Although this blog had begun one way, (and for more than a year I documented my experience leaving Temple Shalom and coming to Shirat HaNefesh)...in the last 24 hours (presuming we ignore the work up to it in the last few months) the new topic has come up about experimenting with including meditation in our practices at Shirat HaNefesh, and I will now experiment with capturing here (at least many of) my contributions in this discussion. We're planning a meeting with 4 of us this Sunday, and this morning, I've sought to share my perspective with these 4 (Ramon, Marc, Debbie, and Gerry makes 5 who won't be at this particular meeting). Already, earlier today, I posted a note I'd sent to these five, and then, upon arriving at the office, I thought to share a background e-mail that was really part of this dialogue from the beginning of this month, and I added to it). So, partly for my own desire to have a central repository for these "points of order," and, as it may be helpful, for the benefit anyone else may derive from it, I'll plan to post these comments here in this blog. My idea now, since I'll be pinching from this recent set of e-mails, is to not include text from others, but rather, summarize their comments, so as to avoid ill will.
So, this recent background is now below:
Friends, please see the notes below, representing some background from my point of view as to what we're preparing to discuss on Sunday. It's a refresher for most of you, but new to you, Debbie.
1) Regarding background...IF you are willing to consider with me that meditation practice, and our practice of the liturgy could and ideally would be of "one" piece...I hope that this will modify the view of the playing field, with respect to what each of us can contribute to the discussion, and to what our common vision of what this "occasional" modification to our programming would look like. That is to say...there are some definite particular details to be concerned about, vis-a-vis introducing doing meditation. But, as a first step, I hope we might together seek agreement that this may be a multi-part course we'd have Saturday mornings, but it is one meal nonetheless.
2) Regarding getting either or both the practice or vision right...I or we could engage others. Ramon, you did mention someone at Temple Shalom, with experience in meditation. We did engage a woman to lead us at the retreat. I or we could engage some of these folks for any insight, sooner or later. Names & contact info could help me. As you'll see in # 3 below, I'd recommend we include others, and consider engaging in whatever leg work may be helpful to get this right. Certainly, to different degrees, and in different ways, Jews are practicing meditation around the country, and we could try to systematically learn more about these efforts.
3) See below, the text lifted: ".In the Talmud, we are instructed to meditate for an hour before praying, in preparation for prayer, as well as an hour after, for integration of sacred intentionality into our daily life..." Gerry, Ramon, or Marc, Debbie, if there is any additional context for this...to bring forward the authenticity that I think belongs with this work, like information about how this was practiced, years ago, and more, sources for this, this approach of looking to sources could benefit us, though as Nishmat Hayyim has probably concluded, this is not necessary.
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on 7/ 1... I shared...
Marc, all,
I have been only modestly introduced to what "Jewish Meditation" might be, but I have heard of Aryeh Kaplan before, and following this e-mail, I've now read up a bit on him, and seen him on You Tube. From what I read, he does try to take a traditional approach, and definitely looks to Jewish sources.
Discussions of Jewish mysticism may be challenging for us. I think Kaplan comes from a tradition that puts meditation in the mode of both mysticism and concentration techniques. This, while possibly consistent with sources of motivation in the Jewish tradition for uses of meditation...I fear that these sources of motivation have been borne out of a desire to withdraw from the world...into another sort of place....and may be historically associated with our centuries of having been a population in peril.
If we want to continue our exploration of meditation, I can see that this can lead us in many ways. For this reason, I feel fortunate that the example that has already been given to us, from the woman who lead us in a meditation session at our retreat, is one that I feel I would be more harmonious with. She discussed "awareness" as typifying what she would identify meditation with, and while the difference is subtle, to my mind, it can be important. With awareness, rather than retreating from the world, your target is to open to it, and while there are some things that will inevitably be common to any approach to meditation....the idea of "being present," consistent with, as you say, the buddhist (or just common) notion of mindfulness, may indeed be different than trying to engage in a mental exercise...but in fairness, without becoming more aware of what Kaplan says or does not say, I shouldn't guess too much.
One community some of us may be interested in checking out a bit, I've only become aware of in recent weeks, is Nishmat Hayyim, with one of their web links here: http://www.nishmathayyim.org/news17.php . There's a fair amount there about how Jewish meditation could be understood, defined, and practiced.
I would close by saying what I've said before...again. Arriving at Shirat HaNefesh, I had not been seeking to particularly introduce or blend in meditation. I don't know for sure still that that is any kind of target, and despite my past queries, no one has yet told me who tasked us with including it in our retreat. With that said...now that it HAS been "put on our menu," I am interested in at least exploring the possibilities, sure. I do understand that: a) we have a traditional approach to practice in our community, and b) I have understood to be true what I read here: ( http://www.nishmathayyim.org/news7.php ), that: "..."...In the Talmud, we are instructed to meditate for an hour before praying, in preparation for prayer, as well as an hour after, for integration of sacred intentionality into our daily life..." and I do think that, discounting any sort of mystical approach, we could decide to simply revert to traditional strategies in our blending of meditation and liturgy as we have morning services, and that in doing so, this could become part of a more comprehensive strategy to not only make more meaningful our practice for ourselves, but as I have recently been commenting to Gerry & Ramon offline, this may be part of a realistic strategy for keeping the continuity of Jewish practice alive for my particular family constellation for some years to come as well. Or that's one theory, anyway.
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and on 6/30, I shared the following with Gerry, Ramon & Marc, to which Marc replied that he thought it might be good to get a better understanding of the interplay of the buddhist conception of mindfulness, vs someone like Aryeh Kaplan's work on Jewish meditation...to paraphrase...(that actually motivated the discussion above).
This note follows my discussion today with you, Ramon, where
we discussed my interest in buddhism. I don't think we need
to be shy about the general approach of pluralism, and I am
not embarrased. I'm not trying to sell anything either.
In today's Health section of the Washington Post, an article
on cancer and mindfulness can point up some aspects in which
you are "fetching" a science of Shabbat....though no one's
drawing that analogy but me...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062902623.html
Regards,
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Developing my voice...part II, later today...
So, this is the note I shared with several others in my community, just a few minutes ago...and which I make public here...
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Marc, (and all), there is much wisdom in how you've laid this out...and yes, we could do either (meet this Sunday or later). We could let Ramon decide, as he introduced this discussion with me today, and encouraged me to bring it forward.
If we did not meet this Sunday, or if we met...either way...I would suggest that we experiment, in much the way that Ramon and I briefly discussed it today...with identifying a Saturday (I'd suggest either August 8 or 29...at least with respect to my schedule), identifying it in advance to the community as a small experiment ...and essentially, begin working through the siddur, starting 20 minutes before we would have otherwise begun...and then at page 15, where text is suggested for a meditation, instead... present a time for a period of silent meditation, there. Have the meditation run for 20 minutes...and then continue in the siddur from where we would have left off.
I think I should take at least a moment, and make an effort to be as transparent as I can about my point of view about the introduction of meditation to Shirat HaNefesh. I feel that, unless we wish to offer a grade "B" program of meditation for our community...one that we could do better by farming it out to the Insight Meditation Society...we should regard this as an introduction of a poker chip to our members in Chevy Chase, with the intention of encouraging them to take it to Las Vegas. Another way of saying this is that the introduction of meditation...at least for many...would be intended to be the tail that wags the dog...with the dog in this case being the liturgy itself that the meditation is embedded in.
Although much of my understanding about how meditation can relate to Jewish practice is intuitive, I do feel very confident that the major function meditation CAN AND SHOULD PLAY is to highlight and accentuate...and bring appropriate focus to the liturgy, and the davvener's relationship to the liturgy, that they can have.
Otherwise, this is not Jewish practice (meditation). At best it is a parallel practice. And although there is frankly little that I can point to with respect to this strategy being adopted by other communities, and it would be experimental, I think it's a genuine path...and I hope you'll buy in with me.
Otherwise, you might like to explore meditation, anyway...and I feel value neutral about that. I would worry frankly that this may grow confusion from members about what it is, and how it fits into Jewish practice....so I do think you need some kind of conceptual framework, which our retreat didn't address to my mind.
But...and I will need to find the words, we will need to possibly negotiate to find them together, and where one person's life long dedication to the service using one "schema" may be different than another's...the main point of approaching this whole effort and undertaking, as I see it, will be to approach a vision where we are, each of us, ON a path up the mountain to Sinai, where we arrive at the summit where we say the Shema, and with an effort we would be interested in contemplating together, we would seek to share a common experience, when we davven, that is echad...one...and where the intended themes of the liturgy are broadly available to each of us who pray together....enhanced in the modest way that they can be with a period of meditation, designed to help make authentic that which might otherwise not be.
---------
Marc, (and all), there is much wisdom in how you've laid this out...and yes, we could do either (meet this Sunday or later). We could let Ramon decide, as he introduced this discussion with me today, and encouraged me to bring it forward.
If we did not meet this Sunday, or if we met...either way...I would suggest that we experiment, in much the way that Ramon and I briefly discussed it today...with identifying a Saturday (I'd suggest either August 8 or 29...at least with respect to my schedule), identifying it in advance to the community as a small experiment ...and essentially, begin working through the siddur, starting 20 minutes before we would have otherwise begun...and then at page 15, where text is suggested for a meditation, instead... present a time for a period of silent meditation, there. Have the meditation run for 20 minutes...and then continue in the siddur from where we would have left off.
I think I should take at least a moment, and make an effort to be as transparent as I can about my point of view about the introduction of meditation to Shirat HaNefesh. I feel that, unless we wish to offer a grade "B" program of meditation for our community...one that we could do better by farming it out to the Insight Meditation Society...we should regard this as an introduction of a poker chip to our members in Chevy Chase, with the intention of encouraging them to take it to Las Vegas. Another way of saying this is that the introduction of meditation...at least for many...would be intended to be the tail that wags the dog...with the dog in this case being the liturgy itself that the meditation is embedded in.
Although much of my understanding about how meditation can relate to Jewish practice is intuitive, I do feel very confident that the major function meditation CAN AND SHOULD PLAY is to highlight and accentuate...and bring appropriate focus to the liturgy, and the davvener's relationship to the liturgy, that they can have.
Otherwise, this is not Jewish practice (meditation). At best it is a parallel practice. And although there is frankly little that I can point to with respect to this strategy being adopted by other communities, and it would be experimental, I think it's a genuine path...and I hope you'll buy in with me.
Otherwise, you might like to explore meditation, anyway...and I feel value neutral about that. I would worry frankly that this may grow confusion from members about what it is, and how it fits into Jewish practice....so I do think you need some kind of conceptual framework, which our retreat didn't address to my mind.
But...and I will need to find the words, we will need to possibly negotiate to find them together, and where one person's life long dedication to the service using one "schema" may be different than another's...the main point of approaching this whole effort and undertaking, as I see it, will be to approach a vision where we are, each of us, ON a path up the mountain to Sinai, where we arrive at the summit where we say the Shema, and with an effort we would be interested in contemplating together, we would seek to share a common experience, when we davven, that is echad...one...and where the intended themes of the liturgy are broadly available to each of us who pray together....enhanced in the modest way that they can be with a period of meditation, designed to help make authentic that which might otherwise not be.
Developing my voice...part I, today...
Why did I join Shirat HaNefesh?
Or...what are my greatest hopes for me and my family's involvement in Judaism?
And...is there a place for me to realize these hopes at Shirat HaNefesh...this new community.
I can hope.
Today, the day began in a somewhat ordinary way. Or...dial that back 24 hours. I received a message from i-Worship, alerting me to discussion about the fact that reform communities were discussing the merits of blowing or not blowing the shofar on Rosh HaShana. I shared that with our Avodah committee chairpeople and clergy.
Then, later, Ramon asked me if I might assist with introducing meditation to Shirat HaNefesh in one or two contexts.
Meditation had already been introduced at our retreat in June, as a "stand-alone" practice. I provided some objections at the time, because I thought the presentation lacked context. But, if there was a greater scheme that could be had, maybe this would be a part of that.
Personally, such that I engage in it, I do have meditation practice. There may be some benefit to having a back door through which my family might connect to meditation while going to synagogue, but this plan does not have "long term" legs.
But...I have seen that the Jewish Liturgy has its own good message, opportunity to engage, and vision.
And more....through a coincidence of factors....in my family's having volunteered to provide the kiddush in connection with Evan's birthday last weekend, and when the whole family went down to SHN for services, I suggested with new curiosity to Betty....would she be interested in using the appendix to Rosenberg during the service? After brief discussion, she was interested...and thank goodness...upon arriving....they had actually found the indexed version of the siddur I had put together, and left there. So...she was actually able to refer to the appendix, with page by page references in the siddur itself.
What did Betty say after the service was over....that that 19 page document really helped her. Who would have guessed? I suppose I hoped. But would I have betted on it....no. But, it worked. The service is comprehendable...but not without a guide. And...the guide...while only a start (Betty actually helped me with this, too, introducing the concept of "overlearning" and applying it to this)...is a start, at least.
So, today, having been asked to help with crafting a meditation session for SHN, it's suggested a meeting might take place, for an hour, and several of us are now seeing about how and whether that should happen....and as the discussion comes forward, I do determine that, if others have not heard it from me, I would like them to hear my point of view...I would like to become transparent, if I had not been, with respect to some of my desires with respect to how we could benefit from meditation, and what "best practices" benefit I think it could play in our community.
I also thought this blog space could be a place to place some of these ideas. Above these notes, I'll paste the text I did share with several in our community a few minutes ago, describing to them how I saw that we might proceed. Depending, this blog space could serve as a useful place to expand some of these ideas, but we'll see...and start here.
Or...what are my greatest hopes for me and my family's involvement in Judaism?
And...is there a place for me to realize these hopes at Shirat HaNefesh...this new community.
I can hope.
Today, the day began in a somewhat ordinary way. Or...dial that back 24 hours. I received a message from i-Worship, alerting me to discussion about the fact that reform communities were discussing the merits of blowing or not blowing the shofar on Rosh HaShana. I shared that with our Avodah committee chairpeople and clergy.
Then, later, Ramon asked me if I might assist with introducing meditation to Shirat HaNefesh in one or two contexts.
Meditation had already been introduced at our retreat in June, as a "stand-alone" practice. I provided some objections at the time, because I thought the presentation lacked context. But, if there was a greater scheme that could be had, maybe this would be a part of that.
Personally, such that I engage in it, I do have meditation practice. There may be some benefit to having a back door through which my family might connect to meditation while going to synagogue, but this plan does not have "long term" legs.
But...I have seen that the Jewish Liturgy has its own good message, opportunity to engage, and vision.
And more....through a coincidence of factors....in my family's having volunteered to provide the kiddush in connection with Evan's birthday last weekend, and when the whole family went down to SHN for services, I suggested with new curiosity to Betty....would she be interested in using the appendix to Rosenberg during the service? After brief discussion, she was interested...and thank goodness...upon arriving....they had actually found the indexed version of the siddur I had put together, and left there. So...she was actually able to refer to the appendix, with page by page references in the siddur itself.
What did Betty say after the service was over....that that 19 page document really helped her. Who would have guessed? I suppose I hoped. But would I have betted on it....no. But, it worked. The service is comprehendable...but not without a guide. And...the guide...while only a start (Betty actually helped me with this, too, introducing the concept of "overlearning" and applying it to this)...is a start, at least.
So, today, having been asked to help with crafting a meditation session for SHN, it's suggested a meeting might take place, for an hour, and several of us are now seeing about how and whether that should happen....and as the discussion comes forward, I do determine that, if others have not heard it from me, I would like them to hear my point of view...I would like to become transparent, if I had not been, with respect to some of my desires with respect to how we could benefit from meditation, and what "best practices" benefit I think it could play in our community.
I also thought this blog space could be a place to place some of these ideas. Above these notes, I'll paste the text I did share with several in our community a few minutes ago, describing to them how I saw that we might proceed. Depending, this blog space could serve as a useful place to expand some of these ideas, but we'll see...and start here.
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