There were 20 of them, average age 87, some well into their nineties, who joined us at Mandeville Place, Central London for meditation and philosophy.
Old age is like an invading army which comes and lays waste all the treasures of the city if it can. Bodies bend and bones weaken, sight goes, hearing lessens, feet seem a long way off when it comes to putting on socks and shoes, velcro becomes your friend. But these are remarkable people and what they say about old age, meditation and philosophy is inspiring to this Granny who still thinks she is young by dint of being younger than them.
Most moving, Hedi who has practiced meditation for maybe 50 years and studied all that time as well, had spent some days in hospital since we last saw her. She said how in hospital, so much time is just spent waiting, just waiting for things to happen and that when she had sight she used to be able to read to wile away the time and now she is no longer able to. So she searched in her memory which she describes as slower now for an old prayer, finding a word here and a word there and repeating it until the whole prayer was there and together, just repeating. It is a prayer which pleads that the mind of the aspirant will join with the mind of God, it asks that that far shining light of lights, which rises afar, will become mind for me. It must have done because she experienced a peace beyond the confines of the body and for this Granny listening,it was a confirmation that faith and years of practice will help to protect the real person when the tide of time tries to undermine.
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