a place of peace

The meditation group I sometimes sit with on Fridays is moving this weekend, and tonight was the last Friday sit at the Sellwood Methodist Church. Being shy and deathly afraid of public speaking, I don't usually say anything when they have the 'check-in' portion of the evening, but I figured I'd say something since it was kind of a special night. So when my turn came, I mentioned that, listening to everyone speak, the theme of the night seemed to revolved around reference points in our lives, gratitude for the space and the community, and the blessings of having a place to practice with others in, and it reminded me of the Mangala Sutta (Highest Blessings), especially the verse, "Living in places of suitable kinds, with the fruits of past good deeds, and guided by the rightful way: these are the highest blessings." I added that 'places of suitable kinds' wasn't just limited to our external surroundings, like the building the Portland Friends of the Dhamma have met in for over eight years, but also includes our internal spaces, our minds, where the practice really takes place and what helps make us and the places around us a refuge for others—like an island in the midst of life's turbulent waters. And I was pleasantly surprised when they chose the Mangala Sutta to be the last thing the Friday night group chanted at their old location. I thought it was a fitting way to close out the night.