ORDINARY LIFE - Thoughts and Ideas to Help You Live a Happier Life
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Summary for July 19, 2020
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Dear Folks -
The title we gave to Ordinary Life this week was -
Playing Ball on Running Water
The title comes from a book on Morita therapy. Shoma Morita was a Japanese psychiatrist. He was a contemporary of Freud’s and strongly influenced a young Buddhist monk we know as Thich Nhat Hanh. His approach to life and living is called “constructive living” and can be summarized in three brief statements: accept all of your feelings, know your purpose and do what needs to be done. This title - Playing Ball on Running Water - is an apt metaphor for this pandemic time. Right Livelihood, the step in the Eightfold Path this talk is about, asks us to bring enlarged living and lives into the world. Our spiritual work leads us to ask about all that comes to us - “May this, too, serve awaking.” We are to engage in “world repair."
That is a very brief summary of our time in Ordinary Life this week.
You can find the text we had in front of us, the presentation slides and the audio version of the talk using the links below. The printed text contains much more content that we were able to offer in the live presentation.
Also, be aware that we have instituted a weekly podcast. It is called “In Between.” You can access this through the Ordinary Life website.
If you are reading this, I want you to know how grateful I am for and to you.
Be well and much love,
Bill Kerley
In order to read or download the text from which we spoke, click here.
In order to view or download the presentation slides, click here.
In order to listen to or download the audio version of the talk, use the link below.