Welcome to this meditation on kindness.
I'm Lisa J.
I invite you to softly close your eyes.
And now let's take together a slow,
Long,
Deep breath in through the nose.
And slowly breathe out.
Releasing whatever heaviness you might be carrying.
Let's do this again.
One long,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
And release it even more slowly.
Now allow the rhythm of your breath to return to something that is soft and quiet.
And I want to see if you can relax your body,
Drop your shoulders,
Loosen your jaw.
Really try to loosen as much as you can.
Allow the rhythm of your breath.
To be soft and quiet.
And let's make some room.
By emptying your thoughts as best you can.
Because I want to bring something into your mind's memory.
I'd like for you to recall a time when you may have been walking on a city street.
And you came upon a person in need.
Possibly an unhoused individual.
And you gave them a little something.
Maybe it was loose change.
Maybe you bought them a sandwich?
Or simply,
You each exchanged a simple hello and a connection through the eyes.
Do you remember that moment of simple kindness?
But with the influence of society,
Like many of us,
Did your mind quickly follow up with an unasked for reprimand?
As in,
You shouldn't be so generous.
They'll waste whatever you gave them.
They should get a job.
You know,
You're just enabling their addiction.
Or maybe you heard these opinions from others,
People in your circle of friends who might have been with you.
Well,
I invite you to let those voices,
Those scoldings go forever.
In the final chapters of the Bhagavad Gita.
Krishna teaches Arjuna.
That one of our highest spiritual callings is to give alms,
Kindness.
Freely to others.
Without any attention.
To the fruits or outcome.
Of your actions.
In fact,
It is one's duty to give with a positive mindset and an open,
Loving heart.
And it's especially important from those of us here in the mindfulness community.
We give because giving is the right thing to do with no sense of return,
Obligation,
Nor outcome for the receiver or for us,
The giver.
Whether the money you give becomes food.
Whether it becomes liquor Whether it changes a life.
Or changes nothing at all.
That is not ours to carry.
The gift is the gift.
Without the weight of but or what if.
The action of kindness is the action of kindness.
Okay,
Let's take a breath in on this.
And out.
Krishna instructed Arjuna,
That when one gives an alms or a kindness to another,
They should whisper the mantra OM TAT SAT.
Sat.
Repeat that with me.
Om.
Thut-hut-sut The first part,
Aum,
Means may any selfishness or pride on my part be washed away from this action.
Tart.
This act may flow by way of my heart in my hand,
But it does not belong to me.
It belongs to the divine.
And sat.
The goodness of the act is complete in itself.
OM TAT SAT Let's see it together.
AUM Sot.
And they'll say it silently.
And let's take this into meditation.
Continue quietly at your own pace.
Breathing gently.
Your mind and thoughts may wander.
Because that's normal,
They do in meditation.
And when you notice that your thoughts have drifted away from the mantra,
Gently pull them back into attention on your breath.
Om Tat.
Sat.
Let's begin.
It's hot.
It's hot.
Giving freely,
Expecting nothing.
From this point forward.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
May all beings be fed.
May all beings be sheltered.
And may all beings know kindness.
Om Tat Sat.
Thank you for joining me on this journey of kindness.
And I just want to say how grateful I am for your practice.
