One of the benefits of mindfulness meditation is that the quieter our minds become,
The more connected we are both to our internal experience and to the world around us,
To all the people we meet.
As an example of this,
On one occasion when I had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama,
I was struck by the power of the encounter because of his amazing presence of mind.
In speaking with him,
For those moments it felt that for him I was the most important person in the world because his attention was so complete,
So focused,
So unscattered.
As our minds become quieter,
We develop that same ability to be with people in that full-hearted way and the power of our connections become increasingly intimate and meaningful.
We'll begin the meditation by settling into a comfortable sitting posture,
Gently closing the eyes,
Softening the eyes,
Relaxing the shoulders,
Relax the belly,
And simply feel yourself sitting.
Sit and know you're sitting.
As we're aware of the body posture,
As we've settled into the body,
You will become aware of the sensations of the body breathing.
Breathing in,
Know you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Know you're breathing out.
At different times,
The attention may be called to particular sensations in the body.
As these sensations appear and become predominant,
Make a mental note,
A soft note,
Of what the sensation actually is,
Noting tension,
Tightness,
Or vibration,
Or pressure.
And when it's no longer predominant and no longer calling or compelling your attention,
Simply come back to mindfulness of the body sitting,
Mindful of your body breathing.
Becoming aware of different thoughts and emotions as they appear,
Noting them as they arise,
Seeing how they pass away.
And when it's no longer predominant and no longer calling or compelling your attention,
As the mindfulness becomes a little bit stronger,
You may have moments when the mind feels quiet,
A little more calm,
Perhaps resting more easily on the feeling of each breath.
At those times,
You can notice the greater intimacy,
The greater connectedness there is with whatever is arising,
Whether it's the breath or sensations or thoughts.
And when it's no longer predominant and no longer calling or compelling your attention,
As the mindfulness begins to come back,
You may have moments when the mind feels calm,
Before the mind gets caught up again in the train,
The run of thoughts or feelings.
But over the time of the training,
These moments of peace,
These moments of quiet may gradually increase,
And we have a more sustained ability to be with our experience in a calm and peaceful way.
If you find that the mind still has many thoughts arising,
That also is not a problem.
Recognize that in the moment of your being aware,
You are already mindful again,
And then simply coming back to the awareness of the body sitting again,
The awareness of the breath.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes and reconnect with the world around you.
As our minds become quieter,
We find that in our daily interactions,
We're much more able to be fully present for people,
To be connected with them.
So as you go through the day,
Pay attention to the kinds of interactions you're having with people and to the quality of your mind at that time.
Notice what it's like when the mind is scattered.
Are you able to connect deeply with the person you're speaking with?
Notice those times when the mind is more settled,
When you're actually present in the moment.
Is there a more heartful connection at those times?
In this way,
We begin to appreciate the great power of mindfulness and a quieting of the mind right in the midst of our daily interactions.
Looking forward to continuing with you tomorrow.
