Meditation From Wise Lawyering: Practicing Peace

Pema Chodron invites us to ask, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?”

That’s the question I would ask my 20-year-old self today. It’s the question I ask my 65-year-old self as often as I can remember: “Today, will I be practicing peace?”

What about you? Are you practicing peace? Or do you wake up

Transcript

So finding a comfortable posture,

Whatever would best support you for the next few minutes.

Taking a couple of intentional breaths.

Settling into the body.

Letting the body settle into the moment.

And beginning to pay attention to each breath as it flows in and out of the body.

Stabilizing the mind.

And beginning to see whether there are any shadows,

Any agitation.

Anything to look at might reflect back on something you've said or done or a choice that you've made.

Without any judgment,

Without any self-recrimination,

Just out of curiosity.

How does my body reflect?

My life,

My conduct,

My choices.

And whatever you're noticing,

Seeing if you can notice it with a warm and compassionate heart.

Whether there's agitation,

Regret,

Sorrow,

Or whether there is joy and gladness.

Receive whatever you notice with a warm heart.

And seeing if the warmth of the heart can support peace,

Can support a kind of peacefulness with whatever is present.

Because it's not about getting it perfectly or getting it perfect.

It's about making peace with whatever we discover in each moment.

So Pema Chodron's question is,

Is for each moment,

Am I going to practice peace or am I going to war?