This is from John Milton.
Gratitude bestows reverence,
Allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies,
Those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life in the world.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,
In ordinary life,
We hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give,
And that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
Seneca the Younger said,
It is another's fault if he be ungrateful,
But it is mine if I do not give.
To find one thankful man,
I will oblige a great many that are not so.
And the last is Aesop.
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
Just a couple things to contemplate as we go into this meditation.
So,
I think you all know how we practice.
We're settling into the posture.
Just trying to notice what it feels like.
Sense of the body,
Upright.
The breath natural.
Just allowing whatever is happening right now just to be.
Just take a minute or so to scan down the body,
Starting at the scalp and working to the soles.
Just noticing whatever parts of the body that need a little attention.
Maybe you notice some stress or tightness.
Maybe you need to adjust this way or that.
Just take a little time to explore.
And if the mind gets pulled away into fantasy or a thought spiral,
Just gently,
Without judgment and with kindness towards our own mind,
Just put those thoughts down.
You can always return to them later.
So,
Tonight we'll practice with Kanuta,
The quality of being grateful.
It's the Pali word that we're not just grateful or thankful,
But we know that sense,
We know what gratitude feels like.
We're mindful of that state.
So,
We'll begin by bringing something to mind,
An object,
A place,
A thing that you're grateful for.
Just what comes to mind,
Don't work too hard trying to think of it.
And as we contemplate this object,
Our relationship to it,
Try to notice what thoughts arise.
As you contemplate it,
If there's a sense in the body,
And if any particular emotions arise,
We're trying to get to know in the mind,
In the heart,
And in the body,
What is gratitude?
How does it land?
Now you can let go of this object,
Or turn your awareness to the breath.
Sit with the breath for a few moments,
Kind of cleansing the palate of the mind until we move on to the next object of our contemplation.
Next,
Consider someone that you're thankful for.
Whoever comes to mind first.
Please don't judge yourself because you think someone else should be showing up.
That's not what this is about.
Just be honest with yourself.
This is the person that comes to mind when I think about gratitude for another human being.
This is just a practice,
Not of judgment,
But just of truthfulness,
Honesty,
And reality.
And like our first contemplation,
As you sit with this individual,
And the idea and the feeling of gratitude and thanks,
What arises in the body,
In the heart,
Are there any particular qualities of this relationship that give you the sensation of thankfulness?
Now you can put down this individual,
This contemplation,
Return to the breath for just a little bit before we move on to our next focus.
Our third area,
If we take a look at our experience of gratitude,
Is for an experience.
And again,
Whatever shows up first.
No judgment.
See where it lands in the head,
In the heart,
In the body.
We're simply trying to gain clarity about what thankfulness feels like.
As the Pali word says,
We're trying to know it.
You can,
Again,
Put down this third object of our investigation.
Return to the breath.
Inhales and exhales.
Cleansing the mind a little bit.
Between our focus.
Our last object of contemplation is the Dhamma or Dharma itself.
No matter how new or old you are to practice.
It's bringing to mind whatever these teachings mean to you.
The Buddha.
The teachings,
The Dharma,
The community,
The Sangha.
Your relationship with what we call practice.
As you bring this to mind in relation to gratitude.
Again,
The three areas to look towards.
The heart,
The head,
Our mind.
And the body.
And now just gently place this object.
Place it down.
Return to the breath and body or just allow some open awareness.
Just releasing whatever energy has been brought up during this practice.
