Welcome to your 7 homecomings practice as taught by Lama Rod Owens.
My name is Ekta and I have received an empowerment and authorization to teach this practice.
This is essentially a benefactor practice where we call upon sources of refuge,
Of protection,
Guidance,
Wisdom,
Support and encouragement.
For this practice you can choose a posture that works for you in this moment as you are.
You can be lying down,
You can be walking or simply sitting like me with a cup of tea.
To begin,
Pay attention to your environment.
Be aware of sounds,
Smells,
Light,
Textures and then slowly connect with your body,
With your seat.
Notice all points of contact with your seat and your body.
Invite yourself to just settle,
Whatever that looks like.
There is no wrong way to do this practice.
If your mind is busy,
That is okay.
That is the experience of the mind in this moment.
If your mind is still,
That's okay too.
That's the experience in this moment.
There is no particular way you are supposed to feel.
If that feels okay for you,
Place one hand on your chest and the other on the earth to feel the connection with the earth or a symbol of the earth.
Perhaps it is your seat,
Perhaps it is the actual floor on which you're sitting.
If you're walking around,
Maybe you pause and you touch the road,
The concrete,
The bath or a tree.
You can also use a visualization if that fits.
Calling on the earth to witness just as the Buddha did at their moment of awakening.
Set an intention for your practice today.
How would you like to show up?
What would you like to discover?
You can even choose a word like presence,
Openness,
Something like a value to guide your participation in the practice.
Something like a value to guide your participation through the next few minutes.
Our first homecoming is that of our guides,
Our mentors,
Our teachers,
Our gurus.
Invite your mentors,
Your guides,
Your teachers,
Whether in your spiritual lineage,
In your academic lineage,
Somebody that you've learned from,
Whether they know you or not directly,
If their work has had an impact on you,
They are your teachers.
Those teachers,
Those guides who have our best interests at heart,
We invite them into this practice.
Welcome to my guides.
For a few moments,
Breathe in the presence of your guides.
Maybe you are surprised by who shows up for you,
Maybe you're not.
Our second homecoming is that of our wisdom texts.
Wisdom texts can be any sources of inspiration that come in the form of media,
Books,
Music,
Spiritual texts.
I don't know,
The communist manifesto maybe,
All about love by bell hooks.
Any texts that have inspired you on this path to eternal freedom,
Complete freedom,
Welcome their essence.
For me,
In this homecoming,
I include practices and rituals that have supported me in my journey.
So if that fits for you,
You could also invite the essence of practices and rituals that serve as an encouragement for you.
And for a few moments,
I invite you to meditate with me.
Breathe with your guides and your wisdom texts.
Our third homecoming is that of our communities.
Communities where we feel safe and brave enough to give and receive love,
To give and receive feedback,
To be and show up just as we are.
These communities,
Maybe your sangha,
Your spiritual sangha,
A book club,
Maybe it is a virtual sangha of people from all over the world.
Or maybe it's an aspirational sangha.
You're inviting the essence of such communities into your practice.
We welcome the homecoming of communities.
And for a few moments,
Breathe and be with your guides,
Your wisdom texts,
And your communities.
Our fourth homecoming is that of our ancestors and lineages.
We welcome our ancestors,
Biological and chosen,
Who have our best interests at heart into our practice.
These ancestors could be chosen ones in terms of activists,
Revolutionaries,
Queer liberation figures,
People whose work we have been inspired by and who have our best interests at heart,
As well as those from a family line that are looking out for us,
Rooting for us.
We also welcome the essence and energies of our practice lineages.
These could be spiritual,
These could be activism-based,
These could be inspired through music and dance lineages.
Whatever is meaningful for you,
Welcome those lineages into your practice.
And for a while,
Breathe with your guides,
Your wisdom texts,
Your communities,
And your ancestors and lineages.
Our fifth homecoming is that of the earth.
Earth as protector,
As support.
Earth as nourishment.
Earth as protection,
Neutralizing.
Earth as nurturing,
Uplifting.
The unconditional love that allows us to navigate the earth,
Go anywhere we please,
Get on a plane,
But eventually we come home to the earth.
We welcome the essence of earth into our practice.
And for a while,
Breathe with the earth,
Your ancestor lineages,
Your communities,
Your wisdom texts and guides.
Our sixth homecoming is that of silence.
Silence as space,
Silence as rest.
Silence as the essence where we can be just as we are.
Silence as the essence where we can be just as we are.
Silence as pratyahara,
A form of non-striving,
Non-effort,
Where we contemplate,
Where we rest,
Where we show up just as we are in the moment.
Silence as that space where we practice refraining from unskillful thoughts,
Actions and speech.
For a moment,
Breathe with silence,
The earth,
Your ancestors,
Lineages,
Communities,
Communities,
Wisdom texts and guides.
A final homecoming is that of the self.
All parts of us are welcomed into this practice.
The jagged parts,
The jiggly parts,
The shadowy parts and the shiny parts,
Parts that we know and are proud of,
Parts that we don't know,
Perhaps we deny,
Are afraid of,
Parts that we are ashamed of.
All of us,
All of me,
All of you is welcome in the circle of benefactors.
And for a moment,
Breathe with all parts of you,
With silence,
With the earth,
With your ancestors,
Lineages,
Communities,
Wisdom texts and guides.
Trust that you will receive what you need to.
Trust that this practice will turn out just as you need it to.
You can stay here in this space as long as you need amongst your benefactors,
If you are ready to transition.
And if it fits,
Once again,
Bring one hand to your chest and the other to the earth,
And if it fits,
Once again,
Bring one hand to your chest and the other to the earth,
Intending to ground the wisdom in our mind,
Body,
Thoughts,
Action and speech.
Thank your benefactors,
The seven homecomings,
Including yourself,
And send them back,
Knowing that you can connect with them any time you need.
Dedicate the merit of this practice to someone you know in need.
Thank you for practicing with me.
I hope that you will use this practice individually or in groups anytime you need.
Thank you.
