Dear Friends,
Our mission at Anam Cara is to make meditation training freely available to everyone and to support people in their ongoing meditation practices. Given the state of turmoil in the world it is especially important that we have an inner state of calm centeredness that empowers us to bring wisdom, compassion and transformation into the world. This is Dharma in action. The practices protect and envelop us in Dharma Shakti, the power of Dharma. Adhering to dharma, the ego mind becomes a selfless servant of All, the One that has become the many. Meditation culminates in knowing directly that you are the One and the many, nothing left out. Tat twam asi!
Kali yuga, this present dark age, is the last in a cycle of four ages. Across the ages the cow, symbolizing dharma, has been weakened. She stood strong on all four legs in the first age, satya yuga, the high point of truth and dharma in the world. With each successive age she has lost a leg, symbolizing the decline of truth and dharma. In this dark age, when the beloved cow of dharma is on her last leg, we are her legs, we have to stand for dharma, walk dharma into the world, be dharma warriors actively walking love, compassion, wisdom and service into the world. In satya yuga it was fine to wrap oneself in practices, merge into unity consciousness and swaha the rest of the world! Not now! Out of the caves, out of monasteries, off our cushions, we have to take dharma, the truth and the practices, fearlessly into all environments. We may cry a river of tears for all the pain and suffering in the world and we stand as a pillar of fire, the fire of love and compassion, illuminating the way forward, the way of dharma in action.
When I was offering meditation programs in prisons for years I saw the power of grace, Shakti Kundalini, inherent in the mantras and practices, transform the lives of even murderers. We need to bring the power of our practices, wisdom, love and service into the halls of power, into government and corporate headquarters. The economic and political systems we've evolved are the epitome of kali yuga - profits above all, empty, afflicted individuals voraciously consuming the environment and people with no end to their hunger for power and possessions. May our practices empower us to be agents of wakefulness, love and compassion as we work to transform our economic and political systems. Meditation is key to our inner and outer transformation.
We make meditation training available through free weekly programs now on Zoom, our website, retreats, courses, YouTube, and this e-newsletter. We're looking forward to our annual Autumn retreat at the Garrison Institute. I hope you can join us for this joyous meditation retreat and delight in the fall foliage on the majestic Hudson River!
As a non-profit educational organization we are grateful for the support of participants and donors whose generosity makes all this possible. Because of your generous gifts we are in our 19th year of serving meditators and seekers around the world. I deeply appreciate the many ways people help us to fulfill our mission, including sharing this newsletter with others and telling people about our programs. It's a privilege for me to serve the Anam Cara community. Please contact me, le@anamcara-ny.org, if you have anything you would like to share with me.
With love and respect for all,
Lawrence Edwards, PhD - Founder & Director
Anam Cara Meditation Foundation
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