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Guided Meditation: Meditating with Wisdom

My warm greetings to your meditation session that we're very fortunate to do together as a community, spread around the globe. And [unintelligible], certainly meditation has a lot to do with being in the present moment here and now, but to be supported by here and there—"there, now," "there and now"—is pretty special.

So one of the great questions is: Is it wise? Is what we're doing, what we're saying, what we're going to say, what we're going to do, even what we think, and what we allow ourselves to feel in some kind of ongoing, participatory way—is it wise?

Probably many of us don't ask ourselves questions regularly like this. But if we did, based on how we navigate through the world, sometimes the questions would be, "Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I approved? Am I not approved?" But what if the question is, "Is this wise?"

That begs the second question: What is wisdom? What is wise? There are many answers, but in early Buddhism, the answer has a lot to do with: Is it causing harm, or is it causing benefit? Is there an "ouch," or is there a "yes, this is good, this feels onward-leading to greater benefit for me"? It's not simply that it's pleasant or enjoyable, but yes, it's really onward-leading. It's always supportive, nourishing for greater nourishment, greater thriving.

So, "Is it wise?" That's the question for this meditation. With a reference point of, is this harmful to keep thinking this, keep doing this? Is it harmful to strive or strain in meditation, or to judge oneself? Or what way of being in meditation supports a certain kind of inner nourishment, even an inner thriving? That's not just about having a pleasant meditation, but having something that really evokes dignity and value, and evokes even the paramis^[1] and these beautiful qualities—the beauty that's within—and leads to greater and greater benefit.

So taking a meditation posture, taking a wise posture. The posture that's wise for you to take, given the circumstances that you're in, your situation. What's the wise posture to take? And if it's wise to close your eyes, or half-close them, maybe looking downward at a 45-degree angle at nothing in particular. It can be wise to create a greater connectedness to oneself, or to say it differently, in order to begin the process of gathering greater information, greater experience about what really is beneficial and what is harmful.

We want to be well-grounded in the body. The body is the primary reference point for what is nourishing, what helps us to thrive within, a kind of spiritual thriving. And so, take a few long, slow, deep breaths as a reminder to begin expanding your attention to your body. Perhaps with deeper in-breaths, you can also have a little longer exhale where there's a relaxation, a letting go. At the end of the exhale, it might be possible to have half a moment further of letting go; breathe out a teeny bit more. Breathing in and breathing out, and then letting your breathing return to normal.

It's often useful to have a clear idea of what the primary anchor or focus is for mindfulness. I commonly will teach using breathing. And whatever the primary focus you have, what's the wise way of being present for it, given how you are? Given your degree of distractibility and non-distractibility; given the degree to which you might strive or hesitate, or be too complacent or easy-going—what is the wise way of really connecting and beginning with the breathing or your other object? So there's a feeling of "yes," maybe even a feeling of being nourished and supported in how you attend.

Sometimes it's helpful to do so with a sense of gentle determination. Sometimes it's better at the beginning to think of it as starting a marathon, and just not try too hard, but clearly you're in it, you're in the practice. Not forcing or pushing your way into the practice, but easing your way. What is the wise way?

It's wise to develop steadiness, a capacity for focus and concentration. And what is the wise way of working with the mind that gets distracted, so that when you begin again with your breathing, that beginning again is nourishing, is supportive? Finding a wise way to always start again, so you can in a sense look forward to coming back from your wandering mind and starting again. It feels good, it feels right.

And sitting here for this period with a wise question: Is what I'm doing now for my welfare or for my harm? And to lovingly move in the direction of what's for your benefit. What kind of concentration, what kind of present-moment mindfulness supports greater benefit, moment by moment?

What is wise? It can be wise to have a higher-quality attention to your present-moment experience. Perhaps from the inside out, from inside the body here. A kind of full presence, full attentiveness to our lived experience. It's wise because with that kind of attention, you can find the way, find the path, find freedom.

Reflections

And then as we come to the end of this meditation, it's always good to spend a few moments at the end, after it's over if you're sitting alone, to reflect on how you can live a life that's beneficial for others. And how is it that the benefits that you receive from meditation support your ability to know what is beneficial, beneficial for others, to wish to benefit others?

And in relationship to wisdom, I'm thinking that one of the great gifts to give others is something that in the tradition is called abhaya^[2]. Abhaya can mean both fearlessness and safety. And to give people the gift, the dana^[3] of safety. Give them the gift that they have nothing to fear, they can be fearless at least from you.

And may it be that as we live our lives between now and the next meditation that you do, that you consider ways in which you can live so that you are a source of safety for other people. They feel safe with you. Many people do not have much experience of safety. And to offer the gift of safety can be quite profound. A sense of safety is the doorway by which we and others can grow and develop and mature, and come into the fullness of liberation, the fullness of compassion.

May on this day, in any of the ways that we might interact with others, even support others, may we do so while providing the gift of safety. May all beings be safe, at ease, peaceful, healthy, and free. May all beings be happy.