Whew! The past 6 months have been fast and furious (emphasis on furious). I haven’t written. Not like my usual slice of life posts that find me on a bike ride or watching the river flow by.
The last post I wrote was Magpie Wisdom. The moral of that story was “Don’t pick at yourself.”
Here I sit, nearly the end of May, realizing I’ve been picking more and more at myself: over my career or health progress. My outlook has slipped and slanted more negative than my norm.
What changed? Last year, I signed up for a year of Buddhist foundation courses. Each week, we met over Zoom and I learned fascinating and supportive practices. The year before, I studied Radiant Lotus Women’s Qigong online with Advanced Qigong teacher, Daisy Lee. Then shared the practice with my community.
This year, I decided to focus on serving my real estate clients. And while I love my work, I’d abandoned my sangha.
From Ananda.org:
Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, has described sangha as a “beloved community.”Whether the sangha is a family or larger community, it includes people who are engaged in serving and bringing joy to one another, and who inspire each other to contribute. Hanh stresses the contribution of every individual to the community, and of the community to the greater world.
Sangha, more widely used now than its original usage pertaining to the Buddhist ordained monks or nuns, is what kept me lifted in my 6-month Qigong training and my year-long Buddhist foundation courses. In turn, inspiring me to lift others.
While real estate agents may be highly motivated and energized folks 😉 , it’s not the same as a sangha that sustains you and helps you to sustain others.
And I felt it.
The strange thing is, that when you’re slowly sliding into negativity, you don’t notice the gradual descent.
Until, all at once you do. And you’re not sure how you got there or how to climb out.
And then you find that last blog post and connect a few dots leading to the descent. And those dots show you the path out.
Sangha.
Not once in a while.
A dedicated practice.
I meditate daily.
By myself.
I contemplate daily.
By myself.
I’m beginning to wonder if my previously inspired contemplation hasn’t slowly morphed into rumination.
Too much “By myself.”
So, what to explore next? Where might curiosity lead me back to sangha?
I don’t know but the tingling in my legs and the back of my neck is a great indicator of the excitement arising as I acknowledge this missing piece and agree to further my spiritual (in turn, physical and emotional) well-being.
What about you, dear reader? Where is “beloved community” missing in your life?
Where might you seek out your sangha?
I can’t wait to hear. I’ll let you know where I land next. Please share your beloved community in the comments.
Ruminate no more.
Practice. In community. A beloved community that lifts you so you can lift others.
My mantra for life is to leave things better than I found them: whether nature or people.
A good sangha leaves you better than it found you.
Much love,
Stephanie
Stephanie Hrehirchuk - Author 