Images of the November YA Retreat

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This past weekend YAs gathered at the BMCM retreat house in Tomales, California, for a weekend focused on meditation and integrating Easwaran's eight points into our daily lives. It was a wonderful gathering of long-time and brand new meditators!

It may be November, but the weather was beautiful for the mantram beach walk at nearby Dillon Beach.

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In lieu of the traditional volleyball game, we played a great game of basketball – it's amazing how talented we were when we ignored all the rules!

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As always, the retreat ended with a tour of the BMCM Headquarters and Ramagiri Ashram, the spiritual community practicing Easwaran's method of meditation. 

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Even though the retreat is only a weekend, we can't believe the lift our practice has gotten and our week is off to a great start!

A Passage for November

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This month we want to share another favorite passage, "Radiant is the World Soul" by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. What we love about this passage is its imagery. It's a brief passage, but each line presents a different lofty vision. 

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook is considered the foremost of modern Jewish mystics. He was once asked how to respond to hatred and gave the penetrating reply that to counteract sin hinam, gratuitous hatred, one must practice ahavat hinam, gratuitous love.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this passage. Share with us in the comments below!

  • Is there a line in the passage that particularly speaks to you?
  • What qualities do you think you might get by meditating on this passage?

Radiant is the World Soul – Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook

Radiant is the world soul, full of splendor and beauty, full of life, of souls hidden, of treasures of the holy spirit, of fountains of strength, of greatness and beauty. Proudly I ascend toward the heights of the world soul that gives life to the universe. How majestic the vision – come, enjoy, come, find peace, embrace delight, taste and see that God is good. Why spend your substance on what does not nourish and your labor on what cannot satisfy? Listen to me, and you will enjoy what is good, and find delight in what is truly precious.

Timeless Wisdom Blog

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It's always helpful to have a go-to resource for small doses of inspiration. Here at the YA Blog, we offer free excerpts from Eknath Easwaran about once a month (check out this month's mp3 talk if you haven't already), but we figure one can never have too much inspiration, so this week we want to mention another free resource: the Timeless Wisdom Blog.

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Photo from a recent YA Hike in the San Francisco Bay Area

The goal of the Timeless Wisdom blog is to "showcase the timeless wisdom of Eknath Easwaran." And what a showcase it is! The site regularly posts short readings and quotes from Eknath Easwaran as well as audio and video clips – it's a veritable treasure trove.

Where to begin? Well, the YA Blog Team particularly recommends the Easwaran Weekly Reading category, which provides great excerpts for spiritual reading. There's also a whole series of audio talks of Easwaran commenting on the writings of Thomas a Kempis. The readings and audio talks are especially helpful resources when traveling because they're free and easy to access.

Do you read the Timeless Wisdom Blog? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below:

  • How, when, or where do you read the Timeless Wisdom Blog – how does it fit in your routine?
  • Do you have a favorite reading or audio talk from the blog to share?