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Guided Meditation: Meditating with Purpose

Hello from Redwood City, and welcome. I appreciate the chance for us to share these minutes here together, and some meditation and teaching.

One of the significant aspects of mindfulness practice, meditation practice, and also the brahmaviharas^[1]—the practice of these four forms of love—is that it can, if you would like, involve a life of purpose, a life of intentionality. All these things are something that we can, in a relaxed and open way without any attachment, be intent on. We can be clearly established in our deepest intention, recognizing that this is worthwhile. We can organize our mind and heart around this so that the mind is not chaotic. It's not random what goes through the mind; the mind is not just jumping around to many different things. Instead, there's an orientation of the mind: "Yes, this is what I'm about."

Of course, the mind might wander off, and other things might concern us, but there's a sense of a default, knowing this is important. This is the base, the foundation, the ground on which we stand. In Zen, they talk about living with a vow, which I understand to mean a life of purpose. It means knowing what we value the most and recognizing that it's worthwhile being oriented towards it. Part of knowing oneself is knowing what we value the most.

And so for this week, the topic is appreciative joy—rejoicing in the welfare, success, and fortune of others. We can do this with a sense of purpose; this is a worthwhile thing to do. If we think that appreciative joy is somehow superficial or beside the point, it is actually one of the really important doors for deep insight and deep liberation. With the capacity for appreciative joy comes so many other inner developments and cultivations of goodness for ourselves.

So we'll sit today, and I'll offer you, hopefully in a gentle way, the idea of sitting with intent. Assume a meditation posture, and if you're already in your posture, you might want to sway back and forth, side to side, and maybe arch your back a little bit. See if you can re-establish yourself with a clear sense of intent: Yes, with a big yes, this is the place where my attention will abide—here in this body, in this place, at this time. With a modicum of intent, a delightful sense of purpose, and a feeling of yes, you might gently close your eyes.

Take a few moments to orient yourself from the inside out to your body. Also, with a relaxed intent, as if this is the purpose of your whole being for these next few breaths—like nothing else is more important—take a few long, slow, deep breaths. Not only breathing in to fill your chest, but as you breathe in, try to relax your belly so the belly also expands. With a sense of purpose and a valuing of relaxation, as you exhale, soften and relax the body. Have a long exhale, relaxing and settling, and then let your breathing return to normal.

Then, as if you're on a quest—a purposeful quest, a very valuable search—perhaps the most important thing for the next few moments, search around your body for where there's holding or tension. It is a delightful search. And then, as you exhale, relax your body. Relax your face, your shoulders, your belly, and anything else. See if you can relax and soften the muscles as if it's the most important thing of the moment, giving yourself over completely to doing it, as opposed to doing it partially while thinking about something else.

Let yourself be oriented around breathing. Settle yourself into the body's experience of breathing. Is there a way that is appropriate for you to have a sense of purpose or intent with breathing? Be intent on attending to your breathing, not so that you're disappointed when the mind wanders off from the breathing, and not with any stress, but with a clear intent. Have a clear sense that this is what you're oriented to; this is the activity of this time and place: breathing.

As you exhale, remember to relax your thoughts. When we're intent, chances are the tension from that comes from how we think about it. Maybe intent is a deep inner engagement, an embodied sense of purpose—like we're making a choice to be grounded and established in the breathing here and now.

Perhaps lovingly, gently choose to be with your breathing as the most important thing now. All the other things you could be thinking about, while they're important in other times and places, are not valuable now. It's okay to put them aside. To be intent on breathing is to choose to have breathing as the valued location for awareness. Be intent to relax with the breathing. Bring a relaxed attention, but one which is committed in a soft way.

Of course, the mind wanders off in thought. When it does so, one of the really wonderful and important events is that we have the ability to begin again with the breathing. Rather than being discouraged or upset that the mind wanders off, appreciate this wonderful movement of returning to the breathing. Perhaps feel fortunate that you can do this very important thing: starting again with the breathing. It's almost as if this is key; this is what massages the mind and softens the mind.

When the mind wanders off in thought, maybe you can return to your breathing with an attitude of yes. Yes, this is good to start again. Appreciate rather than being discouraged. And if your mind does not wander off in thought, you can appreciate that with a big yes. Ah yes, this is good. Be careful that yes, this is good is not a thought that takes you away, but rather settles you more deeply.

Sit here with appreciation for what can be appreciated as you're meditating. As part of the meditation, what can you appreciate that's happened already? Maybe simply the opportunity to meditate, or maybe a little bit more calm or subtleness. Whatever there is to appreciate, recognize it. Maybe it's almost as if you can say it to yourself: a wonderful yes, ah yes. Saying this ah yes allows you to settle and open more to what's happening here in your practice.

A life of intent or purpose doesn't have to be grim or too serious. It can be a big affirmation of what we're oriented towards. A yes. An appreciation.

As we come to the end of the sitting, turn your attention outwards in whatever way is easy for you—in your thoughts, your body, your heart—towards the world around you. Towards the people in your lives, the people in your communities, people across the land, and across the globe. Have an intent to appreciate what is to be appreciated. Appreciate that there is goodness, generosity, love, kindness, and friendliness. In spite of what we read in the newspaper, there are probably more people who are doing good in the world. For these few minutes, relax with a big yes, an appreciation for what is good in this world of human beings. Because if we don't appreciate and affirm the goodness of humanity, will we ever be able to pull ourselves out of the mud of suffering and violence?

With your heart open and relaxed, maybe with a sense of delightful purpose for another minute, just say an ah yes—that there is goodness in this world. Feel an appreciative joy for that. There is a time and a place for appreciative joy, and for the next minute, this is the time for it.

May it be that on this day, these next 24 hours, we bring the benefits from this meditation practice out into the world, to the people we'll encounter, communicate with, or think about. Spend this day with a sense of purpose and intent to appreciate what is to be appreciated. Appreciate with a joyful yes in your heart. Yes. And may it be that your appreciation of others brings out the best in them, celebrates the best in them, and supports the best in others, so they too can feel joy and happiness in their success, their good fortune, and their goodness.

May all beings be appreciated. May all beings be valued. May all beings be seen for all of what they are, including their capacity for goodness. May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. And may all beings be free.