Meditation for Recovery 11: Principles to Train the Mind

Day 11 is a reflection on ethics. We reflect on five fundamental guidelines that can help us to transform our body, speech and mind. Music by Laurie Lesk

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Vimla Sara.

Welcome to day 11,

A day of reflecting on ethics.

It has been said that if your life is full of drama,

Crisis or chaos,

Take a look at your ethical life.

Often we can point our finger at somebody else and not take a good look at ourselves.

Living a more ethical life is a crucial part of maintaining recovery.

You could see becoming more ethical as a practice of self-forgiveness and self-compassion.

Today's music has been composed and arranged by Yeshe Shodran,

Also known as Laurie Lesk.

Gandhi said,

We must be the change we want to see in the world.

The Buddha offers us principles to help train the mind so we can be that change.

They are not commandments or given by some almighty being above.

They are principles to help you with your negative mental states.

You become aware of these principles and start from where you are.

What we do in our everyday life will have an impact on our sobriety of mind.

When we live a more ethical life,

It helps to maintain sobriety and equilibrium in our daily life.

We will take the next 10 minutes reflecting in turn on each principle while reciting what we can do to help us live more in line with them.

You can say them out loud or silently to yourself.

We will do each one three times in call and response.

I undertake to abstain from harming life.

With deeds of loving kindness I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from harming life.

With deeds of loving kindness I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from harming life.

With deeds of loving kindness I purify my body.

Now reflect on this question for 90 seconds.

What deeds of loving kindness can you do to help transform body,

Speech and mind?

I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.

With open-handed generosity I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.

With open-handed generosity I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.

With open-handed generosity I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.

With open-handed generosity I purify my body.

Now reflect on this question for 90 seconds.

What acts of generosity can you do to transform body,

Speech and mind?

I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.

With open-handed generosity I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.

I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct.

With stillness,

Simplicity and contentment I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct.

With stillness,

Simplicity and contentment I purify my body.

I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct.

With stillness,

Simplicity and contentment I purify my body.

Now reflect on this question for 90 seconds.

How can you bring about more stillness,

Simplicity and contentment in your life?

How can you bring about more stillness,

Simplicity and contentment in your life?

How can you bring about more stillness,

Simplicity and contentment in your life?

How can you bring about more stillness,

Simplicity and contentment in your life?

I undertake to abstain from false speech.

With truthful communication I purify my speech.

I undertake to abstain from false speech.

With truthful communication I purify my speech.

I undertake to abstain from false speech.

With truthful communication I purify my speech.

Now reflect on this question for 90 seconds.

How could you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How could you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How could you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How could you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How could you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

I undertake to abstain from taking intoxicants.

With mindfulness clear and radiant I purify my mind.

I undertake to abstain from taking intoxicants.

With mindfulness clear and radiant I purify my mind.

I undertake to abstain from taking intoxicants.

With mindfulness clear and radiant I purify my mind.

Now reflect on this question for 90 seconds.

How can you transform your mind so it becomes more clear and radiant?

How can you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How can you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How can you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How can you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

How can you make your communication more truthful and kind to help transform your speech?

This is Vimla Sara wishing that you become the change you want to be in the world.

Wishing you a day abundant with self compassion.

Reviews

I love this meditation

This was lovely, thank you! I started my day with thia and feel much better inside than when I say down to meditate.

This is a wonderful journey and food for thought! Thank you 🙏

I have used this meditation for few years daily and am convinced that it, along with daily silent meditation times, has greatly influenced my letting go old patterns of living my recovery & becoming that person of INTEGRITY i had always wondered if was possible.

Hopeful & healing

My favorite of this series so far. With enough time to meditate on my own in each segment, calming and powerful

I found this helpful, Namaste

Thank you for being one of the tools to my recovery.

Very nice practice. Thank you.

So cool! So crisp! So British! 😀

Very helpful. Thank you.

I love every meditation in this series and this one resonates with me the most. So encouraging.

Loved the music, the intentions, the compassion!

I appreciate this meditation

Appreciated the time for reflection.