Evening Meditation - Salt Lake Buddhist Temple - Salt Lake City, Utah - May 14th, 2014

        It has been a while since I've visited a non-Christian denomination for the blog. This visit was well overdue. I'm glad I did it too, and plan on visiting again. The Salt Lake Buddhist Temple hosts meditation classes every Wednesday with different teachers. The style isn't from the sect of Buddhism (Jodo Shinshu) that hosts the meditation classes, but all the members of the class are members of the Temple or were new like me.

     First, I should mention I've always related to Buddhism as a philosophy. The whole attachment leads to suffering is spot on, as well as living right action being the best way to live. The philosophy is great at growing discipline which is something I hope to continue to develop.

     When I arrived we did introductions before beginning the silent meditation. Silent meditations are in my opinion one of the best and most difficult meditation types. Visualization can keep the mind active, but to clear the mind and have it remain clear more often than not, needs silence.

    It is difficult. I try to meditate a little everyday, but usually don't last more than 10 minutes, this meditation lasted for 20 and during it I felt my mind beginning to think and analyze before I quieted again by counting my breath like the man hosting the meditation had advised. I also felt occasional itches and anytime I moved my arms to get comfortable felt being taken out of the silence again. The whole process was letting go. If I felt a certain way (the itching, thinking mind and analyzing my own thoughts when mind should be clear), letting it go. It was a quite relaxing process and afterwords I felt energized and relaxed.

    After the meditation we discussed our experiences. From looking at self from the outside (visualizing is what one person said), falling asleep, or letting go. It was a great experience. Myself and a few others had opened our eyes once and from that we talked about how community or Songha in Buddhism helped set the intention to continue rather than leaving or doing something else (like what would be more likely to happen if doing it alone). The discussion also covered different ways people have tried to change or alter their state of mind. It was cool since a few of the folks their were psychiatrists. It was during this discussion to that I learned that this meditation has a different person host it every week and with it a different way meditation is tackled or practiced. We also discussed the similar mysticism bent that most faiths have a branch of before doing some whirling from Sufism.

   Mysticism at its best is ethics in practice. Since "Do no harm" and looking in at ourselves in relation to others seems to be the basis of most mystic traditions. Rarely do you find mystics condemning outsiders to Hell. Hell if it ever is brought up is the Hell we experience in this life not some metaphysical eternal place of punishment. 

     I haven't whirled since high school when I visited the Seattle Dervishes with the Interfaith Voices of Youth group I was a part of (and when they visited our Interfaith Festival at Eastshore Unitarian Church). The experience was great and also a wonderful way to clear the mind and simply be. After we all talked again and I made friends with the man who had hosted, after the whirling we discussed the experience of it and what had brought us to the event. It was wonderful and an experience I look forward to repeating again and bringing into my life more fully.