September 28, 2005
SISTER SPIRIT BLACK SHEEP
Black Sheep
I am Black Sheep. I have no religion but the rest of my family is Christian. I find it very interesting to study other people’s religions. Over the past week girls in the Girls Club have been studying different religions and going to different religious places.
The one place that stuck out to me the most was the Garrison Institute in upstate New York which is a Buddhist community.
At the Institute they taught us one way of meditating.
Some of the girls in the Club have meditated before and some have not. I have, but the way I meditate is not like the way they taught us at all. The way I meditate is the way my two friends Azari and Matt taught me in First Grade. The way they taught me is to sit down on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight and to try to meditate outside where they aren’t many people. If people are there and they’re talking you will think about what they’re talking about. And as you’re sitting down, listen to nature, the wind blowing through the trees, birds chirping and stuff like that.
But the way they were telling us at the Garrison Institute was two sit on a cushion with your knees close to the ground and to count your breaths. That was very hard when the person who was teaching us kept talking. The only thing that she was saying was “and if you find yourself distracted from your meditation just restart and keep counting your breaths.” That was just the thing—the only distraction was her talking and it got really annoying.
I think I’ll stick with my own way of meditating.