have an hour and a half silent meditation in the morning, a two-hour talk and discussion time (featuring a reading from Suzuki Roshi), a lunch break, and conclude with another hour and a half time of silent meditation.  Come join us as we learn from Zen practice how to deepen our silence and bring more love and peace into the world.  Please bring a sack lunch.  Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided.  A freewill offering will be available. 

Upcoming Events

Ongoing                                  Hei’s Tai Chi class at Oldemeyer

Center (Tu/Thur at 10:30 am)

July 27                                    MMG Retreat Day 8:30 – 1:00 pm

Topic to be announced

August 24                                Garage Sale at Hei’s house

8am – 12 noon

no August retreat day

Sept. 28                                   MMG Retreat Day 8:30 – 1:00 pm

Buddha’s Brain Part 2

Oct. 18/19                               MMG Weekend Retreat with

Ruben Habito

Friday 7 – 9 pm, Saturday 9 – 4 pm

Nov. 23                                    MMG Retreat 8:30 – 1:00 pm

Faithful Generations

Summary of May Retreat Day 

Our May retreat day included watching a Thomas Keating Video

from the Spiritual Journey series titled, “The Human Condition:

the Evolutionary Model”.  In this video Fr. Keating addresses

the human condition (the false self, sometimes called original sin)

in the context of contemporary science.  He uses an evolutionary

model from sociology to cast a light on the development of human

consciousness as a whole and the development of our individual

consciousness as each of us grow to full adulthood.

This model begins with Uroboric (Reptilian) consciousness that

began 5 – 6 million years ago.  This is a primitive consciousness

that is immersed in nature and has primary concerns of food,

shelter, and prompt fulfillment of needs.  In our individual lives

we experience this consciousness in infancy.

The second level is Typhonic (Half animal/ half human)

consciousness and emerged in human kind about 200,000 BC.

In this level there is emergence of a body self from nature and

there is a first sense of self-identity.  There is an inability to

distinguish imagination from reality and it is the beginning of tribal

culture.  In our lives this is an experience of our imaginative toddler

years and the terrible twos.

The third level is Mythic Membership began during the period of

12,000 to 10,000 BC.  This was the beginning of farming, the city

state, and the stratification of society.  In this period one draw’s

one’s identity from the group.  It contains the first dawn of reason,

but not abstract thinking.  We experience this consciousness in our

childhood and teenage years.  We can see what a hold peer

pressure has on us at this time in our lives.

The fourth level of consciousness that human’s as a whole have

progressed at this time is Mental Egoic that appeared about 2,000 –

3,000 BC in human history.  In this level the mind separates from

the body and there is a transcendence of reason over emotion.

Work at this point of evolution is to become fully human and have a

fully reflective self- consciousness.  Most of us are working at this

level of consciousness in our adult lives.

Fr. Thomas pointed out four further levels that are available for

humans to experience.  These include the Intuitive, Unitive, Unity

and Ultimate.

In closing,  

To get at the core of God at his greatest, one must first get into the core of himself at his least, for none can know God who has not first known himself.

Go to the depths of the soul, the secret place of the most high, to the roots, to the heights; for all that God can do is focused there. 

 Meister Eckhart