Remembering Those Who Have Shown Us Compassion

I would like to invite you to just call the energy of nurturing into your own experience. This basic practice is simply remembering and calling to mind those beings in my life who have shown me compassion. 

Sometimes we actually skip over this. When we're receiving compassion, receiving kindness, we skip over it. We think “it's not really a big deal.” But this is a practice that actually helps us to sit with an act of kindness, sit with someone who's offered us something that we really need, someone who maybe let us skip in line in front of them, someone who offered us a kind word when we most needed it, someone who let us cry on their shoulders, the kindness of our families, the kindness of our partners, the kindness of our fellow classmates, our professors.

Kindness is always happening, and the practices of the bodhisattvas help us to actually embrace those acts of kindness that are always happening. The world is always trying to love us. But part of our discomfort actually arises when we block actually receiving that kindness because maybe we don't like the person. Maybe the person isn't wearing, saying, or doing the “right things.” Or maybe they didn't go to the right school, the right career, the right lifestyle, all kinds of things. Or maybe we're afraid of them.

So just to begin with, I want you just to notice your feet on the floor, just noticing your feet. So the ground is so important in our initial practices. So noticing our feet on the floor, noticing our bodies in the seats. And allowing yourself to trust that the seats will hold you. 

And taking a few moments to reflect on the acts of kindness that you've been a recipient of just today. And as you reflect, noticing how these acts of kindness as you reflect on them have an impact in your mind and your body. 

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You can think about and reflect on any other act of kindness that you've ever experienced in your life. And just notice how that makes you feel.

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And as we move out of this session of practice, begin to say to yourself, may I experience the deepest well-being, happiness, and joy; may I be free from suffering; may I have everything that I need to be okay; and may my acts of kindness begin to deepen for others around me.

And so you may slowly begin to open your eyes if they're closed and returning your attention to the floor, the seat. Coming back into the space.