Some months ago I wrote about starting a Meditation Community. I still think it’s a great idea. There’s a genuine benefit to sharing our practices (whatever they may be), supporting, and motivating one another.
But what I want to share with you at Luminous Heart is so much more than meditation in the way most people think about it, as sitting meditation practice. So the plan for a Meditation Community didn’t quite describe what I want to create.
My primary focus is what I call “meditation beyond the cushion.” How do we bring mindfulness into the creative chaos of life? How do we see our world as a place of kindness, and express our own loving-kindness every day? How do we expand our capacity for love and compassion?
Lately I’ve been hearing the words Kindness Community. I don’t even know what that might be yet, but the words are making a place in my heart.
What do you think of a Kindness Community?
If you could envision the perfect Kindness Community what would it look like? What would you expect to receive? How could it help you bring more loving-kindness, compassion and happiness into your life? What kind of place would it be that you could come to with your own heart full of gifts?
I would so love to hear your thoughts on this. We are in the very early Dreaming stages, nowhere near any kind of form, so I won’t even set up an advance interest list. But I would love to hear your thoughts on the perfect Kindness Community.
What “kindness community” evokes for me is hard to put into words. I can totally imagine it, though (strangely enough, what I’d consider to be kindness communities keep popping up in the novels I write – usually they’re composed of 3 people; dunno why 3). Like, it seems like it’d be a group of people who interact in such a way that their egos don’t enter into the picture; it’s like there’re no karmic entanglements. And as a result, everyone is just kind to one another. Like, really super-supportive. Hmm. Yeah, this doesn’t even come close to summing up the feeling evoked by the term, “kindness community”; as I said, I can’t really put it into words. I’ll do some more thinking on that.
Becky ~ I see we’re very much in the same place. The words evoke something to be sure, but just how to put it into words is hard. I love the idea of a place where people are simply kind to one another. You would hope that would be easy. But since we all do have karmic entanglements :( how can we create a community, a culture if you will, that helps us act in a new way?
You keep thinking and I will, too. <3 Mahala
Twitter: LuminousHeart
I think Kindness Community is a lovely notion, community is very important in the way it can bring about support, and the Kindness part means that this support can be done with love and encouraging growth and compassion.
In this busy world, which can be a hard place to live, especially for sensitive meditators, I think Kindness Community brings about a feeling of wholeness and belonging that is important to every being.
Thanks,
K
Kate ~ I love your descriptions of both Community and Compassion.
I appreciate you bringing in the concept of sensitivity, too. So many of us on this path of love and compassion are here because we have sensitive hearts. We want to keep them open. But we also want to learn how to do that skillfully, without being hurt.
Wholeness and belonging. Ahhh.
Thanks Kate, you’ve given me many great concepts to consider.
Twitter: LuminousHeart
Here’s what the phrase “kindness community” stirs up for me: a kind of sacred space in which members could act as compassionate mirrors for each other. That is, it’s where you go when you need a noncritical, supportive, insightful perspective on who you are & what you do in the world. It’s community as objective witness, except the point isn’t objectivity (that would be impossible and not very helpful anyway) as much as a kind regard that isn’t entangled in your personal system of complicated beliefs about yourself/your work.
I should note that when I say “sacred space,” I don’t mean *sacred* as in religious/spiritual per se… more like *intentional*.
That’s my stream-of-consciousness response to your concept. Hope it helps!
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Tracy ~ Stream of consciousness is good!
Sacred / intentional space would have to be the ground wouldn’t it? And all these other extraordinary qualities — compassionate mirror, objective witness, kind regard — would rise from that and make a home there.
Do you think people already know how to embody these qualities? Are we just waiting for a community place to BE them? Or does something need to be learned first?
Twitter: LuminousHeart
I love the idea of taking buddhist principles and extending them to include community. A Kindness Community is a lovely thought.
We are so wired as human beings to needing community, not to be solitary. Meditation is so important to understand the things in ourselves that derail us from day to day. But Community is where the rubber meets the road. its what we were built for.
Of the last few years, i have been trying to come to terms with the communal aspects of Western Christian mysticism and eastern thoughts of loving kindness to all, of metta, of self love. My tradition is rooted in the West and this just makes sense. But i cannot deny that this idea of kindness as a root motivation in all my action resonates with me. it has made all the difference in my life.
I totally love this idea – a non-dogmatic way to extend self love to others. That i radical love, revolutionary, you might even say.
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MIchael ~ Maybe you already know this. In Buddhism, there is a word “sangha” that means community. It refers to lay and monastic practitioners, and recognizes the importance coming together to support and encourage one another.
As connected as we are these days, we’re also very much scattered in a sense. Many of us are closer to friends who have moved away and friends we have online than people in our immediate vicinity. (It’s easier to find brother-sister mystics online.)
I’m mesmerized by the thought of a genuinely communal spiritual life. And, while a Kindness Community could in no way replicate that experience, maybe it would be a source for us as we did our work in the world.
A life of kindness, a life lived for the benefit of all beings (or as well as we can strive to achieve that) Is radical. Is revolutionary. Isn’t it?
How much easier, how much more beautiful if we weren’t trying to do it alone?
Twitter: LuminousHeart
A kindness community! My immediate vision is of the long, sunny corridors of a Shaker communal house–clean and spacious and filled with light, with people moving quietly and with intention through the work they share.
I know that’s not very concrete, but I’m imagining an etheric retreat–an imaginary but real place where trust and compassion and attention can be practiced with others.
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Twitter: melyndahuskey
Melynda ~ I love this and it’s very concrete! You’ve just given walls, light streaming windows, and floors to this musing. An imaginary but real place needs some real in it. Then the people have a place to come with their intention and attention. I think some of them are bringing food and pie, too.
Twitter: LuminousHeart
Sign me up for pie duty! And for spinning, and weaving, and broom making . . . the more I play with this metaphor, the more I like it. If there can be World of Warcraft, then surely there can be Dwelling of Kindness!
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Twitter: melyndahuskey
Compassion, noncritical support and encouragement
Stephanie ~ You are a woman of few – and perfect – words. Thank you!
Twitter: LuminousHeart
mahala – WOW! …i just got back from a very intensive meditation retreat myself (Mahamudra) and when i received your email to this post…well…”Kindness Community” sits perfectly on/in my heart. no matter w/or w/o faith every being relates to kindness. a community of kindness…wouldn’t it be wonderful to build!
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Hazel ~ Rejoicing in your Mahamudra retreat! So wonderful you were able to make / take that opportunity for yourself.
Every being relates to kindness. Yes!
It would be wonderful to build, wouldn’t it? Please keep sharing your thoughts and insights. A community of kindness needs many virtual carpenters.
<3 Mahala
Twitter: LuminousHeart
Dear Mahala.
I did not hear of you a that why i went in you website to see what new you to share with us.
I am Well
I hope all the best for you.
With love from Virginia.
Have a nice days.