So first just taking a deep breath and settling into your seat.
If you're sitting,
Feeling your feet connected to the floor,
The earth.
Same if you're standing or if you're lying down,
Feeling the connection of the body to the earth.
Taking a moment to settle in and then just considering whatever good fortune that you have that comes to mind.
And maybe it's something very small,
Maybe it's something large.
Like I said,
It could be your tea,
Your coffee this morning,
This afternoon.
It could be sun shining in through the window.
It could be something joyful happening in your life.
And really making a wish for yourself and saying it affirmatively.
You could say it out loud if you're in a space where you can do that or you could just say it to yourself.
May I attend to this joy and may my joy continue.
May I attend to this joy.
Really see it,
Feel it,
Drink it in and may my joy continue.
And if there's any resistance,
Just smile at that resistance.
It's kind of funny sometimes,
I don't know about you,
But the way that I can sometimes resist joy.
So don't resist or if you do,
Just smile at the resistance.
May I notice my joy,
May I savor it,
May I see my joy and may my joy continue.
And now call to mind someone who you really love in an easy way.
So it could be a best friend,
Could be your favorite sibling,
Could be your dog,
Your cat,
Could be a spiritual figure who's very alive for you.
And specifically call to mind some moment of joy that they have experienced.
And then say,
You could say out loud or just say to yourself,
I see your joy.
May your joy continue.
May your joy increase.
May your joy continue.
May your joy increase.
And maybe you're already smiling.
If you're not,
It's helpful to bring a smile to your face.
And now think of someone who is just a friend,
Someone you care about a little,
You know,
Maybe not the person who is the closest to you,
But you know them,
They're a friend to you and just see some joy in their lives,
Small or big,
Small or big.
And just say,
I see your joy.
May your joy continue.
May your joy increase.
May your joy continue and may it increase.
Just check in internally and see if there's a little bit of peace.
Peace because of wishing joy for other people.
Right?
So the joy of this human birth and part of that,
Part of that is connecting,
Realizing that we are interconnected.
Another amazing part of being human.
I see your joy.
May your joy continue.
May your joy increase.
And now for a completely neutral person in your life,
Someone you don't even know,
A person at the market that you see every so often,
Or it could be a person who's unhoused,
Who you see on the street,
Or could be someone in a big meeting in a Zoom that you occasionally see,
But you barely know their name.
And just imagine some joy in their life.
Perhaps only this joy of being human,
Of being connected to other people.
And say,
I see your joy too.
May your joy continue.
And may your joy increase.
And now you know where we're going.
We're going to the difficult person.
Yeah?
The difficult person.
And you know,
If this gets tricky,
Then just smile at that.
Right?
The joy of doing the very best that you can and thinking of your difficult person.
Right?
Yeah,
I see your joy.
I see your joy.
May your joy continue.
May your joy increase.
Because maybe if this difficult person has more joy in their life,
They'll be less difficult.
Right?
And anyway,
It's better if they're happy in a wholesome way.
Right?
Not wishing unwholesome happiness,
Which they may wish for themselves,
But wishing them wholesome happiness to be connected to everyone else.
And then just letting go of the categories altogether.
And just imagining your connection,
Our connection to each other,
To all beings,
And seeing that there is joy in that.
And may that joy continue.
And may that joy increase.
