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Meditation had always seemed an impossible task to me. And being bipolar has brought with it an additional obstacle; that of a never-ceasing, rampant mind. Despite these things it has come to my attention that meditation is an integral part of maintaining my sobriety and mental health.

Initially, when exploring how to meditate, I found myself attending Rochester, New York’s Zen Center. Every Sunday I would be with my son, then 13, and sit in silence practicing Zazen. Then Roshi followed this fifty-minute practice with chanting and a talk. After the service we would attend fellowshipping that included lovely teas and bagels.

This became my template for setting up my Sangha. It is hard to say when exactly the first sangha was, but it stemmed from conversations with friends about our need to develop a meditation practice. Approximately fourteen years ago, four women, including myself, began to meet to meditate in my apartment. Back then the practice was simple, a recitation of the short version of the Serenity Prayer, the ringing of a heart chakra bell, and a spiritual reading. As the group grew, it began to encompass individuals from different spiritual, religious, and ethnic groups. Many of the meditators began to suggest that I incorporate their traditions into our practice. It was then that I began to look upon our group as having a “stone soup” character. I brought the initial “stone” and others began to round out the soup with additional ingredients.

Some of the things incorporated were:

1.        A long version of the Serenity Prayer. And later, one of the meditators asked if we could tweak it. She did not like the line:

“A tolerance for those with different struggles,” suggesting that we be more humane with other’s struggles. So, “respect and compassion” replaced “tolerance”.

2.        We also decided to introduce another level of reflection by incorporating a written meditation. Now the meditators could put into words what they were experiencing during the sangha. Many wrote prose while others wrote poetry. With this new activity, we also dedicated time to sharing our deep, spiritual thoughts.

What follows are writings from the sangha. The meditators, before writing, center themselves by reading out loud one of the long versions of the Serenity Prayer; then listen to a heart chakra bell; and finally do 15 minutes of Zazen meditation. This allows the participants to become centered and mindful of their inner voice. Once these three steps are taken, without any prompt, each meditator scribes what has come to the surface. We write for however long it takes. Then share what was in our hearts.

Meditation holds many gifts for me. I especially love the fellowship of it.  I intentionally developed my Sangha to be very interpersonal. Don’t get me wrong though, there is a delicate balance between being a member of the group and an individual’s need for introspection and contemplation.

From now on, once a week, I will be posting writings from Stone Soup Sangha. Enjoy them and think about incorporating them into a routine for your own spiritual journey.

Namaste