We All Belong to Each Other

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
-Mother Teresa

Research into meditation and mindfulness has proven over the past two decades that we can unlearn unhelpful habits of mind, and learn healthier habits of mind.  We can unlearn our habit of sorting people into buckets:  those we identify with and are drawn to, those we are indifferent to, and those we move away from.  Instead, we can cultivate a habit born of the rememberance that we all belong to each other.  Together, with practice, we can achieve something that will be looked back on as  “The Great Remembering” - the moment in history where it became clear that collectively we remembered that we all belong to each other.  

There is a meditation practice we call Equanimity for Everyone that can support us in this work. 
We bring to mind someone we see regularly, but don’t know well - a neighbor, mail carrier, someone in town, etc.  As we bring this person to mind we reflect on why we feel neutral toward them.  Is this person not as real as our loved ones?  In time this person may become one of our dearest friends or a challenging person, if the causes and conditions come together.  We begin to recognize that only causes and conditions place anyone, temporarily, in this neutral category.  We then actively allow the wish to arise, “May you be happy and free from inner and outer harm.” 

Then we bring to mind someone for whom we have great affection.  We delight in this person.  Naturally, we have some attachment to this person and it expresses itself as the hope that this person doesn’t go away.  Certain causes and conditions came together to enable this bond, all of them in flux, and the nature of this relationship can change in many unpredictable ways.  We notice that this special attraction makes this person seem more worthy of happiness than everybody else.   We then allow the wish to arise, “May you be happy and free from inner and outer harm.” 

Finally, we bring to mind a challenging person.  It’s a thought experiment.  We notice our reaction, rejection or aversion, and let it emerge quietly.  “On this occasion, under these circumstances, these causes and conditions came together.  This person wasn’t always challenging and may very likely not continue to be.  Causes and conditions have come together and will pass in turn.”  The crucial issue is to separate not only behavior, but even the disposition and mental states, from the person.  Recognizing that a person grows and changes, we allow the wish to arise, “May you be happy and free from inner and outer harm.” 

To close the practice, we rest in the primary truth of our existence:  each person - friendly, neutral or challenging - wishes only to be happy and free of suffering, just as we ourselves do. 

We invite you to join us this week as we embark on the Great Remembering - as we work to remember that we all belong to each other.

May all beings feel seen, heard, and valued,
Your CMP Family

Please Donate Now

In these challenging times, your support is more important than ever. As a nonprofit, we can’t cancel our needs to fundraise. We need your donations to continue offering meditation sessions.CMP is a licensed charity in the state of CT as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Checks can be mailed to Community Mindfulness Project, P.O. Box 1713, New Canaan, CT 06840. Credit cards are accepted at www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org. Thank you!

Have You Tried a Guided Meditation Session On-Line?

CMP has created a library of guided meditations that are available on our website. Our guided meditations have no preamble or discussion. They begin and end with the sound of a chime. If you aren’t ready to go directly to a guided meditation, you can also start with the audio discussions on our site. They provide an explanation of a practice. We encourage you to try one today!