Daily Reflection Sit

Appreciate small moments of clarity and insight; fewer bells and whistles, more appreciative moments

It is a path, a path of slow and gradual awakenings, ah-ha moments, understandings that lead to less stress and more ease of wellbeing. . It is conditioned in by the totality of our experience– all of the bumps in the road, all of the detours, the scraped knees, broken hearts, our tendencies toward extremes, and the many moments of feeling our way back to center. It comes from mindful reflection and discernment of what has happened, not once but many times, such that each time a piece of the puzzle of inner learning is revealed.

Wisdom changes how we see and relate to ourselves, each other and the world.

How often is what we see and understand colored by our conditioned perceptions? The way we free ourselves, and “go beyond” our habits and conditioning, is to see ourselves, just as we are and have been.

Using Valarie Kaur’s phrase “You are a part of me I do not yet know”, as a way to invite ourselves into the openness and vulnerability of wonder as we connect with all beings, including ourselves.

In each letting go, from moment to moment, we are developing and deepening trust, and then wisdom more easily arises.

As we deepen our meditation practice we become more discerning in a felt and embodied way of our attractions and aversions and preferences. We see with greater clarity how we got caught in stories. We feel for what is harmful and orient in the direction of well-being and more skillfulness. This is one of the ways we cultivate wisdom.

Skillfulness, meditation or developing the heart mind, and understanding through that development - these three groupings, comprise the whole of the practice of mindfulness & bring about ease of wellbeing.

Pain may or may not pass but it is not to be ignored. It is to be seen and cared for, as another would minister to us!

THIS kind of wisdom is born out of understandings gleaned from felt experience, not deductive reasoning.

Setting the compass toward non-harm within and without.

A distinguishing characteristic of mindfulness meditation is that it investigates what is really happening by learning to SEE and FEEL from a non-judgmental posture of caring attention.