Today’s morning meditation is available below in audio and script formats. The audio version is also available for free download on the player.

Reading

Act without doing and work without effort. Think of the small as large and the few as many. Confront the difficult while it is still easy; accomplish the great task by a series of small acts.

The Master never reaches for the great; thus she achieves greatness. When she runs into a difficulty, she stops and gives herself to it. She doesn't cling to her own comfort; thus problems are no problem for her. (TAO)

Stillness

As your day begins, spend a few moments in stillness.

Commentary

Something that is at peace, is, by its very nature at rest.

Think of the ocean. The ocean is at peace when there is no activity. Calm seas are the result of the absence of something, not the presence of something. In fact, if one were to build a machine to try to manufacture calm seas, it would only result in more waves.

I think it’s the same with finding inner peace. It doesn’t come by doing, but by being. It doesn’t come from work. It comes from rest.

What does that look like in meditation?

It looks like sitting down with no motives, not even to achieve peace. It looks like sitting and letting whatever is, rise and pass in our minds. We neither try to enhance it nor dampen it. We just sit for the sake of sitting, and breathe for the sake of breathing.

When we learn to do that as a genuine, regular practice, then our life begins to function in rhythms that bring about the things that we really want, without having to chase them, compulsively. (RP)

Podcast Feeds

Abbreviations

(BC) The Belgic Confession

(CAC) The Center For Action & Contemplation

(CD) The Canons of Dort

(CIB) Church In Bethesda Prayers

(DZ) Donna Z.

(HC) The Heidelberg Catechism

(MAO) Michael A. O’Sullivan

(NT) The New Testament

(OT) The Old Testament

(RP) Ryan Phipps

(TAO) The Tao Te Ching

(WC) The Westminster Confession

(WLB) Words To Live By

(WLC) The Westminster Larger Catechism

(WSC) The Westminster Shorter Catechism

ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A