We want to do what is good,
What is beneficial,
Both for ourselves and for others and for the world.
And that is the reason why we are sitting here and doing whatever we're doing,
Listening to teachings,
Doing meditation,
And so on.
So just take a few moments to do the best you can,
To bring into your mind that way of thinking,
That attitude of wanting to do what is helpful,
What is beneficial,
What is positive,
What will help yourself and others and the world,
And think that that is your reason for being here,
Participating in this session.
So let's spend the first few minutes of this meditation time sitting quietly.
And it's good to sit in a position that's both comfortable but also conducive for meditation.
So that might mean sitting cross-legged if you're able to do that,
Or sitting on a chair or a sofa.
But however you're sitting,
The best thing,
The most important thing about the posture is to keep your back straight.
So try to sit up straight so your spine is erect.
That helps your mind to be more clear and focused,
Less likely to become drowsy or get distracted by other things.
But while keeping the back straight,
The other parts of our body ideally should be relaxed,
Not tight or tense.
So if there is any tension anywhere in your body,
See if you can gently let it go.
Just say to that part of your body,
Relax,
Let go of the tension and imagine it melting and then flowing away and maybe sinking into the earth below or just evaporating in space.
Just try to let go of as much tension as possible in all the parts of your body.
And let your breathing be natural without controlling or manipulating your breath.
Just allow your body to breathe as it normally does.
Sometimes the breath might be longer,
Sometimes shorter.
That's okay.
Your body knows how much air it needs to take in.
So just let the breath flow in and out in a natural way.
And the breath can be used as an object to focus our attention on in order to be in the present,
The present place and present moment,
Because our breath is right here right now.
So when we're watching our breath coming in and going out,
Naturally our mind is in the present.
So do the best you can to keep your mind in the present.
There may be thoughts of the past,
What you did earlier today or yesterday,
Or thoughts of the future plans you have for what you're going to do later today or tomorrow next week.
So put those thoughts aside for now.
You can always think about them again later,
But for this period of time,
Just keep your mind right here right now in what we're doing.
That way we can get the greatest amount of benefit from it.
So if thoughts pop up in your mind,
Just notice them.
Don't get upset.
Don't beat yourself up.
But just gently let them go or put them aside and come back to the present.
Come back to your breath.
Okay.
So in this meditation,
We will try to get in touch with that feeling of compassion,
Which does exist in our mind,
Although we may not always be in touch with it.
So one way we can get in touch with that feeling is to bring to mind compassionate people that we know or have observed and think about how they show their compassion,
How a compassionate person behaves.
So for the next few minutes,
Bring to mind experiences where you saw someone behaving in a compassionate way.
So examples would be a parent caring for her or his children,
And this is not restricted to human beings.
Animal mothers are incredibly dedicated and attentive to their babies and sometimes animal fathers as well.
Bring to mind examples where you observe that human or animal parents taking care of their young ones.
Other examples could be a caregiver caring for a person who is ill or elderly or disabled or dying,
Or a social worker or a psychologist caring for a client who is going through difficulties,
A person reaching out to help a neighbor,
Or a homeless person in the street.
So these are just some examples of compassion in action.
So for the next few minutes,
Bring to mind as many of these examples as you can think of,
But don't rush from one to another.
Instead,
Spend at least 30 seconds focusing on each one and observe your own mind,
Your heart.
How does witnessing compassion in another person or being affect you?
What does it do to your own mind or heart?
We're going to have to pull again from our set of slides.
You get ready.
OK.
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So let's conclude this meditation with the dedication of the merit or positive potential we've created.
We started off wishing to bring benefit to not only ourselves but others and the world.
So let's close by dedicating the positive energy of doing this meditation to that very goal.
To the benefit,
Welfare,
Happiness,
Peace,
And ultimately enlightenment of all living beings throughout the world,
Throughout the universe.
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