Dear Common Ground Friends,
This Friday, January 23rd, Common Ground will host a day of activities and programs in solidarity with a statewide Day of *Fasting and Prayer for Truth and Freedom. We will have time for silence, reflection and connection. You are welcome to join us for any part of the day, whatever is a good fit for you. See schedule below.
What is a day of fasting and prayer you might ask? In April 1919, Mahatma Gandhi the devoted non violent peace activist, was the first to call for a national day of prayer and fasting in his home country of India. Gandhi himself, whose mother was deeply spiritual and often fasted, used fasting and other nonviolent strategies as forms of protest. Gandhi often called on others to join him in fasting and disrupting business as usual as a way of highlighting a better way towards collective well being. I and so many others have deeply appreciated Ghandi’s discipline and steadfast commitment to non violence which has indeed influenced people across the globe for more than 100 years. As an illustration of Ghandi’s discipline and integrity, he called off the inaugural day in April 1919 of prayer and fasting a few days into it because what began as peaceful protest turned to violence, demonstrating to Gandhi that people needed more training and moral discipline.
Perhaps there is wisdom for us here that we can relate to as students of the Buddha’s path. We can pause and ask ourselves, what does it take to have a disciplined mind and body in which we call forward love and wisdom to guide us in our every action and every word. What commitments can I make for my own and our collective well being? How does my life express the integrity of discipline that is unmotivated by greed, hatred and delusion?
Common Ground will be participating alongside a multi-faith network of churches and spiritual organizations to pause together in a statewide Day of Prayer and Fasting for Truth and Freedom. You can register here to participate at Common Ground. We will have a variety of activities that you can drop into. You do not have to commit to the whole day. There is no requirement to fast. Fasting is not the right medicine for everyone. On this day, we will be asked to discern what activities feel like the right spiritual medicine for each of us. Some may choose to make the day a meditation retreat day. Others of us will choose to meditate alongside other activities such as doing some mutual aid work, educating ourselves about non-violent peace movements or local organizations leading the way to take care of immigrants at this time. Some of you may choose to participate in the 2pm rally downtown Minneapolis. This day is an invitation to pause and align our values of simplicity, love and well being with our actions in any way we choose. Wishing you well in every way.
Peace,
Shelly Graf
Co-Guiding Teacher