This practice is a practice of embodying wise leadership within ourselves,
As well as recognizing that our own leadership is not a solo self,
But there are many,
Many wise leaders within us.
And when we practice this embodied wisdom or this embodied compassion,
It can change the way that we enter a room or the way we have a conversation or the way that we put our kids to bed or the way that we talk to each other on Zoom or each other in the supermarket or people that have differing political views than us.
So I'll lead us in a meditation where we'll begin with embodiment of wise leadership,
And then we'll have a period of silence during the meditation,
And then I'll close with a poem.
So bells often don't ring well.
I know there's probably something I should click to make this bell ring better,
But I brought this bell last time.
It comes from Plum Village.
I will do a short sound,
Which is a waking up of the bell,
Just like if you were sleeping and someone were to wake you up,
You wouldn't want a big hit on the shoulder.
You'd want a gentle tap.
So I'll wake up the bell,
And then when I ring the bell,
We'll begin the practice together.
So go ahead and find yourself in whatever position,
Whether it's sitting down or lying down,
Even standing,
And you can gently close your eyes or you can look at a spot,
A few feet in front of you,
Resting your gaze,
And just begin to settle into your body from the outside in,
So we can pay attention to sounds.
You can feel the temperature of air on your skin,
And then you can climb inside your body and take three slow,
Long,
Soothing breaths.
Breaths that are just right for your body in this moment,
Settling you.
And breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I calm my mind.
And then feeling your body here,
Touching the ground,
Your body being breathed.
You can let go of any tension in your face or any holding from the day,
Letting go of any tension or holding in your shoulders or your back,
And letting your heart open.
And as we settle into our bodies in this moment,
We're also going to contact our own wise leadership within.
So within you,
You have the continuation of many wise leaders who've supported you,
Energized you,
Made you feel seen and safe and strong.
And begin by bringing to mind a wise leader,
Could be a teacher or a spiritual guide,
A friend or an ancestor,
Who you see as having a open,
Loving,
Compassionate heart,
Someone who has taught you about how to love.
And I'd like for you to imagine that you could embody that love of that leader in your heart right now so that you feel them present in your heart.
Breathing in and out of your heart.
And I'd like for you also to bring to mind a wise leader.
It could be a coach or a mentor,
An ancestor,
Spiritual guide,
Teacher,
Who has taught you about strength,
Stability,
Equanimity,
Who is solid.
And I'd like for you to imagine that that solidity of that wise leader is in your spine,
Lengthening your spine,
Feeling strong in your back,
Embodying the strength of that wise leader.
And bringing to mind a wise leader who has taught you about ease,
About surrendering and gentleness and ease.
And allow that ease of that wise leader to spread across your arms.
And your legs,
Your shoulders,
Feeling fluid and flexible and at ease.
And bringing to mind a wise leader who has taught you about seeing clearly without judgment or bias.
Clear seeing.
And imagine that wise leader is entering into your eyes and entering your mind so that it sees clearly.
And then finally,
A wise leader who has taught you about wise speech,
About being truthful and kind.
Honest and direct.
And allow that wise leader to enter into your throat.
And sitting or lying in this position where you're embodying the heart and the back,
And the back,
The ease and flexibility,
The clear mind,
The wise speech.
We'll sit in silence from this position of wise leadership,
Expanding our wisdom to the present moment and allowing whatever shows up to show up.
We hold it all with loving,
Wise awareness.
And if your mind wanders,
You can always come back to the wise open heart,
The strong spine,
The ease in your body.
Sitting in your own connected wise leadership.
And then as we sit here,
We can also feel the connection of the wise leaders amongst us as a sangha.
Feeling the presence of each and every individual in this space,
But that each and every individual has within them many wise leaders,
Their ancestors,
Their teachers,
Maybe even their children.
So that you can feel your own wise leadership,
But also the support of the sangha,
The collective leadership.
The hundreds of wise leaders that are present.
And you can feel that strength and support around you,
Within you.
And breathe.
And if there is any place in your life right now,
A challenge or transition,
Painful feeling or relationship that you could use some wise leadership in,
You can bring to mind that challenge or transition and imagine yourself entering into it with the heart of this wise leader,
The spine of this wise leader,
The ease of this wise leader,
The clear mind of this wise leader,
And the kind speech.
Imagine yourself walking into this transition or challenge with all of this wisdom supporting you,
As well as the wisdom of all of the wise leaders in the sangha surrounding you,
Bolstering you.
And notice how you will move,
How you will breathe,
How you will act.
Hint,
I'm gonna read a little passage from Larry Yang,
Who wrote the book,
Awakening Together.
And in his chapter on transformation of the heart,
He writes,
Hold the practices themselves with tenderness.
Below is a prayer of aspiration I developed in my own practice to remind myself how broad and deep the practices of the heart actually are.
May I be as loving in this moment as possible.
If I cannot be loving in this moment,
May I be kind.
If I cannot be loving in this moment,
May I be kind.
If I cannot be kind,
May I be nonjudgmental.
If I cannot be nonjudgmental,
May I not cause harm.
And if I cannot cause harm,
May I cause the least amount of harm possible.
In this way,
Even in my failure,
My heart is still inclining itself towards kindness.
Even in the midst of difficulty,
The gradient of my experience is still aimed towards love and compassion.
This is the best I can do,
To be still engaged in and inclined towards the practice of kindness.
This is the best I can do,
To be still engaged in and inclined towards the practice of kindness.
And you can gently bring yourself back into the space.
I always like to close a meditation practice with the Three Jewels.
So first,
Bowing to our teachers.
And also bowing to the Dharma,
To the teachings.
And finally,
Bowing to the Sangha.
