My name is Larissa.
We're going to practice together for about 15 minutes.
Let's take these first couple of moments to settle in.
Any adjustments you might need in your body.
Very often we find our familiar posture,
But just the smallest little detail,
A little neck roll,
A big deep breath,
Maybe even sighing it out.
Just letting your body soften.
In the best way,
So that you can stay for a while.
And we have that softening quality that happens every single time we exhale.
And just notice here,
Whether you're closing your eyes or just setting your gaze downward,
Letting your eyes rest.
And in that rest,
We can start to notice the subtlest things,
Like what does it feel like to breathe deeply?
What does the very top of your inhale feel like?
Slow exhale.
What does it feel like to let each rib soften,
To really notice the softening?
And that process,
Just noticing a breath.
That right there teaches us about the Eightfold Noble Path.
Every single step is important rather than trying to get somewhere on the path.
Our breath really teaches us everything we need to know.
That process just watching the full experience of breathing not needing to get to the next breath.
We just trust the next breath is happening.
It doesn't mean our mind might not wander off.
But the breath is always here reminding us it's just the next step.
It's just the next breath.
And we're not anticipating the next breath.
Because when we're anticipating the next breath we miss.
What's happening in the present moment.
Just noticing.
Allowing yourself to feel the tiny shift of clothing as you breathe in and out.
From deep breaths into your natural rhythm of breathing,
It becomes a little less obvious.
Can you notice the subtleties of your breath?
How do you feel it move you?
Almost invariably the mind moves.
And your mind is just doing what minds do.
You never have to make that wrong.
You never have to force your mind to stop,
It's just noticing.
Oh yeah,
That grows my mind.
You invite it back to the stability of your body.
And even though your body is constantly changing.
At the cellular level,
The level of breathing.
There's a stability in your body.
That your mind needs.
And your mind.
Has this ability to move so quickly that your body needs.
There's no right or wrong in any of it.
It's bringing all of the parts of you together.
Right in the center of it all is the eye of your heart.
This open eye that sees things through loving awareness.
Rather than just the judgments of the mind.
That loving awareness always exists.
Sometimes it gets a little covered up.
We accidentally put on the lens of,
I'm not doing enough,
Or other people are not doing enough,
Or too much.
And when we can pause and witness those little judgments of mind that sometimes become big judgments that skew our vision.
And that's when we can start to choose.
Oh,
You know what?
Let me take off these skewed glasses.
Let my eyes rest for a while.
And allow my breath.
To be my sole focal point.
Allow the eye of my heart to open so I can witness myself with more and more gentleness.
It's just breath by breath,
Moment by moment.
Just as our breath teaches us about the wisdom of action and rest.
Effort and ease on the inhale and exhale.
And just like our breath reminds us.
And we're witnessing the whole process,
The whole journey.
We're not just trying to get to the next breath.
Third breath also reminds us that every moment is important.
And at the same time,
It's not so important that we have to put every ounce of our attention on it to try to choose,
Quote unquote,
The right steps.
Every breath.
Is beneficial,
Just like every step is beneficial.
Even when we misstep,
We fall.
We wander off into a path of darkness.
There's learning to be done there.
Very often we meet the eye of our heart in our darkest place.
Part of this process on the Eightfold Noble Path is not to fear any misstep,
Because that's future thinking.
We're trying to pull from the past.
It's just moment-by-moment present awareness.
Slowing down enough that we can allow the eye of our heart to open instead of rushing forward blindly.
The eightfold noble path.
It's very similar to listening to a song.
We might want to hear one of our favorite songs,
And we might have favorite parts.
Sometimes we might even fast forward to our favorite part.
But usually when we listen to a song.
We listen to the whole of it.
There's something about the entire process.
It brings us joy.
That helps us remember when our mind gets busy and it wants to rush,
That it's the whole process that's important.
Every note counts.
Every step.
Every breath.
And in music,
The space between notes is just as important as the notes themselves.
If we just skip to the end and listen to the last note,
We miss the joy of the song.
If we played all the notes at once,
It would just be chaos.
So it's breath by breath,
Step by step,
Note by note.
And we begin the Eightfold Noble Path with the first step of Wise Perspective.
Can I see wisely or am I closing my eyes and blindly rushing forward?
Am I pausing?
Am I letting myself reorient to new lenses when I grow and change?
And wise perspective is the precursor to step two,
Which is wise thinking or wise intention.
Being able to slow down,
Open the eye of your heart.
Let your mind,
Body,
And heart blend together.
So that when you do take action,
There's wisdom in it,
Rather than trying to do it correctly.
And what's correct for you might be completely different for someone else.
So we let go of correct,
We let go of right and wrong,
And just follow the wisdom of the path.
Each step begins with the word sama.
Which means wisdom.
Or wives.
Are benevolent and beneficial.
Every step is beneficial,
Just like every breath is beneficial.
Watch the wisdom of your body.
As your body breathes for you.
There's a really beautiful line from the Dao.
The Dao is from the Chinese tradition attributed to Lao Tzu.
And it says,
Who can be still until their mud settles and the water clears?
Can you remain tranquil?
Until generous action shows itself.
And this written in a completely different time frame than the Eightfold Noble Path was written,
And yet it says the same thing.
Eightfold Noble Path,
We have wise perception leads to wise thinking.
Leads to wise speech,
Leads to wise action.
The first four steps.
And here it says it in a poetic way.
Who can be still until their mud settles and the water clears?
Can you remain tranquil until generous action shows itself?
Moment you might place a hand over your heart,
Palms together like gratitude,
Any of your closing habits or practices.
Just taking a moment.
Thank yourself,
Your whole self.
For slowing down enough and seeking these moments of tranquility,
It doesn't mean you'll feel calm always in your meditation.
We're not trying to make calm happen either.
I'm just witnessing what is happening.
Eventually,
The mud settles.
We see a little more clearly.
Just thank yourself,
Thank your body.
Thank your heart.
Thank your mind.
And I'll end with a few loving-kindness phrases.
Just repeating them back as they make sense for you.
May I remember the innate goodness of my breath.
May I notice each step I take today.
When action is needed,
May I choose to move with ease and peace.
May the merits of our practice ripple out to benefit all beings.
May all beings be free.
And then go slow.
A little movement is sometimes a nice way to thank your body.
As always thank you for being here,
Thanks for supporting each other in our sangha,
Our community.
And this work we get to do together.
