Walk Gently On This Earth

Walk gently on this earth with purposeful loving steps

You share this space with seven billion human beings

And countless other precious life forms

Just like you

They all want to be happy

Just like you

They all need love

Just like you

We're not going to survive unless we walk

Gently on this earth with love and compassion - together.

And when we touch something in others that

Feels just like the shards of our own pain,

With Divine Compassion - send that person the Love that heals all, and

The shining warmth of our own joy,

Bringing our Divine Love to everyone we meet

And Seal our Divine Love into all of our relationships.

With Love & Joy to All,

Steve

EASY BEGINNINGS

• One mindful breath before opening your phone each morning
• A single pause at a red light just notice you are breathing
• Wash dishes without a podcast or music once a week just sensation
• Two to three minutes of body scan before sleep
• Name three things you can physically feel, any moment, any day

BUILDING A RHYTHM

• A five to ten minute sitting practice, three or four times a week
• One weekly walk without earbuds just the sensory world
• One line of morning journaling: What is present for me right now?
• Listen to a dharma talk or guided meditation instead of passive scrolling
• Return to a teacher, class, or group that helps anchor you in your divine practices

RELATIONAL PRACTICE

• One breath and pause before responding in a difficult conversation
• Practice Metta toward one difficult person per week briefly, privately (Meta Practice - https://www.lionsroar.com/metta-meditation-guide/
• In one conversation each day, only listen no planning your response
• Notice the difference between performing presence and your Divine Presence of Love, Peace, & Joy

STRETCHING YOUR EDGES

• A few hours of partial silence phone away, no input
• A half-day or full retreat even locally
• Bring mindfulness informally to someone in your life a child, a colleague
• Sit with discomfort for a set window of time without reaching for distraction
• Deepen your study through a teacher or text you haven't yet explored
• Bring a practice of Divine Forgiveness/Compassion with yourself and all of your relationships

THE LONG ARC

• Choose one relationship to bring more intentional presence to this year
• Identify one habit that closes your heart and work with it over a season
• Return to the practice when you least want to that is exactly when it matters most

Finding Your Sangha

https://wkup.org/what-is-a-sangha/

“Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life.” — The Buddha, Upaddha Sutta

Ananda told the Buddha he believed good friendship was half of the holy life. The Buddha corrected him gently: not half. All of it. Community is not a supplement to practice. It is the condition in which practice can grow.

CLOSE TO HOME

• Reach out to one person from this Sangha to continue sitting together
• Start or join a small informal group even two or three people, monthly
• Invite a friend to a guided meditation or dharma talk
• Volunteer with a local organization as a form of engaged practice

LOCAL AND IN-PERSON

• Search Insight Timer for local sitting groups near you
• Look for a local Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, or Insight Meditation center
• Many yoga studios and some healthy clubs host mindfulness or meditation nights
• Check community centers, libraries, and hospices grief and wellness groups often practice contemplative skills

ONLINE COMMUNITIES

• Insight Timer app free meditations and live global sessions daily
• Tara Brach's community at tarabrach.com weekly talks, guided practices, forums
• Spirit Rock and IMS online programs spiritrock.org and dharma.org
• Plum Village online Sangha in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh
• Ten Percent Happier app secular, accessible, community features
• Listen to online Dharma Talks on this free site: https://dharmaseed.org/

DEEPENING YOUR ENGAGEMENT

• Attend a daylong or weekend retreat at least once a year
• Find a teacher whose voice and approach you trust and follow them over time
• Consider training in mindfulness facilitation or teacher preparation
• Offer what you have learned to others teaching is one of the deepest forms of practice

How will you bring mindfulness forward? In what way?

You do not have to answer today. Just let the question walk with you.

With Love and Blessings to All of You,

Steve