A steady heart.
The pandemic of coronavirus is spreading widely and with it we see collective fears and anxieties spreading and also among others a deepening resolve and care.
We realize how vulnerable we are as human beings and how we need to protect one another.
Such difficult times call for inner steadiness and strength for ourselves and for those around us.
As then Master Thich Nhat Hanh has said,
When the crowded Vietnamese refugee boats met with storms or pirates,
If everyone panicked all would be lost.
But if even one person on the boat remained steady and calm,
It was enough.
It showed the way for everyone to survive.
We become that person.
We have done this before in our blood and DNA or a thousand generations of ancestors who survived through wars and epidemics,
Depressions and famines.
This is what you have been training for and this is what you and we can offer to our children.
A steady heart amidst it all.
To undertake this practice,
Take a seat in the center of your world with feet flat on the floor or steady on a cushion,
Grounded,
Seated halfway between heaven and earth in this human form.
Let your eyes close gently and feel down through your body the deep connection that goes into the earth.
Steady yourself.
Bring a mindful,
Loving awareness to this present moment,
Just as it is.
Now sense your body.
Become aware of any areas of tightness or tension,
Contraction,
Heaviness or pain.
Acknowledge these with a kind awareness as if with a bow and allowing them to be present in loving awareness.
Let them open more.
Let them expand,
Intensify,
Release,
Open.
And as you feel the intensity and aliveness of these sensations,
Difficult though they may be,
Gradually allow them to drain down through your body,
From your head and neck,
Down through your shoulders and arms,
Through your torso and pelvis,
And down your legs and feet back into the earth.
Let yourself allow the heaviness and tensions,
The contractions and tightness to move in your body and drain into the earth.
And as you do,
Thank them.
Thank you for trying to protect me.
I'm steady now.
I'm okay.
Thank you.
And feel the body open,
Release,
Grounded,
Steady.
You are now the awareness itself,
The loving awareness that recognizes what is happening in the body and allows it to release and open.
And all around those energies,
Let yourself feel a growing steadiness and calm.
And now as you've sensed your body before,
Bring your attention to sense your heart.
And notice in particular at this time of difficulty any fears or sadness,
Grief or anger or worry for your family,
For friends,
For the young and the old,
For the caregivers on the front line.
And acknowledge all these emotions with a bow of kindness.
Let them be held in loving awareness.
Let them intensify or open,
Expand and release as they wish.
Trust that you can allow yourself to feel and let the feelings themselves move through you and open and bring a greater sense of spaciousness as they do.
You are not resisting them but thanking them.
Thank you for trying to protect me.
I'm steady now.
And feel the growing steadiness and spacious presence of loving awareness.
Relax into it.
And now turn your attention to sense your states of mind.
Acknowledge if there are racing thoughts,
Doubt,
Scattered mind,
Fearful thoughts.
And let your loving awareness be like vast space that can hold these thoughts like clouds that appear in the space of mind.
As if to bow to them you can acknowledge them gently,
Oh doubts,
Oh fears,
Oh racing mind.
Let them be present and open the sky of mind without resistance.
And as you allow them to open and move,
You can thank them.
Thank you for trying to protect me.
I'm steady now.
I'm okay now.
And feel how in the vastness of space the clouds of thoughts,
The images,
The energies of mind can open,
Dissolve,
Become quieter,
More spacious and easy.
And now let your awareness sense yourself as a great tree.
You are a great tree and your roots go down from your body deep into the earth,
Steady and strong.
Feel the depth of connection from your body and your energy and your being down into the earth below.
Feel how it strengthens you and steadies you.
And notice too as your body breathes,
You are like the breathing of the tree itself,
The leaves of the trees that breathe in the midst of the vast and open sky.
Rooted in the earth,
The breath breathes itself like the leaves exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide,
Breathing in the vastness of sky.
And sense yourself as this great tree.
Clouds and sunlight come and go.
Breezes come and the branches sway.
Storms and great winds have come and gone.
And the seasons change of warm and cold,
Of snow and rain and rainbows and beauty.
And you are the great tree standing rooted in the midst of all of it,
Connected to the earth below.
And above,
Vast like space,
Like sky,
Time and eternity.
Rest as this great tree with a peaceful and steady heart.
You become the Buddha,
The awakened one,
Steady and still amidst it all.
Feel your body rooted in the earth.
Feel your heart at peace.
And feel your mind open like the vast sky.
Let yourself sense how you can embody this steadiness and peacefulness where you are just now,
At home,
With your family and friends.
Amidst those who are at ease and those who are frightened and struggling,
You can be the center of calm in your community and as you move through the world,
You can be that one on the boat.
You can be the great rooted tree.
You can bring your sense of calm and steadiness wherever you go.
And with this steadiness of body,
Heart and mind,
You can offer yourself now with care in this difficult time.
Remember to be especially polite and respectful,
Especially to those around you who are frightened or going through difficulty.
And do that which supports your own steady and peaceful heart.
Thank you.
