DLG 5.2

1. DLG 5.2 Carey Madonia 3/19/13

2. Daily learning goal • Judge how particular (four) spiritual exercises can promote seeing the sacred and impact your spiritual life(benefits and challenges) and assess the importance of examining consciousness.

3. “You live in illusions And the appearance of things. There is a Reality, You are that Reality. When you recognize this You will realize that you are not thing and being no thing, you are everything.” -Kalu Rinpoche, Twentieth-century Tibetan Buddhist

4. Recognizing the sacred • To recognize the sacred, you want to see things in a new way instead of wanting to see new things • Sacred is not separate or different from all things, but are hidden among all things • Being able to recognize the sacred is a gift that needs to be practiced and cultivated

5. Exercise 1: Open to the sacred in Nature • Certain places in nature have long been recognized as spiritual places • Usually places of great beauty- deserts, mountains, forests, and places where the land and sea meet • Places become a source of spiritual inspiration and renewal • This has led many people to healing and recognition of the sacredness of nature • Exercise • Find a place that appeals to you personally • Give yourself enough time to enjoy it • Helpful to begin and end with a prayer and use meditation • Don’t need to do a lot, just open yourself to the place around you and take in your surroundings

6. Exercise 2: recognize the inner light • Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and relax • Visualize someone you love standing in front of you • Think of the feelings towards that person and the love you have for them. • Imagine a light radiating from a part of their body • Imagine it spreading until their whole body is radiating that light • Now imagine someone you don’t like standing next to the person you love • Imagine the same light radiating from their bodies • Now imagine you are being filled with the same radiating light • Now there is no difference between you, your friend, and the enemy • This begins to get rid of feelings of dislike for the enemy, as well as helps your feelings for your friend grow • Your feelings for your friend will extend towards the enemy • Idea is to love everyone equally

7. Exercise 3: Surrounded by saints • “If we are to be free we must make each person we meet our ultimate object of reverence.” Buddhist proverb • Take a certain time, such as an hour or day, and treat everyone you see as a holy person • Mother Teresa saw everyone she worked with as Christ • Ask yourself how you would relate yourself to them • Chain reaction

8. Exercise 4: See Teacher Everywhere • Everyone has qualities that we can learn from and can get inspired from • We can use everyone as role models • When we meet kind people we get feelings of gratitude, kindness, and generosity • When we meet unkind people we become aware of the sensitivity we have when feel hatred from others • We also see how we are easy to criticize • Exercise: • Select a time of the day • Try to see each person you meet as a teacher and recognize what the lesson is it is good or bad • At the end of the day, reflect on the lesson you have learned from each person

9. Activity: becoming open to sacred in nature • Go outside or listen to nature sounds • Take deep breaths, close eyes, relax • Look at or imagine the beauty of your surrounding • Maybe start out with a prayer • Meditate • Open yourself to the surroundings and appreciate the magnificence of the scenery • http://naturesoundsfor.me/