Community Meditation & Discussion this Sunday with Alex Meyers

Dear Community,

Sunday 10am Community Practice & Discussion

From Alex:

I have been reading East of Eden, John Steinbeck's novel exploring the nature of the human condition and the challenge of aligning to and expressing wholesomeness. In a key scene, characters discuss this verse, Gensis 4:7:

“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (King James translation)

The characters' explore that last phrase, offering some other translation options:

"...this was the gold from our mining: 'Thou mayest.' The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin (and you can call sin ignorance). The King James translation makes a promise in 'Thou shalt,' meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word timshel—'Thou mayest'—that gives a choice. For if 'Thou mayest'—it is also true that 'Thou mayest not.' That makes a man great and that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win." (East of Eden, John Steinbeck)

I have recently been inviting authenticity as a focus and exploration in my practice, and with it an opening to both the pleasant and unpleasant that arises in my daily life. I watch the waves of my reactivity to the world, especially as they arise in my emotions. In this way, I also explore choice--coming to terms with where I do and do not have choice, and how choices in how to relate to the world impact other aspects of my experience. I note that in Genesis, choice arises both before and after sin (or ignorance) has arisen--the game isn't lost when "sin lies at the door." The beauty of this practice has been seeing where in the unpleasant choice nevertheless allows for some experience of well-being and freedom.

During our time together, we'll ponder some of this. I look forward to practice and discussion with the community, and sharing what is most alive in each of our practices.

Please join us. Everyone, of all meditation experience levels, is welcome. Registration and Zoom information available here.

With metta (loving-kindness),
Minneapolis Insight