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Introduction

Hello everyone. I see all these wonderful expressions of gratitude here on gratitude day, Thanksgiving Day. I love this word "thanksgiving" and the sentiment of it—that it implies both receiving and giving. We offer thanks; usually, we are thanking someone for something we've received and appreciated. But also, we are giving something: we are giving thanks. "Thank you" is a wonderful offering to the world. The appreciation is mutual, and it goes around. To live in a world of mutual appreciation is a wonderful world to live in, a world of mutual gratitude.

I am certainly very grateful for all of you who have been coming, some of you since March. To be able to share this time and this practice is one of the great joys, and I thank you all for this as well.

Guided Meditation: Seven Factors of Awakening

For today, I want to do a guided meditation on the Seven Factors of Awakening^[1]. They are the treasures of Buddhism, treasures of Buddhist meditation and Vipassanā^[2] practice. I approach this guided meditation with the idea that the Seven Factors of Awakening are present in everyone's life to some degree. It may be a very small degree at times, but we can learn to notice their little presences here and there. One of the principles of Buddhism is that when you notice the Seven Factors of Awakening, it encourages them to grow. It makes space for them to expand and develop. So, I want to guide you through them as part of this mindfulness meditation. Maybe you can be content with the slightest little feeling or sense of how these are in you as we do this.

Take a meditation posture and sit in a way that supports you to be alert, to bring a sense of embodied presence, and also supports you to be at ease. Even if your body has some discomfort, perhaps there is some posture that gives you more ease in which to be aware.

As a way of turning the attention inwards and really being here in the present, you might close your eyes. Let your eyes rest in their sockets. If it is no strain, maybe it is more restful to have the eyes looking down and backwards, or not looking at all, but certainly not using the eyes to try to see our experience. To some degree, mindfulness has a lot to do with experiencing experience. To experience ourselves in our body, take a few long, slow, deep breaths. Take a deep inhale to be a little bit more embodied, and then maybe a longer, fuller exhale that is more relaxing—a letting go, not forcing the air out. Then let your breathing return to normal.

As a way of heightening your sense of awareness, making room for it, clearing the field for it, relax your body. Awareness is used to bring your attention to different parts of the body, and awareness is present as we relax. Maybe that relaxing can also open awareness more fully here. Soften the muscles of the face. Soften around the jaw. Relax the shoulders. You might feel your elbows and just flap them a little bit, making sure they're not frozen or tight, keeping them loose. Relax your chest, and relax the belly. As the belly relaxes, maybe awareness can expand a bit, or allow there to be a teeny bit more clarity of mindfulness.

For this guided meditation on the seven factors, you might think of mindfulness as a light—the sunlight in the morning. If you are sitting at the edge of a lake, or in your living room looking out the window, and it is still nighttime, the sunlight just begins to lighten up the sky or lighten up what you're looking at. As we develop mindfulness, we are awakening the sunrise of awareness. Gently, receptively, let the light of awareness shine on your breathing. It is not so much a doing of mindfulness, but as the mind becomes more aware, the experience of breathing naturally comes into greater clarity and greater focus.

The body's experience of breathing is always in the present moment. As the light of awareness appears, it is the present moment that appears. To be involved in the past, the future, or fantasy is a kind of going back into a dimness where the present moment recedes. Mindfulness of breathing in and breathing out.

As the morning dawn becomes stronger, we start seeing distinctions more clearly—distinctions in color. Early on, it is more gray, but then we begin to see the distinction between reds, browns, greens, and blues. In the same way, as we sit and meditate with the breathing, we start seeing more distinctions. As the light of awareness gets clearer and brighter, the distinction between the parts of the body where we experience breathing and the parts of the body where we don't becomes clear. The parts of the body where we breathe stand out in a little bit more highlight.

Become aware of the distinction between the experience of breathing in and breathing out. You are not searching and looking for distinctions, but it is almost like you are asking the question, "What is this?" Then you allow this to show itself more fully. What is the experience of inhaling? What is it at the beginning of the inhale, the middle, and the end? Is it quick or short, smooth or choppy, pleasant or unpleasant? What is the experience of exhaling? Allow the exhale to be clear in the light of awareness.

At dawn, as the morning light gets stronger, there is a natural energy or interest in seeing the world that is coming into clarity, the world that is being born with the growing light. There is a kind of energy or vitality—maybe a peaceful vitality, a relaxed curiosity—to notice, "What is this?" or just to enjoy this. Not to do anything with it or make anything happen, but in the greater light of the dawn and alertness, there is an interest: "What is this?"

Mindfulness takes a little bit of energy. Appreciate the energy of being aware, the energy that comes almost from just appreciating being aware of breathing. This is an awareness which is not thinking about things, but that comes when we are not thinking so much. Perhaps as the light of the morning gets stronger—the light of awareness—you can begin to appreciate it. Maybe there even comes a joy, some mild delight in this amazing capacity to be aware. It is an amazing capacity to be aware of the lived life as we are sitting here breathing.

Then, as the morning light gets stronger, at some point things start feeling clear and crisp, and there is a tranquility. The mind settles in and feels safe. It feels tranquil. There is no need to do anything but to sit and enjoy the coming dawn. Settling back, relaxing deeply. Relaxing the weary mind, the mind that works so much. As you exhale, maybe you can let the mind relax, so that awareness opens more.

[Music]

With the mind relaxing and settling, the whole environment can settle now as the light gets stronger. Just let your whole system in the field of awareness, the field of clarity, come together, relax, and center itself on your breathing.

When the morning dawn is complete, the light is full and clear. Clear skies, clear air. There is nothing to do and nothing to be except sit there and look out the window or look across the lake, and be equanimous. Be at peace with how things are in the moment, whatever comes through. A bird flies over the lake, a squirrel goes out on the lawn or on a tree outside the window. Whatever happens, stay peaceful, at ease, equanimous. It is as if the light has been turned on and everything that comes into view is just allowed to be there in the light of awareness. Breathing in and breathing out.

When the dawn is complete and the full morning light shines on everything, it is like awareness is complete and is now awake. Each of these Seven Factors are qualities of a wakeful awareness. I will list the seven. As you hear the words, maybe you can feel your way into how they are qualities of being awake, of the awareness being open, full, and free.

• Mindfulness
• Distinguishing experiences (sometimes called investigation)—distinguishing things from each other
• Energy, vitality
• Joy
• Tranquility
• Concentration, or unification
• Equanimity

Letting go. Letting go of all things, and letting go into being awake.

In whatever way that it is available to you, sit here with some sense of being awake. Even if you are tired, awareness can have a little clarity that is associated with being awake. Openness. Open to all things.

Then, with whatever wakefulness is here, awaken your heart. Awaken the heart qualities of goodwill, kind regard for others, loving-kindness^[3], generosity, appreciation, gratitude, and delight. Whatever care and goodwill you have for others, spend a few moments here opening that up wide and far. Include in your concern, your care, and your awareness the entire world of living beings.

To end this meditation, have some thoughts about who in this world you have greater appreciation for, and how you can express that appreciation in some way. Maybe in gratitude, maybe in affirming someone else, maybe in generosity, or maybe with a heartfelt wish:

May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be free.
May all beings be appreciated.

[Music]