Let's practice Bring yourself into a meditation posture Seated standing or lying down if you're prone to worry and restlessness Lying down might be a very supportive posture for you.
And if you're prone to sleepiness Maybe standing actually might be supportive and helpful for you Posture is meant to create openness and vitality as well as relaxation and ease Once you've chosen your posture Come to your senses starting with your sense of hearing notice any sounds That are far away Any sounds that are closer to you?
Before closing your eyes notice any sights that you're seeing You just notice color shape shadow light Texture and as you close your eyes notice that seeing is still happening notice any smells Any lingering taste and now notice any obvious sensations in your body perhaps contact points tingles Pulsing and I'll bring to mind some ways in which you feel joy and the causes of this joy Let yourself feel it Does this joy seem to belong to anyone?
And now with sorrow allow yourself to bring to mind some things that make you feel sorrow and the causes Is this pain really anyone's fault Or is it simply that in life things hurt?
Now with the intention to let go of blaming or crediting anyone for our experience and with the understanding that nothing is permanent Start to repeat the following phrases in your mind Perhaps anchoring the phrases to your breath if that's helpful Everyone is responsible for our own actions and experience Right now it's like this Suffering and peace depend on our attitude not the conditions of life Notice what arises as you repeat these phrases like a mantra and if any person place a situation arises and demands your attention Allow the phrases to be the lens With which you examine them Just keep repeating the phrases as you hold this person or situation in your mind Everyone is responsible for our own actions and experience Right now it's like this Suffering and peace depend on our attitude not the conditions of our life Once that object no longer demands your attention just continue with the phrases But if the situation is a little more sticky you can add in some questions Are you clinging to an outcome or expectation?
Are you putting your happiness in someone else's hands?
Would everything really be okay as long as they just did what you wanted?
I'm just coming back to the phrases Once the examination has run its course And stay with them until something else calls your attention For any minor fleeting things just let them go and continue the phrases Only go into examination with things that have a charge That need something from you not just distractions Trust your judgment Everyone's responsible for their own actions and experience Right now it's like this Suffering or peace depend on our attitude not the conditions of our lives And if your mind has turned examination into simply wandering or ruminating just come back to the phrases You might start to see that in all these cases of suffering There's an underlying tendency for wanting people or situations to be different than they are Being deeply attached to changing things that are out of our control Just continue with the phrases Taking them in deeply Everyone is responsible for their own actions and experience Right now it's like this Suffering or peace depends on our attitude not the conditions of our lives you might notice that right now it's like this and This is already different than how it was at the beginning of this meditation things change Maybe it hasn't yet But just come back to the phrases As we come to the end of this track Tune back into what you're experiencing now Has your state changed since the beginning?
These phrases seem to have any truth Or perhaps you've spent this time Plotting how to actually control situations and get people to do what you want in which case I totally get it Whatever the case is May you feel the truth that your life is in your hands and may you be happy joyous and free
