This meditation is on Gandhi's famous quote,
We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
As a student of Gandhi's philosophy and a teacher of his philosophy across the world,
I've come to really feel that this particular quote not only encompasses all the best of his teachings and life and philosophy,
But is also a great challenge to all of us that Gandhi put out into the world.
And that challenge is specifically if we take it personally into our own hearts,
Into our own lives,
That challenge is so powerful and can be so life changing that if we were to dedicate ourselves and commit ourselves to actually being this kind of change within a very short period of time we wouldn't even recognize our lives anymore.
So much would change because if you think about it,
Gandhi proposed that rather than we continually focusing on how we want other people to change,
To be more compassionate,
To be more understanding,
To be kinder,
To be more just,
To treat people as equals who are downtrodden and minorities in global cultures.
Rather than waiting for other people to start to act in that way,
What Gandhi proposed was that since we want that kind of change to happen in the world,
That we must be willing to be that person first.
And it doesn't mean we can't move forward in our attempts to be helpful in our communities.
It doesn't mean that we can't take steps to change things the way they are in our country,
Around the world.
But what it could mean is that we love,
We commit to compassion,
We live a life of kindness toward the very people that we wish would change into loving,
Compassionate,
And kind people and who we think aren't living that way.
So in our judgment of those other people,
The telltale factor is that we may,
In our judgment,
Be not living according to our own wishes in how these other people should be behaving.
And how can we expect them to be loving,
To be more compassionate,
To be kinder,
When we aren't even doing it ourselves?
So that's the great challenge of Gandhi's request.
To be that change means to become the very kind of person that we're asking those other people to be and not waiting for them to make that change before we start being that kind of person.
So I thought we could just have a brief meditation here and focus on this challenge,
Focus on really incorporating the requests that we're making of others into our own hearts and minds.
So find a comfortable position and begin to relax.
Take a nice easy breath.
And as you exhale,
Feel your thoughts slow down,
Your emotions calm down.
And as you take another easy breath,
Feel your body relax.
And feel yourself move into your center,
That place within of stillness and calm and serenity.
And once you reach your center,
Begin to imagine one person that you may have a struggle with.
It could be a loved one,
It could be someone you're in a close loving relationship with.
It could be someone at work or at school.
Whoever it is,
Choose a person who you're having a bit of a struggle with lately.
And think for just a moment about how you would wish they would act differently or better in your connection with them.
What is the essence of your request?
Do you want them to be nicer or kinder to you?
Would you want them to be more loving or compassionate or understanding?
Whatever it is that you wish them to be,
Think about just for a moment how close are you in being that kind of person toward them?
Are you being 100% loving and compassionate?
Are you striving to understand them for who they are and what they're going through in their life?
Are you being kind,
Trying to be a friend,
Trying to love them?
Think about the judgments that you're having in this difficulty with this person.
And then ask yourself,
How am I being this change that I wish this other person would take on?
How well am I doing in scoring myself?
If you're to be the change that you wish to see in the world,
It might be really important to begin to separate yourself at least a little bit when you have judgments so that you can observe the judgment itself and slow it down,
Slow down your judgmental reaction.
And take a look at the judgment,
What it entails,
What it includes,
And how well are you doing in those ways.
And now,
The final step,
Give yourself a break.
Love yourself the way that you wished these other people would love you or this other person would love you.
Love yourself with kindness.
Hold your own self in compassion,
Even though you may perhaps have been judgmental about this other person.
Give yourself a break and forgive yourself for doing just that.
We all struggle.
We all have difficulties loving and being kind.
It's totally OK.
So practice for just a moment holding your own heart,
Your own self in a very loving,
Very kind and compassionate realm of self-acceptance,
A very loving and very compassionate state of self-acceptance.
And hold that self-acceptance that you are OK as you are.
You can do better.
You can let go of the judgment.
You can rise to the occasion and be the change that you truly wish to see in the world.
Starting with loving your own self.
So relax for just a moment more in your center.
And let go of that self-acceptance that you are loving yourself.
And let go of that self-acceptance that you are loving yourself.
In your center,
Feel this level of self-acceptance and forgiveness for yourself.
And then let it go.
Begin to come out of the meditation now.
And keep with you as you do this great desire that you have to be of help in the world,
To change things,
To contribute and make the world a better place.
Hold that desire in Gandhi's hand.
And let it go.
Thanks to God and to my Sound Clothes who will be all of us while with you when the Twelve ml Rodrigues Gospel discuss.
People do tell us no.
They cannot imagine the need for those things to contribute to make the world a better place.
Person who forgives and who understands other people.
That can be you.
Now it's time to leave the meditation,
Keeping these thoughts and feelings in mind and in your heart.
And begin to come back into your room that you're sitting in.
Come back into your body.
Come back into this time.
Come back into this time.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
