, that’s it definitely.
Um, to remember and find like-minded individuals who maybe are on a similar path to you, whatever that may look like in order to share and deepen together. Absolutely. Okay. So this, uh, question here, where is it? Um, here we go is for Will, Reverent Will Rucker, what would you suggest if your family does not support your beliefs and religion?
Well, that’s a great question. And it’s one that I’ve personally faced, uh, as I have expanded in consciousness, that also means that others have felt further away, uh, coming from a traditionally Christian family or one that perceives themselves to be that way because candidly, my family is nothing traditional, but you know, they have a bit more of a conservative lean than I do. What I’ve learned over the course of time is that most disagreement isn’t in the principle or the value or the substance, most disagreement is simply in the language and words are tools that allow us to paint pictures of what we’re trying to convey. But often we have our own filters and our worldviews that prohibit us from seeing what the other person is truly trying to convey. So for someone that’s struggling to make that connection with their family, love your family, love them, have compassion for them, recognize that they have your best interest at heart.
Always take that positive intent and assume that they’re wishing you well and allow them to go on their own journey. The me of today is a complete heretic to the me of just five years ago. And so I would be praying for myself today, you know, get them saved, Lord, save them. If you know, this was five years ago. So your family just may not be where you are. The other part of it is as a being of light, just shine, do your best, not to offend, but also don’t dim your light. Don’t don’t hide who you are, allow yourself to be authentic in where you are at the moment. And I guarantee you to change, but understand that where you are is exactly where you’re supposed to be in your family and friends need to see that the last part of this is there are people that embrace you as you are right now, there are people with very similar beliefs and ideas right now.
Great. And so, um for Nuria, what are the keys for going within? That is the question that’s coming up here in the chat. What are the keys for going within, you’re muted my love.
Seeking solitude, even if that’s a walk or sitting by the ocean or Lake or looking at a tree, whatever that is. If you’re a busy mom taking a bath, you know, something practical to give yourself some time, but seeking solitude, because as so many have said, it’s the silence and the quietude. That’s so very important. Then the mind, if you’ve really tried to meditate, as I know everyone here has, you can see it becomes very active. It’s called the monkey mind. So many people know that term. So how do we still that mind? Well, we can do it with a phrase. I gave an example of how the prayer has been working me lately or contemplating I think beauty is very important. So something which you consider beautiful, uh, a flower, it could a photo of an inspirational figure or scene or a stone, something that puts the mind at rest upon an object in Tibetan Buddhism.
We do this, of course, contemplating, uh, various, Mandalas or, uh, thangkas of a deity, which are often so complex that it kind of blows the mind and just still does. But at any rate, something that stills that mind and then just breath, the breath is the greatest vehicle we have for meditation. And so breathing in the essence of the beauty of what you’re contemplating and breathing it out again, I’ve had the great opportunity to be sent to the caves, high in the Himalayan mountains, and there I’ve met with many deans that have been years and years in retreat. And one might say, what, what, what good could this possibly be doing for anyone? Well, it’s doing a lot of good, it’s like entering a church or a sacred space, the Quaker meeting, whatever it is, there’s an atmosphere there. And they’re generating a certain quality of atmosphere and vibration and giving it out.
Simply you’ll desire will increase to want to do this quietude contemplation on something that inspires you or you consider beautiful. It could even be I’m visual, but it could be music. You know, when said, people are afraid of the silence will sing. You know, eventually it leads to the silence, be practical in your spirituality. It helps you, it helps, uh, ground it. And then just relax. In our tradition, we talk about three phases. First is concentration. So for example, the lines of the prayers, then you contemplate them deeply. What, what does each word mean? What does this, what does this, what is it really saying? And then after you’ve concentrated, it’s like a yoga pose that you hold for a very long time an asana. But when you’re released at what do you feel? You feel a complete release of tension and relaxation. You fall into a kind of state.
That’s what meditation is. It’s releasing the concentration and then you fall.  That’s I always told my, I was a professor for many years until my retirement. I was still my students. The great frontier is not outer space. It’s inner space.  Welcome it as your friend, embrace it and release it. This is it. It sounds simple. It takes years, you know, enlightenment happens after 50 years of practice. What can I say? But, you know, God willing, we all will get there. Um, and I, I, again, I’m very grateful for all the people that have contributed, and it’s so interesting to hear my voice through your mouth and your heart. So thank you so much.
Meditative practices for me, or worship for me, has really given me permission to pause. And we talked about that a little bit earlier and to really think about what’s going on around me. And I think that, that, you know, with all the chaos and the noise coups, you know, all of these things that are happening, that we just don’t spend enough time really thinking and reflecting and thinking clearly about a path forward for how do we stop these major injustices. I also think that there’s just a huge amount of bonding that can happen from meditating with a friend, even if it’s on zoom. And I think that oftentimes when we worship together, like the people in my meeting, who I love dearly, even when they’re frustrating me, just having the ability to meditate with them and to worship with them really, uh, brings us a lot closer together.
Um, not in a, you know, compromising my values way, but in a human way, in a collective vision way. And so I think that if we were all meditating and taking care of ourselves and making sure that we are feeling centered, I think we can have a lot more productive conversations about how to move our country forward and how to move, not even our country, but even, you know, the world forward. How do we social progress forward? Um, so that’s, that’s really been crucial for me in my practice. And I also think, um, meditation creates a very specific way of being able to listen. Um, I think that my listening skills have gotten better since I’ve started meditating. And I think that that is something that we all desperately is more, um, practice and listening. So that would be what I would say for that.
Beautiful me too. I hope so too, Katie. Okay. So this question is for Brad, how does one stop start the practice of meditation when the idea of being alone with their thoughts, terrifies them being alone with the trauma in their head? Any advice?
Yeah, it’s a difficult question. That one, I, I think the best answer I ever have can give for people for any reason that they give to not want to start meditation practices, just, just do it. You know, you just have to do it. Uh, if, if you’re specifically afraid of the thoughts in your head. One of the things that, um, Zen meditation taught me over a number of years was that my thoughts are just thoughts. And it’s very easy to say that, but I can remember being almost bowled over the, the minute. You know, I can remember the moment when I recognize that as a, as a, you know, as a fact that, that any thought I had, no matter what it was, was still just another thought is just, it’s just something going on in my brain. And most of them don’t don’t matter.
And most of them don’t, don’t go anywhere. They, they fade away. If you leave them, be for long enough, a friend of mine, uh, who practices at the Tassajara, the place that’s in the fake background behind me, uh, said that he was on a meditation retreat and realized that his thoughts after a while were like a wad of gum that was in his mouth, that he chewed all the flavor out of, you know? And