A Meditation From Getting Beyond Reproach

My first hope is that no one notices whenever I say or do something unskillful. Hat trick. But let’s say that happens - no one notices. What then? Then, I have to notice. And I need to call myself out. With humor, hopefully – after all, this 'being human' is an imperfect thing - but yes, call me out.

This means that until I’m no longer unskillful, which is probably not ever coming, I won’t get beyond reproach.

Which feels cringey. But also, true, and like a relief.

Transcript

So finding your posture for today,

Whatever that is,

Whatever posture you want to take right now that will be supportive of your practice of your being able to look into this aspiration to end suffering.

One of my friends,

Dear friends and teachers,

Co-teacher in our teacher training program,

Which we just had the first intensive last weekend.

So I'm still really feeling the,

Yeah,

The power of that.

And he was saying,

Yeah,

Just have the aspiration to reduce suffering for one person today,

Just one person.

So seeing if in our practice right now we can locate that aspiration.

You know,

Maybe,

Maybe your heart is a little bit open or maybe the mind is a little bit soft.

Maybe in taking these few minutes together to let go of all the busyness and the to-do list,

There's this sense of peace.

And that's what you have to pass along today to someone.

That would not be a small thing.

Sometimes it's helpful to recollect a kind word or kindness that we offered in the past,

Yesterday,

Last week.

Where are we already doing this?

Because we undoubtedly are,

We're here practicing together.

So we are undoubtedly offering kindness in the world just by being here,

Cultivating that together.

And it's considered very skillful to recollect our own goodness.

The Galway canal poem,

St.

Francis and the Sow,

Where he says,

Sometimes we have to reteach a thing its loveliness.

So can we recollect our own loveliness,

Our own kindness,

Our own aspiration to end suffering for just one person,

Just one day.

Remembering the good and also remembering we're not necessarily trying to get beyond reproach,

But we are taking a sense of humor with us.

Yeah,

We're humans.

We're going to mess up and we're doing such a good thing by paying attention to that,

By having the intention to pay attention and to do better.

Such a good thing.