Awaken Heart-Mind

What is Spirituality, Maya Spencer

o   Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature. Spirituality means knowing that our lives have significance in a context beyond a mundane everyday existence at the level of biological needs that drive selfishness and aggression. It means knowing that we are a significant part of a purposeful unfolding of Life in our universe.

o   Link to article: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/what-is-spirituality-maya-spencer-x.pdf?sfvrsn=f28df052_2

Contemplative Practices

o   What is contemplative life? A central hub that brings many different practices under one umbrella, to easily find what’s right for you and connect with others of like mind.

o   Link to website: https://www.contemplativelife.org/body-of-practice#all

When Knowing Becomes Love, Arthur Zajonc

o   The true goal of contemplative practice, indeed of life, is the joining together of insight and compassion, wisdom and love. To accomplish this requires that we find deep peace within and learn to be ever more awake, and thereby be of greater benefit in all we undertake. Our time is beset by problems: environmental problems, social justice issues, homelessness, health disasters, inequities in education, hunger and poverty. These all require “real world” solutions. Yet together with our tireless outer efforts, a comparable effort is needed to change who we are, to become, as Gandhi, the solutions we envision for the world. We will need to find the means to engage in an inner work commensurate with our outer work. How can we cultivate genuine insight and find better ways to address these challenges”?