This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

Introduction

So hello everyone and welcome to our meditation time together.

As an introduction to this meditation, and continuing on the theme of this week, which is appreciative joy, one of the very important principles for Buddhist practice is that there are plenty of ideals in Buddhism. The topic of this week is an ideal: the idea of being able to feel joy, rejoicing, and celebrating the good fortune and successes of other people. But as with other ideals, one of the very important ways of practicing with an ideal is not to strive to attain it and to be it in some way that's a little bit manufacturing it, or trying to be in a way that's not actually how we are.

One way to practice with these ideals is to notice what gets in the way of it, what stands in the way, what makes it difficult for us to experience this. And so when we sit and meditate in Buddhism, we can remember that there's plenty of teachings and guidance for experiencing joy and happiness and well-being in meditation. But as useful as these are for the path of practice, it's more useful to notice what gets in the way of it, what the challenges are. This is the realism and the pragmatism of Buddhism, to really learn how to sit with our challenges, our discomforts, our sufferings, our pains. And over time, to really learn how to sit in the midst of it, in the middle of the fire, and be free. One characteristic of that freedom is some degree of equanimity^[1].

But in terms of joy, to recognize where we're uncomfortable, to recognize how we're feeling which is not joyful, and to sit and be quiet and still, and recognize it with as non-reactive a mind as we can, just to see it, is definitely part of the path of mindfulness. And as such, it's possible to feel a kind of joy or satisfaction, or sense of rightness, that we're meeting our life as it actually is. We're not trying to bypass what's going on, but we're learning how to really be present for all the parts of our life, and to have faith that that's part of a path that goes onward, leading to greater freedom.

And so there's also the kind of joy of having faith that we don't just experience suffering and discomforts for their own sake, but it's for the sake of learning how to walk this path of freedom and compassion. And so when we're sitting with discomfort, it's actually sometimes possible to recognize it honestly and be present for it, and then to open up, expand the perception or the consideration to include our faith in this practice, or joy or gladness in having a practice in the midst of it.

It's also possible to open up more widely in the body or in our mind to see that whatever challenge we have is not the full story. It's a mind with a challenge; it's not a challenge to mind. Shifting our understanding from not creating a global identity or global kind of being our suffering, being our challenge—there's something very freeing about seeing it as, "I'm being present with the challenge, with the suffering. And then what else is here besides that?" There might be a wider field, a wider sense of well-being, stability, compassion, care, or subtle stability, which can hold the challenge we have.

And if that goes well, there's a kind of gladness, satisfaction, or joy in knowing we could do this. So learning to see through our resistance, our hindrances^[2] in relationship to our challenges, and allowing whatever difficulty we have to be very simple and see it more broadly.

Guided Meditation: Appreciative Joy with Its Opposite

So taking a meditation posture. This taking or assuming a meditation posture is actually quite important. It's the beginning of connecting and being with ourselves in a way that is bigger and broader than any limited preoccupations or orientation that we have. And to see the posture, the shape we take, the form we put our body in, as one that we've been meditating for some time, a homecoming. Or to assume a posture that promotes awareness, promotes being embodied and present here, shifting our attention from our thinking to an orientation towards our embodied experience.

And with this posture of meditation, whatever it might be for you, gently, maybe kindly, take some slower, deeper, fuller breaths, as if you're nurturing and nourishing yourself, as if you're caring for yourself. Breathing in deeply, and with a caring for yourself, release and relax as you exhale. Perhaps as you release in the exhale, especially near the end of the exhale, the exhale will continue a little longer than usual. Perhaps at the end of the exhale, allow there to be what might seem almost like a natural pause, a momentary pause, so you can notice how the inhale will begin by itself. It's almost a feeling in the body of something wants to breathe in, and then you can give in to the beginning of the inhale. And then letting your breathing return to normal.

And once again, as you exhale, let the release of the exhale also be a release of tension in your body, however small that tension is that you can relax. Muscles of the face and around the eyes, the shoulders, the belly, and maybe the whole body as you exhale. Releasing holding, bracing, resisting. And then again returning really fully to your body's experience of breathing.

And now ever so gently, as you exhale, especially at the end of the exhale, can you relax a bit, just so the exhale continues a little bit longer than usual? Maybe when it feels like you come to the end of the exhale, maybe it's possible to relax something, the diaphragm, the belly, and the exhale then continues a little bit longer. And allow there to be a momentary pause at the end of the exhale, just long enough so you can feel the body's wish to begin the inhale. And allow that inhale to begin. Release yourself into the inhale.

As you relax at the end of the exhale, maybe there can be a more global relaxation of the body as well, because a sense of release, relaxing can be the whole body. Almost as if there's a sense of relief throughout the whole body, to allow the exhale to be a little bit more complete. Allowing a momentary pause between the out-breath and the in-breath. And as you feel the body wanting to breathe in, maybe you can receive that inhale. Receive the movements of breathing in throughout the whole body, or in the chest, the belly, or the nose.

Also at the end of the exhale, remembering to let go of whatever you're thinking about, so that the releasing, relaxing can be in the mind as well. And if there's anything pleasant in the experience of breathing, a kind of physical pleasantness, maybe with the exhale or part of the inhale, maybe in the pause if there is one, allow yourself to take in or receive that pleasantness that comes with breathing. And if there is nothing pleasant, that's fine. Keep relaxing with the end of the exhale, allow for that brief pause, and receive the inhale.

And then as we continue, see if you can notice any sense of discomfort, ache or pain, whether it's physical or emotional, in the mind or the body. It could be very subtle, or it could be something that's significant, some frustration. And then recognize that it does not define you. It's something that is with you. And see if there's some way that you can appreciate this simple direct acknowledgment, "Oh, this is how it is now." Sometimes simply admitting something we're trying to resist, to pretend is not there, is such a relief. Sometimes just acknowledging it fully is a relief because we're not trying to fight it or stay away from it or let go of it. See for a few moments, let your awareness be in the middle of it, really be with it. And perhaps the breathing, you also breathe with it, almost imagining that you're breathing through it, or the breathing arises out of it and returns to it.

With the exhale, remembering to relax as you exhale, end of the exhale relaxing around it and with your challenge. Remembering to be receptive as you inhale, even receptive to the difficulty, if possible, for a few moments putting down resistance and judgments, and or attempts to fix or understand. Simply be with the experience in its directness, in its simplicity of the moment. Breathing with it, breathing through it.

And opening your awareness more widely, to feel whatever sense of wholeness, goodness, well-being there might be beyond the edges of your particular challenge, discomfort. Whatever your challenge is, it does not fill the universe, it does not fill your whole being. It's a matter of opening up wider with awareness, wider in the body, so that the goodness, the well-being that's also here, can be the context for discomfort. The gladness of having a practice, the joy of faith in this process of mindfulness, the joy of not needing to be so identified or reactive to the challenge. Maybe a wider sense of well-being can hold that part of you that has no well-being. Breathing through it, breathing with it.

Sometimes I imagine that mindfulness, awareness is like two cupped hands that comes from underneath whatever we're having, whatever challenges we have, and gently lets the challenge rest in the cupped hands. Received by the hands that can hold it all, soft hands. So whatever the challenge or discomfort or pain you have, for a few more moments, maybe this image of holding it in your soft hands, cradling it as you know it and feel it. And that part that cradles them is not the challenge itself. It's that part of you which is not challenged, that just knows how to be present.

And then coming to an end of the sitting. With your soft hands of awareness, open up your attention wider into the whole world, a world that's challenged in so many different ways, and hold the world in the soft hand of awareness. And there's much more that's going on here than the challenges of the world. There's also the wider field of all the goodness in this world.

Sometimes when we open the awareness to the world, it comes to us right away. And then to spread through the world your well-wishing for the world, your appreciation for all the goodness there is in the world, that there is good fortune in the world. There are people who care, who are the helpers. And it is a generous act to the world to recognize the goodness in it. Because without goodness, there's no hope. Appreciating what is good in this world, the kindnesses and generosity and support and love that does exist. It exists on a vast scale.

And may it be that you are a helper, may it be that your goodness is something that you share with others, that you join in this wide global phenomena of generosity, goodness, and love, to benefit this world, to benefit the people you know. May it be on this day that we live our life for the welfare and happiness of others. May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. May all beings be free.