Welcome,
My name is Grayson Cole.
I am honored to be your guide here.
This meditation is here to support you in returning to compassion.
Before we begin,
Let's take a moment to reflect on why we make time for compassion in the first place.
Life gets messy.
We get tired.
We shut down.
We forget what matters.
We try to do it all.
And somewhere along the way,
We stop being kind to ourselves.
Compassion brings us back.
It helps us meet the moment with a little more care instead of criticism.
It softens the pressure,
Gives us room to breathe,
And makes space for the people around us too.
So this is your time just to be here,
Breathe,
And let whatever needs attention rise gently to the surface.
Go ahead and find yourself in a comfortable way of being.
Allow yourself to feel supported and relaxed.
Let the shoulders drop,
Your jaw unclench.
Start to notice the breath.
Becoming a gentle observer of the inhale and the exhale.
Breathing in,
I soften.
Breathing out,
I allow.
Bringing your attention inward,
Ask yourself,
Where could I use a little more compassion right now?
How have you been speaking to yourself?
Have you been pushing too hard?
Maybe you've been holding it all together and you haven't let yourself feel much at all.
See if you can meet whatever is there with care.
There's nothing to change here,
Just noticing.
Let it be here.
Offering yourself a little kindness.
And maybe you silently say to yourself,
It's okay to feel this.
I'm allowed to be human.
I don't have to carry this alone.
Breathe into that space.
And let the breath hold you for a moment here.
Noticing the breath here.
I invite you now to imagine someone in your life who might be having a hard time.
Someone you care about,
Or simply someone who comes to mind.
Picture them in your heart.
Nothing to change.
Just holding them with care.
You might silently say,
May you be held in compassion.
May you feel safe and supported.
May you remember.
Your strength.
You might take a moment to expand this compassion out to your community,
To those you don't know,
And even to the people who you might find difficult.
Compassion isn't agreement.
It's recognizing our shared humanity.
Allow the breath to move through that for a moment.
I invite you to let your awareness return.
Feel your breath.
Steady.
Present.
Feeling the ground beneath you.
Let's take a deep breath in through the nose,
And release through the mouth.
Thank you for sitting with me in this practice,
For leaning into compassion,
Even just a little.
When you offer that to yourself,
You're offering it to the world,
And I am deeply grateful for that.
I'd like to finish with the bodhisattva vows,
Which are ancient commitments to meet the world with compassion.
You can listen,
You can say them silently,
Or maybe you just carry them with you today.
Beings are numberless.
I vow to free them.
Delusions are inexhaustible.
I vow to transform them.
Dharma gates are boundless.
I vow to enter them.
The Buddha way is unsurpassable.
I vow to embody it.
May these words settle in your breath,
In your heart,
And in the way you move through your day.
Thank you for being here.
If you found this practice meaningful,
There is more waiting for you.
I invite you to continue with my four-day course,
The Bodhisattva Way,
Choosing Compassion in Modern Life.
Each session offers reflection,
Meditation,
And practical ways to live with more care for yourself and for this world.
You can also explore the premium playlist,
Where I sit with each of the four bodhisattva vows,
One at a time,
As a simple practice in presence and purpose.
And if you're looking for community along the way,
I would love for you to join our group,
Call to Compassion,
Here on Insight Timer.
We share reflections,
Encouragements,
And reminders that you are not walking alone.
May this practice ripple outward in ways seen and unseen.
Namaste.
