Good morning everyone.
So this morning we'll set a motivation for our time together.
And then I'll lead a meditation.
The first part of the meditation is just to settle our body,
Speech,
And mind in the space that we're in.
We'll do some breathing meditation.
And then I'll lead us through an analytic meditation.
So let's just sit for a couple of minutes to settle ourselves and then we'll proceed.
So so And then just to focus on the motivation for a moment and think about what attracted you to come here today to listen to these teachings.
Broadly defined compassion is a sense of genuine concern that arises when we encounter another's suffering and also includes a feeling motivated to see that suffering relieved in some way.
So in short we can say it's a wish for all beings to be free of suffering and its causes,
All the different levels of suffering.
And undoubtedly most of us would agree that compassion is important in our own lives as well as very important as a societal value.
Because when confronted with pain and suffering we instinctively feel for the suffering person.
When we ourselves are suffering we're also grateful when others extend themselves to us,
Reach out to us.
But despite our understanding about the relevance of compassion,
Do we actually give compassion a central role in our lives and how we navigate the world?
You know we could ask why is compassion lacking in our polarized political sphere or lacking in geopolitical considerations and environmental concerns?
The Dalai Lama reminds us constantly if we want peace in the world we must be peaceful ourselves.
And the same is true if we want to see compassion enacted in the world.
Each one of us must embody compassion.
We all have seeds of compassion in our mind and if we nurture them and pay attention to their development our inclination to act beneficially towards others and refrain from even the smallest harms will grow day by day.
Most of us need ongoing encouragement to make compassion a central reality of our own lives and our shared world to make it a priority.
And that's why this book An Open Hearted Life is such an important resource for us.
Something that can be a daily inspiration if we take it to heart.
So today let's continue our cultivation of our good heart,
Our heart of compassion so that we can be of greater and greater benefit to all beings.
So let's begin by settling our body into a comfortable meditation posture.
If you can sit cross-legged that's recommended but otherwise however is comfortable for you is certainly okay.
It's important to have a straight back to support the flow of energy in the body.
And so especially if you're sitting on a chair or those at home if you're sitting on a comfy couch then just sit forward a little bit so that you're supporting your back with your own muscles.
It helps to keep our mind a little bit more alert.
And then take a moment to relax your shoulders.
You might even just consciously pull them down a little bit.
Just invite some relaxation into the body.
Your hands can be resting naturally in your lap,
On your thighs.
The right hand resting on the left with the thumbs touching.
Again another conducive posture for meditation.
And then tilt your head slightly forward so that your gaze naturally falls into the space in front and your eyes can be closed or slightly open.
If they're just open a bit that allows some light in and helps to prevent drowsiness.
And even thinking about a smile helps to soften and relax the muscles in our face,
Around our eyes,
Around the jaw,
The mouth.
And I invite you just to take a nice deep breath into the body all the way down filling the belly as well as the chest and slowly exhaling.
And as you do that see if you can invite a deeper sense of ease,
Relaxation,
Peacefulness into the body.
Let go of any tension you might find still lingering in the body.
When we take a deep breath like this it signals our parasympathetic nervous system that we're switching gears,
We're relaxing.
So again just take another deep breath into the body.
Once again exhaling and just scanning through the body to make sure that the body is at ease,
Relaxed,
Free of tension.
Really feel yourself settling into the cushion or the chair that you're sitting on.
And next we'll settle our mind into its natural state of relaxation by gently bringing our attention to the breath.
So just see if you can set aside any distractions that may have popped up this morning,
Any rushing or thoughts that might get in the way of your breath.
Our mind has this habit of thinking about the past,
Thinking about the future,
But when we bring our attention to the breath,
The breath only happens in the present moment.
So we tie our attention to the breath noticing each inhalation,
Each exhalation,
Even noticing the pause between the exhalation and the next breath.
Just bringing our full awareness,
Our full curiosity to the sensations that are awakened with our breathing.
You can focus on the rise and fall of the breath,
The breath,
The breath,
The breath.
You can focus on the rise and fall of the belly,
The abdomen or the diaphragm with each breath,
In-breath,
Out-breath.
Or if you are familiar with another object,
Maybe the nostrils,
The space above the upper lip,
It's certainly fine to focus on that area as well.
So we'll really settle ourselves in the present using the breath as the anchor to settle our mind.
And I'll just mention,
Of course,
Thoughts will continue to rise in mind,
That's their habit.
But when you notice that the mind has become distracted,
Thinking about the past,
Thinking about the future,
Following other thoughts,
Just very gently bring your attention back to noticing the in-breath,
The out-breath without any judgment,
Without any disappointment,
Without any commentary.
Just simply bring your attention back again and again.
We may have to do this many,
Many times and that's perfectly okay.
Just continue to bring your awareness back to the breath,
Intending to extend the continuity of our awareness with the breath.
So you.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
