Settle into your sitting position.
• Close your eyes, either partially or completely.
• Soften the muscles in your face and around your eyes, your shoulders, arms and hands, your legs.
• Sit with an erect but relaxed posture.
• Take several deep breaths to help you be aware of the sensation of breathing. Then allow your breath to flow in its normal, ever changing manner.
• Choose to pay attention to your breath either at the tip/rims of your nostrils or in your chest or abdomen, wherever the sensations are the clearest. Once you make a choice, stick with it throughout the period of meditation until we move to our equanimity contemplation
• Continue to keep your awareness focused on the sensations of the breath flowing in and flowing out. If watching the breath at the tip of your nose, notice the sensations in this area of your body as you inhale and as you exhale. If watching the breath at your chest or abdomen, notice the rising and falling or in and out movements.
• Just try to follow one in-breath as clearly as you can, and then one out-breath. Don’t expect yourself to follow more than one breath. Expecting to be mindful for more than one breath sets you up for discouragement. Expecting to follow one breath helps train you to stay present with each moment of your experience.
• When your attention wanders away from the breath and you notice it, appreciate that moment of noticing, of waking up and being mindful. Then gently return your attention to the breath and continue to follow it.
• When you are able to stay in contact with the sensations of breathing, you may notice when you are breathing a short breath and when you are breathing a long breath.
• As your awareness of the quality of each breath becomes clearer, you may also begin to notice for yourself whether the breath stays the same or whether it is constantly changing. Notice the impermanent nature of our breath.
• And, as your concentration develops more deeply, you may follow the sensations from the beginning of the in-breath through the middle to the end and then you follow the sensations of the out-breath in the same way.
• If at any time you become confused or upset, simply return to the point in the instructions where you feel most comfortable and confident and watch the breath until this contemplation is over.
Now, see if you can remember a recent incident where you broke one of the precepts (deceived others, harmed others, taken what was not given, abused intoxicants or sex in a way that harmed you or others)
Where you may have spoken harshly or untruthfully and later realized this mistake. Or where you may have taken something that was not given. Or where you may have used alcohol or drugs in an unskillful manner, or where you may have hurt another being physically. Or where you may have used sexuality in a manipulative or harmful manner to yourself or others. Recall that situation.
Now recall if you can the moment before you broke this precept. Can you see that there were causes and conditions that led to that moment? Maybe we can’t see the causes and conditions, but there we were in that moment of time when this situation was presented to us and we made our choice. Can you look at that moment in retrospect and see our vulnerability- how vulnerable we all are.
Can you see that habitual energies (causes and conditions) from our past were pushing us to act in the way we chose? Can you see that causes and conditions led to that moment in our lives? And at the same time can we have compassion for ourselves? Can we allow compassion to arise for our vulnerability?
Now can we look at that situation with both the wisdom of knowing that causes and conditions led to that moment, and at the same time look at that situation with compassion for our vulnerability?
Can we rest in that space for a while? That space of wisdom and compassion for ourselves. Can we get to really know that feeling? What is it like? Where is it located in our bodies?
Now can we envision others in similar situations? Can we see that causes and conditions in their lives may have led them to that moment? Can we see them making the same choice we made? Can we arouse the same compassion for them as we did for ourselves?
Can we rest in that space? Can we get to really know that feeling? What is it like? Where is it located in our bodies? Really get to know that feeling. And rest in that space.
Now go back and forth between the feeling for ourselves and the feeling we might have for others. Can we see that we all are the same situation all the time? Can we have compassion for others in the same way as ourselves knowing they too are subject to causes and conditions and are just as vulnerable as we are?
Can we rest in that Space for a while?
Can we accept this about all the choices we may have made?
Can we accept this about choices others may have made?
Rest here a while- in this space of acceptance. Accepting ourselves and accepting others.
When we are here in this space of acceptance, we are in the presence of Equanimity
