As we begin this practice,
We might want to find a comfortable stationary position that would support our body throughout this meditation.
And for that reason,
We might adopt the supine position or the sitting position and then spend a few moments adjusting our posture,
Making sure all the parts of the body are relatively comfortable and relatively still,
All centered around the central axis of our spine,
Simply resting there as we release the physical tension with each exhalation,
Attending to the sensations of the body as we slowly progress towards greater and greater physical and mental ease,
Breathing naturally,
Releasing all types of deliberate movement and also releasing all stories,
The process of narration itself,
And this way approaching the union of physical stillness,
Verbal silence and mental spaciousness.
And then within this unified experience of stillness,
Silence and spaciousness,
We actively generate a very positive motivation for this practice,
Bringing to mind our highest psychological or spiritual aspirations for our life and our contemplative life in particular,
And wishing that this practice supports the process of fulfilling those aspirations,
Not just for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others and potentially for the benefit of all sentient beings.
And then with that motivation as the foundation for our practice,
For a little while we bring our attention to the mind itself,
To our current mental activity,
Which would include things like thoughts,
Images,
Memories,
Desires,
Emotions,
And,
Simply speaking,
States such as the state of dullness or the state of agitation,
The experience of doubt,
The experience of anger,
The experience of desire and so forth,
Becoming an observer that watches the mind for a little while with curiosity and openness,
Once again breathing naturally and simply observing everything that's arising in the mind,
Not just the thoughts but also the underlying states,
Energetic states of the mind,
Some of which would be joyful and clear and some of which would be deluding,
Distorting our perception,
Distorting our experiences,
And bringing ill will to our mind,
Or excessive desire,
Or fear,
Or envy,
Or jealousy,
Or arrogance,
Watching this spacious field that is the mind.
And then from this process of observation we slowly move into a more analytical mode of practice where we remind ourselves that,
In this spacious domain of the mind,
We do sometimes notice states that are disturbing,
Maybe even recently.
We might have recently experienced anger or hatred,
Strong or excessively strong sensual desire,
Jealousy and envy,
Arrogance that was separating us from others,
Strong anxiety that was deeply disturbing and perhaps led to other afflictive mental states,
Or simply torpor,
Lethargy that was preventing us from being clear when addressing our tasks.
And the remnants of these states might be present in our mind right now.
And then on the basis of recognizing that there are seeds for these states present in our mind,
We also know that these states can always provoke unskillful actions,
In some cases quite harmful,
Especially if we're acting under the influence of strong anger,
Strong fear,
Strong jealousy,
Strong arrogance,
And most importantly strong ignorance that refuses to accept and acknowledge the agency of others,
Refuses to be empathetic,
Understanding,
Open,
Curious.
So then we know,
When we do act unskillfully,
It happens under the influence of these clouding mental states,
Mental afflictions,
Mental hindrances,
Mental distortions.
And when our mind is clear,
Wise,
Compassionate,
Willing to learn more,
Our actions are much more likely to be skillful,
Kind,
Caring,
And beneficial.
But then if we think about our own experience of suffering in this world,
And especially the suffering that we have experienced from the hands of others,
Both individuals and communities or institutions,
We would have to recognize that individuals and then communities made up of individuals were also hurting us,
Hurting our siblings,
Hurting our communities,
Because they were under the influence of these afflictive mental states.
And of course in some cases these afflictive mental states crystallize into whole systems of oppression.
But their essence is still the same.
Ignorance,
Primordial fear,
Anger,
Excessive desire,
Jealousy,
Arrogance,
And so forth.
So the same clouds we often observe in our own mind,
When they are especially strong,
And when they are present in the minds of others,
Provoke them to hurt us,
To harm our communities,
To harm the world,
The planet itself.
And knowing how painful it is to suffer at the hands of others,
Or institutions,
Or communities,
We probably wouldn't want to harm others ourselves.
We probably wouldn't want to become a tool of these afflictive mental states,
Of these clouds of ignorance,
And so forth.
And so the wish and the determination to become free from these clouds,
To not succumb to their influence,
To maintain clarity,
To strengthen clarity,
Is the essential meaning of the Buddhist concept of renunciation.
What we're renouncing is not pleasure,
Is not joy.
We're renouncing these types of ignorance and delusion.
And with that also comes the freedom from harmful actions.
Incrementally,
Step by step,
We remove our propensity to harm others.
And so on the basis of this recognition,
We can generate a very strong intention.
May I strengthen my mental clarity.
May my wisdom and compassion be stronger than these afflictive mental states,
Than these clouds.
May I never contribute to the systems of oppression born from these clouds.
And instead,
May my mind always be warm,
Spacious,
And luminous,
Sharing tenderness,
Connection,
Wisdom,
And skillful action with all beings,
Including those who especially need my support,
Either because they have been deeply harmed,
Or because they're currently strongly deluded and are harming others.
So may I always be able to do what's necessary and beneficial.
On the basis of this clarity,
With these aspirations and similar aspirations of our own,
We rest for a few moments,
And then we release all thoughts,
All ideas,
Simply resting in this spacious clarity for a short while,
With an experience of tenderness and kindness.
And then we bring our attention back to our own body,
Noticing its experiences and sensations,
Noticing the process of natural breathing,
Anchoring our attention there.
And then,
As we introduce some movement to the body,
Slowly transitioning back to the space around us,
Mentally dedicating the energy of this practice to our highest aspirations,
And then concluding the practice by inviting the breath.
