September 2009

Dear Friends and Supporters of the MCRC,  

Welcome back! The Multicultural Resource Center is looking forward to another great year. Let me remind you that our 2009-2010 calendar has some changes. Please, look at our schedule and mark your calendars. You might also check the website periodically for any additions or changes throughout the school year. We look forward to seeing you at our programs.  

I am just returning from a four day silent retreat where I was practicing Buddhist methods of meditation. It was challenging; no speaking, no reading, no writing, no e-mails, no music, no television. On day one, my mind was filled with thoughts, chatter, ideas, solutions, to do list, critique, judgment, fear. My breath was short and I was very restless.  

Day two was a bit calmer and tolerable. I was encouraged to focus on the words, “May I be free of suffering and the roots of suffering”. Whenever the mind strayed, I came back to these words.  

Day three felt long; like there was more space in each moment. My mind was quieter and my body was softer. My awareness was keener. I felt the freshness of the wind coming off the Berkshires; I tasted my food as if for the first time; I heard birds singing and people whispering. My connection to strangers was kinder.  

On day four my mantra shifted to “May all living beings be free of suffering and the roots of suffering”. I was asked to choose a group of people who are suffering with whom I have an affinity or drive to stand behind, and sit with them in meditation. “Who in the world is in pain? Where is suffering?” the guide asked. My heart throbbed and many tears flowed down the face. “So much suffering”, I thought. “How can I focus on one group?” After a number of breaths, I was able to invite and sit with one group. I breathed in their pain and breathed out joy to them, as I was instructed to do. At first more tears flowed, and then I arrived at a more peaceful place and calm. This is how I spent the last hours of my silence.  

What I found there was a boundless amount of spaciousness, love and compassion. I believe that silence is a force to be reckoned with. There is power and possibility in deep silence. I am not alone, of course, in recognizing this. We have seen people like Gandhi change a country with this force. Many of you have experienced what I am talking about in some form or another. Our Quaker friends sit in silence each week at meeting for worship; some of us find silence on our jog through the park and others in a synagogue. 

May I suggest that we remain open to the limitless possibilities of silence? May we awaken, become more aware of ourselves, our surrounding, and others? I believe that we will be pleasantly surprised by the benefit to us and to “all living beings”.  

Have a great start to the school year.

Peace,    

Karen De Gregorio