Day 166, Morning
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
“When the senses contact sense objects, a person experiences cold or heat or pain. These experiences are fleeting; they come and go. Bear them patiently.”
—The Bhagavad Gita (The Song Of The Lord)
Commentary
The passage doesn’t say not to go after pleasure; it says that when you go after pleasure you are also going after pain.
It is not possible for most of us to accept this. We are always cherishing the distant hope that while no other human being has ever succeeded in isolating pleasure, we are going to perform this miraculous operation and then live in a state of pleasure always. To enter a state of abiding joy we must sometimes say no to pleasure while accepting pain with a smile.
Just as we should not pursue pleasure, we should not pursue pain, either. Pleasure and pain form a single duality of experience. We must learn to remain calm in both, not clinging to either. (WLB)
Stillness
As your day begins, spend a few moments in silence and stillness. As you do, be aware of pleasure that you might be compulsively pursuing, or pain that you might be compulsively avoiding.
Prayer
Almighty God, fashion me into a person who embraces all things that come with peace and calm. And help me to humbly share this way of thinking, living, and being with others. Amen. (CIB)
Abbreviations
BC The Belgic Confession
CAC The Center For Action & Contemplation
CD The Canons of Dort
CIB Church In Bethesda Prayers
HC The Heidelberg Catechism
NT The New Testament
OT The Old Testament
RP - Ryan Phipps
WC The Westminster Confession
WLB Words To Live By
WLC The Westminster Larger Catechism
WSC The Westminster Shorter Catechism