Meditative Self-Inquiry with Oda Lindner, April 30, 2026
We met at the Gorge Park Pavilion and began in a simple and unstructured way: arriving, exchanging a few words, and then settling into a shared space of attention. Through gentle movement and awareness of the body, the group eased into a deeper inquiry with a central question: how does this exploration relate to our daily lives? Rather than treating meditation as something separate or reserved for quiet moments alone, the dialogue opened the possibility that meditation may be done with eyes open. “We live in this world with open eyes, why meditate with closed eyes?”
From there, the conversation moved into the nature of awareness itself. “When I know that I am aware, I become calmer.”
As the dialogue unfolded, the question of the language, communication and understanding the words differently was brought up. What does it mean to “think together”? Is it possible to listen with such intensity that there is a shared movement of attention, rather than individual interpretations shaped by the past?
The group explored how language both connects and limits us, and whether confusion, so often something we try to resolve quickly, can instead be held and observed without rushing to conclusions. In doing so, confusion itself became part of the inquiry, something alive and revealing rather than a problem to fix.
The conversation also touched on emotions like anger, fear, empathy, and compassion. Rather than judging or suppressing these states, what happens when a feeling is fully experienced without resistance or identification?
Some observed that when there is complete attention, the usual sense of “I am angry” gives way to simply “anger is present,” and in that directness, something shifts. This opened a broader reflection on relationship, whether seeing that we all share similar patterns of struggle and division can naturally bring about compassion.
By the end, the dialogue returned to the question of being together: what is the role of a group in this kind of exploration? Many felt that the shared space revealed aspects of themselves that might remain unseen alone, acting as a mirror through relationship. Yet the inquiry remained open: whether such dialogue can truly move beyond words into a direct perception of life as it is. We left not with answers, but with a sense that this attention, this questioning, is itself the essence of meditation in daily living.
- Anastasia Shtamina
