The first noble truth of Buddhism is the reality that there is suffering in life,
Dukkha.
Because of our biology and cultural conditioning,
The knee-jerk reaction is to separate ourselves from this suffering.
We want to be as far away from the pain as possible.
Because of this relationship with dukkha,
We not only feel the pain of the inevitable parts of life,
Like aging,
Sickness,
Death,
Discontentment,
And discomfort,
But we add a second layer of suck to it by reinforcing the narrative that it should not be like this.
We should not be in pain.
We feel as if somehow,
Somewhere,
Someone else is experiencing no pain and no suffering.
But because of this first noble truth,
We know that's a fallacy.
What the teachings show us is that turning towards our pain with compassion liberates us from additional suffering.
We can learn to be with our pain just as it is.
We don't need to stop it from happening,
We can just be with it.
Gaining insight into the natural way,
It arises and passes.
For this meditation,
We'll root ourselves in the heart space and center our practice around the phrases.
Start by taking a moment to find a comfortable posture to rest in within your body's ability.
You want to be upright without being uptight,
Supportive without being rigid.
If it feels safe,
You can close your eyes.
If not,
Just finding a spot in front of you to rest your gaze on.
We'll begin and end the meditation with the sound of the bell.
We can start by taking a few deep breaths,
Giving ourselves a moment to really arrive in this space and in this moment,
Just as it is.
Breathing in,
Calming the mind.
Breathing out,
Softening the body.
Giving yourself permission to set aside your desire and discontent for the world just for a little while so you can truly commit to the practice.
Maybe scanning through the body,
Searching for any points of tension that may need to soften.
Trying your best to settle into this moment.
Resting in the stillness of the body.
Now I invite you to bring your awareness to your heart center.
This is the place where you feel the most somatic connection to your emotion.
For a lot of folks,
This is the center of the chest.
Could also be the gut.
Wherever you land,
Letting that space be good enough.
If it's supportive,
You may even place a hand on the space,
A hand on the chest,
A hand on the belly,
Just to deepen the connection a little bit.
While we rest our awareness on this heart center,
See if you can imagine breathing in and out of it.
Breathing in through the heart center,
Breathing out through the heart center.
Maybe just take a moment to reflect on your intention to connect with compassion in your own heart and experience.
Experiencing this heart's deepest desire for happiness and well-being.
As you feel into the connection of the breath with your heart center,
Gently call to mind something in your life that has or is currently causing you pain.
For now,
Try not to use situations that you find deeply troubling,
Just start small.
Something like a pain in the knee,
A minor frustrating work situation,
Maybe a tough test you're worrying about,
Anything that seems manageable and uncomfortable but not too lofty.
As you hold that thought of that situation in your mind,
See if you can connect with the felt sense of pain in the heart center.
See if you can feel the quivering of the heart in response to it.
If you can't feel this connection or this quivering of the heart,
That's okay.
Doing this practice is incredibly beneficial even without a deep somatic connection to the heart because either way we're cultivating a heart that is inclined towards compassion.
As you do your best to hold this painful situation in your heart mind,
We're going to start silently offering the phrase,
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
Continuing to offer this phrase with an intention to open instead of turn away from our pain.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
As you continue to offer this phrase,
See if you can feel the heart open.
See if you can feel the mind open.
Welcome in the pain,
The hurt.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
Now trying on the phrase,
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
Over and over,
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
Not just opening but offering care like we would for a loved one.
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
And if the mind wanders away from the phrase to sensations,
Distractions,
Thoughts,
Plans,
Worries,
It's okay to just,
With a kind and gentle hand,
Bring the awareness back to the breath for a moment.
And then back to the phrase.
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
Now giving the phrase,
May I be free from suffering a try.
May I be free from suffering.
Knowing deep in your heart that liberation is possible.
May I be free from suffering.
If it feels useful,
You can try cycling through these phrases.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
And may I be free from suffering.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I be free from suffering.
Cycling through or sticking with one that may feel particularly needed,
As we work with this painful situation in the heart-mind,
Again,
Knowing that if the mind wanders,
There's no need to judge it.
This is just the natural functioning of the mind,
Just as the ears hear,
The mind thinks.
Returning is really the practice.
Wandering and then catching yourself wandering,
Choosing to come back to compassion.
That's the practice.
When you wander without a story,
Coming back to the phrases.
May I open to any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I care for any parts of myself that are hurting.
May I be free from suffering.
We'll continue this practice together in silence and end with the sound of the bell.
