When Time Stood Still

I met Sanjay and Mita at a London Awakin Circle last year. Many years ago, Atul met an elder Indian Uncle who told him about ServiceSpace. When the three of them heard that I was going to be in London, they brainstormed an event. It was formatted as a Q&A, and hosted at a local art center. I walked in without knowing much, and my eyes fell on the gorgeous stage with two meditation cushions, rose petals and a Buddha statue in the middle. While it was certainly beautiful, the feeling that came over me was, "Wow, this is a labor of someone's selfless love."

Then, I looked at the sea of about 400 people. A young doctor named Anuja was moderating our dialogue, with her characteristically sweet smile. She had kindly offered to share the questions ahead of time, but I told her it'd be more fun (for me and the audience :)) if it was all a surprise. After Anuja, there was Q&A from the crowd. Lots of fun questions, including a kid asking, "How many years have you been meditating?" :)

Two hours went by, and everyone was deeply silent. A collective field had certainly emerged in that space, and it did its work -- on me and others. Many people were in tears, and at one point, I started saying, "Just on the car ride here, I was telling Trishna that someday I want to …" And I started tearing up. To avoid being melodramatic, :) I paused for about 15 seconds, took a gulp and completed the sentence, "Someday perhaps I will take my parents on a pilgrimage."

I hugged dozens and dozens of people that evening, and ripples were far too many to count. Here's a note from one of the hosts …
 

Time stood still
My heart filled with devotion
Embracing the form and formless
And something beyond?
Tears of gratitude flowing
Thank you Thank you Thank you

What can I say when there are no words to describe my feelings -- not feelings and thoughts that just come and go, but feelings that have impacted something deeper ...

What a joy it is to be part of you all. Thank you for the opportunity to allow us to be part of yesterday and thank you all for being an empty vessel allowing grace to flow and to guide our journey to no destination, to right here and now, to zero.

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