Today,
I'm going to offer you a meditation on the five daily reflections.
When the Buddha advised,
These are the five facts that one should reflect on often,
Whether one is a woman or a man,
Lay or ordained.
There are three marks of existence.
We are all subject to aging,
Sickness and death.
We will lose everything we know.
Our only possession really that we own is our karma.
Understanding that we are subject to aging,
Subject to illness,
Subject to death.
That I will grow different and separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
And that I am the owner of my actions,
That whatever I do for good or for evil,
I will fall heir.
The first three give us correct views of our lives.
The fourth weakens our attachments.
And the fifth gives us an intention to be ever mindful through body,
Speech and mind.
So with that,
Take a moment and find your posture.
Allow the eyes to gently close,
The back to be straight,
But not rigid,
And the rest of the body to relax around the upright spine.
Getting up good and straight with intention helps one stay focused and fully awake.
Allow your awareness to begin on the breath without any desire to control it.
Just simply watching it as it is.
Settling in,
Now we scan the body for tightness and tension,
Pains or discomfort,
And adjust the posture mindfully to be comfortable enough to sit still through the entire practice.
With the attention now on this body,
Allow the idea that this body is subject to aging to set in.
With this as your focus,
See what arises in the mind and the body.
Being curious and investigating this particular focus,
Consider these ideas to help achieve clarity.
Are you proud of this body?
Do you work hard to make it look this way?
And when you look in the mirror,
Do you like what you see?
Or maybe,
Maybe you're ashamed of this body.
Maybe you wish it was different,
Younger,
Stronger.
Would you change it if you could?
Maybe you are young and the idea of aging seems way far off in the future.
Not real,
Not even possible.
Or perhaps you are middle-aged and starting to notice the effects of time on this body.
Aches and pains,
Wrinkles,
Gray hair.
Or maybe you're older,
You've spent a long time with this body.
You know all of its secrets,
Its weaknesses and strengths.
When you have the bumps and bruises to prove it,
You can actually feel the way of time.
So,
Now consider these thoughts.
Have you taken good care of this body?
Or have you abused or neglected this body that you have been given?
Not grasping,
Nor having aversion to the fact that this body will age,
Is an important factor in cultivating peace of mind and happiness.
Okay.
Now let the breath take center stage again.
Just watching,
Just breathing,
Just being.
Now let go of the breath,
Focus.
And now turn awareness to the fact that this body is subject to illness.
Be it in the past,
The present,
Or in the future,
Illness is simply a fact of being human,
Of being alive.
Know that many of us have already experienced serious illness.
And many of us suffer with chronic illness in this present moment.
What arises when you give contemplation to illness in this body?
Is it acceptance or denial?
Does the thought of illness cause worry or fear?
Do you notice any bodily sensations from these contemplations?
Maybe the idea of illness doesn't cause many thoughts at all.
But knowing that illness is possible,
Yet not living in fear and aversion,
Is an important factor in cultivating peace of mind and happiness.
Let the breath again come into focus.
Find a location where you feel the breath most clearly.
And take a few moments,
Just paying attention to the physical sensation of the breath.
With no urge to control it,
Just watch it.
Let the breath again come into focus.
Let the breath again come into focus.
Let the breath again come into focus.
The third of the five daily reflections that this body is subject to passing away,
Allows us to understand that everything that arises will eventually cease to be.
Considering that death cannot happen without the condition of birth in the first place.
What arises in the mind when considering the passing of this body?
Is there gratitude that the conditions were right for one's birth?
For being born in this time and place?
Gratitude for being introduced to the Dharma?
Or simply gratitude for this precious human life?
Or does fear or anger arise?
Is aversion to death quite strong?
Does concern for loved ones left behind fill your heart?
These ideas can be difficult.
But regular contemplation of the precious nature of this human life often brings one to cherishing.
Recalling the fragility and the finite nature of all living things,
Are you okay with whatever time you have in this form?
Can you make peace with the transitive nature of life?
And maybe most importantly,
Will you allow true happiness and cherishing others to fill your heart?
Now,
Let's check in with relation to the sense doors.
Contemplating aging,
Illness and death often activates the sense doors,
Eyes and seeing,
Nose and odor,
Tongue and tasting,
The body and touch,
And the mind and mental objects.
Check your posture and then contemplate the first three daily reflections and notice what arises and where you notice them.
Okay.
Moving on to the fourth daily reflection,
Knowing I will grow different and separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
Just contemplate this idea for a few moments and consider what does knowing of these changes cause to arise?
Does this mean pleasant?
Neutral?
More unpleasant associations?
Notice,
If you are grasping for individuals,
Possessions or experiences.
Now,
Bring your attention to the breath one more time,
Paying close attention to what thoughts arise and what thoughts try to get noticed.
Let's focus.
The fifth daily reflection states,
I am the owner of my actions,
Whatever I do,
For good or for evil,
To that I will fall heir.
Sitting in the meditation posture is my current action.
Thinking of the last 24 hours,
Do I have any behaviors I regret?
Have I done anything I am ashamed of?
How does paying attention to my daily reflections result in a change in my life?
What is the change in my behavior?
Am I considering a different upcoming action after these contemplations?
What is the change in my behavior?
What is the change in my behavior?
Let the contemplations of the five daily reflections go.
And one last time,
Bring your focus to the breath.
Just settling in,
Allowing your awareness to just watch the inhale and the exhale.
And then whenever you're ready,
Let the breath focus go.
And gently open your eyes and return your attention to your surroundings.
And I thank you for your practice today.
