To begin this practice we find a comfortable stationary position.
We bring our awareness into the domain of the body,
Noticing the tactile experiences arising,
Abiding and ceasing.
And as we observe our tactile sensations,
We slowly,
Slowly let go of different types of physical tension,
Including those found in our feet and toes,
In our hands and fingers,
In our pelvic floor,
And in our face,
Allowing our body to breathe naturally,
To continue releasing all types of tension with each exhalation,
And then generating a positive,
Vast and profound motivation for this practice.
On the basis of kindness for ourselves and others,
Kindness directed towards individuals and communities and then the world at large,
Aspiring for profound types of happiness and well-being,
And for genuine freedom from suffering.
And with that as the foundation,
Turning to the main practice for this session,
Where we cultivate the qualities of wisdom and love,
By using a simple analogy,
A simple metaphor,
That we can apply to the energies of our body,
Speech and mind,
Or to our existence as a person.
So what we do first is simply attend to this very person practicing here,
This person that we label me or I,
That we refer to using different names and labels,
This person that we're so deeply familiar with,
And that also keeps surprising us.
When new or previously unexplored habitual energies start ripening in our mind,
And we respond to what's going on in a new or relatively new way,
This person that we're attending to right here exists within the cycles and different types of interdependence.
We could describe this person and any other person as a bundle of interdependence.
The interplay of different types of interdependence gives birth to the process that is this person.
And from this point of view,
This person,
With all the energies of body,
Speech and mind,
Can be compared to a cloud appearing in the vast open sky.
We have multiple types of identity,
Multiple layers of identity.
Some of these we envision ourselves and some of those are projected from the outside.
Just like with a cloud,
When different people are looking at the same cloud in the sky,
It appears to them in different ways.
And so some people would be seeing a horse,
Some people would be seeing an elephant,
Some people would just be seeing a shapeless cloud that is not particularly interesting,
And to some,
This cloud would seem to have a rainbow glow to it,
To be brilliantly illuminated by the light in the sky.
So from that point of view,
We can understand that people project different types of identity and they see different facets of our identities,
And then they respond in different ways,
Sometimes with love,
Compassion and empathy,
And sometimes violently.
The same happens from the inside,
When we adopt different reactions from others,
And in their interplay with our own habitual energies,
We sometimes treat ourselves with tenderness,
Compassion,
Love,
We practice compassionate self-correction,
We grow,
We evolve,
And sometimes we just drown in guilt,
Shame,
We reify our faults,
We wish we didn't exist.
But if we were to look through these conditioned reactions,
We would see that it's just a cloud,
And the cloud is a temporary formation,
A temporary combination of different types of energy,
Appearing in this form to observers,
But at the heart of this cloud is still radiant spaciousness,
The openness and spaciousness of the sky itself.
So as we rest right here,
Breathing naturally,
We can attend to the fact that our nature is radiantly spacious,
It's empty of independent existence,
But contextually,
It gives rise to these identity-related appearances that people and other types of beings respond to.
So there's space,
There's room for both levels of truth,
Conventional and ultimate.
And yet since this cloud is in its own nature spacious and radiant,
We can at will manifest different types of radiance and project them outwards,
For instance,
The quality of love or loving-kindness.
So resting naturally and breathing naturally,
We can first infuse ourselves,
We can first feel this very person,
This person's body,
Speech,
And mind,
With a wish,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
Breathing naturally and strengthening,
Radiating this wish into every aspect and element of our body,
Every expression of our speech,
Into every breath,
And of course into every expression of our mental energy.
May you be happy,
May you be well,
May you be loved,
May you be safe.
And then from this cloud,
As we continue breathing naturally,
Extending the same radiant wishes of love to others,
To individuals,
To communities,
And eventually to all beings.
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
May you be well,
May you be safe,
May you be loved,
May you prosper.
Knowing that all beings are actually like clouds,
In that their true nature is free of independent existence,
And is radiantly spacious.
So they all do have the potential to be happy,
And to also be radiantly wise and loving.
Therefore,
May it be so.
May all beings be well and happy.
And then releasing this aspiration,
Releasing all the images,
All the thoughts,
All the analogies,
And coming back to our breathing body,
Noticing its sensations,
The flow of our tactile experiences,
Grounding ourselves in this body,
And then mentally dedicating the energy of this practice to the same profound and vast aspirations with which we began,
Wishing for this practice to contribute to the fulfillment of those goals,
For the energy of this practice to bring genuine well-being and freedom to all who live.
And with that,
Slowly concluding this practice as we invite the bell.
