Meditation on acceptance and compassion.
We get comfortable in a posture where our spine is nice and straight.
Open up your chest,
Pull your shoulders back and down.
Tuck in your chin slightly and relax your eyes.
Bring the mind inwards,
Leaving all the rest behind.
And become fully present in this moment with all its sounds.
And all its smells.
And any shades of light that could be coming through your eyes,
Where they are relaxed,
Semi-opened.
Maybe you have some tastes in your mouth.
And all the tactile sensations throughout your whole body.
The series of the body touching the cushion,
The chair or the floor.
There are some tactile sensations at your hands,
Arms,
Torso,
Horn in your head.
This is you in this environment and you connect.
So next bring to mind with healthy self-confidence a quality that you possess.
Don't be shy about it.
Just choose one.
There might be a lot of resistance already but just identify it as if another person would be identifying it for you.
It's there.
So don't be shy about it.
I'm not too proud about it either.
It's a healthy,
Balanced confidence that has courage and humility combined at the same time.
So identify it and visualize it as if it would be part of your body.
It's right there,
Somewhere.
Create space for it.
Accept it within and create space for it.
And then think,
Yeah,
This is another aspect of myself.
An aspect that I can enhance,
Make it flourish,
Thrive with it and share it with others.
And then next,
Just think of an aspect of yourself that is not that pleasurable,
Not that wholesome,
That you struggle with.
And again,
Clearly name it if you can in one word.
With healthy honesty,
Not being too critical and not denying it either.
Yep,
I got that.
And again,
Put it somewhere within your body,
Same size as your quality,
Same level.
See if you can accept it as part of your experience,
As part of who you are.
It's not you.
It doesn't completely define you.
It's just another aspect of your personality,
Of your being,
Of your blueprint.
And so allow it to be there and create space.
Yep,
It's there.
They're both there with many other things.
And so then,
With the one that makes you suffer,
Now place it somewhere in your body and place your palms at your heart,
Both palms at your heart.
And visualize that from your palms you're sending compassion in the nature of white,
Healing light.
And you're sending compassion to this wound that you have.
And you can think,
May I be free of this suffering and its causes.
May I be able to do the inner work and healing that I need to do to liberate myself from this pain and sorrow.
And so while we recite the mantra of the Buddha of Compassion,
His name is Chenrezig,
A Tibetan.
Have a look at the Sivara in Sanskrit.
Try to build up a sphere of white light in your heart.
So from your hands you send light in the nature of self-compassion,
Healing that pain.
And while you do that,
You build up that self-compassion within yourself at the center of your chest in the form of a sphere of white light.
Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum So build up that sphere of luminous,
Compassionate white light at your heart.
You can let go of your hands.
If you want you can visualize now that that sphere of light transforms into the Buddha of Compassion.
A beautiful white body,
A thousand arms radiating the purest compassion to all beings.
All beings that just like you want to be free of the problems of their confusion,
Sadness,
Depression,
Loneliness,
Anxiety.
These beings that probably they have been kind to you in direct or indirect ways.
They are suffering too.
You are not alone in your pain.
So the amazing thing about our vulnerability is that it connects us to others in very deep ways.
From your vulnerability you connect to the vulnerability of others and you send them your compassion in a form of white,
Luminous,
Blissful,
Healing light from your heart to theirs.
Or from Chenrezig hearts to theirs.
So when we recite the mantra once again you can send these compassionate light to all beings,
Particularly to those in your social networks that need compassion the most.
Maybe those that have closed their hearts to you or to your loved ones.
So use courage to make your compassion expansive and embrace all beings,
Even animals,
Tiny insects,
Everyone.
Make your heart fast.
Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum And so then,
Think that all beings have received with great appreciation and gratitude your compassion and from their hearts they send their compassion back to you.
So gradually and gently you bring back all that white light into your heart and you are open to receive.
Om Mani Padme Hum Gather all that light back and try to stabilize your white sphere at your heart for a little bit of compassion,
Genresic.
And it's always there,
Right there,
Accompanying you and guiding you,
Supporting you,
Encouraging you.
So Lama Sopa Rinpoche,
He says all the Buddhas are there with you all the time,
You are never alone.
But it's up to us to open our hearts and minds to them.
Like that.
Anytime you feel a little bit lonely or down you can reach out to the Buddhas,
Bring them in and allow them to be right there at your heart with you.
Actually,
You know,
Really good friends.
So,
Let's just close this meditation thinking,
Whatever I do today,
Until I die,
Until I achieve enlightenment,
May come from that space,
That heart space of God.
Compassion for myself and others,
Compassion that is mixed with wisdom.
So whatever I do with my body,
Speech and mind,
May come from there.
May come from compassion and bodhichitta.
So like that.
If you want to make a commitment to reach in and connect with your heart,
With your luminous heart,
Once a day you can do that now.
You can set up a time or a moment in your day and you can make that commitment to yourself and to others.
Try to be mindful,
Even just once a day,
Just one,
Two,
Three minutes,
Whatever it is,
I can connect with myself and connect with others in this way.
Come back to my heart,
Come back to my light.
Okay,
So we can take a few deep breaths.
Let's take a last deep breath and gently,
Fully open your eyes and come back.
