Thank you so much for being here.
Let us first acknowledge that we are standing on the land of Native peoples including the Wa She Shu, Washoe, Numu, Newe, Nuwu, Paiute, Panamint, Koso, Te-Moak, and Pueblo.
We are here to breathe.
We do this together to acknowledge and respond to George Floyd’s breath being taken from him.
We are here to confirm the importance of taking a breath, of pausing to take in our better angels instead of reacting immediately under the influence of lesser ones.
Taking a breath lets us live. It interrupts habit. It gives us a chance to think before we speak or act. It gives life. A breath is so small, so automatic that we can take it for granted, at least until we see it taken away.
We are also here because of causes and conditions. We respond here to the causes of police brutality, as have many others, to the causes of rioting and looting, the causes of civil unrest and name-calling and denigration of others because we don’t agree.
But we are also here to generate better conditions, to oppose what leads to and propagates killing, violence, bigotry, and division.
Here, today, we respond to both causes and conditions, to both speaking and listening, to spark and tinder, lightning and thunder,
To both the acts of hatred and the conditions that foment them.
We are here for compassion. Whatever your belief system, being here says that you believe in compassion. That is to be celebrated.
What we do together here today matters, and what we take away and activate afterwards matters, too. Whether you call it meditation or prayer or contemplation or seeking insight doesn’t matter. We will work here, together, to bring compassion to the fore, to bring it forward as meaning, means, and method.
We are especially focused on compassion for our Black brothers and sisters, especially those who have lost their lives and loved ones to brutality and violence. But we should not forget others who long to breathe free:
-our community members experiencing homelessness,
-those whose immigration status denies them the freedoms of our nation,
-those whose identities make them targets so much that they can never take more than a hesitant breath.
Each of us here will focus where we choose: on ourselves, on individuals, on segments of our communities, or on the communities at large and beyond.
Eventually, we hope to bring full, free breathing to all sentient beings.
For those who are not experienced with guided meditation,
You can work with your eyes open or closed
Find a comfortable position
Straight back, head tilted downward slightly, body positioned to minimize physical distraction.
These steps help to quiet your body.
Focus first on your breath, watching it come in and go out again, looking at its qualities.
Notice the distracting thoughts that come to mind, but don’t engage them
Set these other thoughts aside for now, like clouds in the sky or leaves floating downriver
If you become distracted, you are not failing—you are noticing. Just return to your breathing.
These steps help to quiet your mind.
There is no expectation of perfection here. Trying is doing, and I will help you as we go.
Our guided meditation together will include three parts. First, we will set a motivation for our practice together, to help us focus. We will then meditate on compassion for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, to understand with compassion and life what George Floyd and too many others have experienced as fear and death. Then we will dedicate the compassion we generate to those who suffer.
During our meditation, please feel free to stand, to sit, kneel, be in whatever safe position will allow you to focus on your compassion.
We ask that all practice healthy observance of pandemic guidelines: use face coverings and position yourselves six feet apart. We ask that there be no talking during the meditation to avoid disturbing others.
Now, let’s set our motivation:
Our motivation today is to confirm compassion as a method and means, as a necessary condition for much needed change. We together understand compassion as caring shaped by wisdom. And we understand that it must be extended to all without exception.
We are here to generate compassion for victims of brutality and for those who resort to it, to generate deep compassion for Black Americans in these troubling times and others who ignore their pleas, to show compassion for the police officers and others who do their jobs with integrity and care, to generate compassion as a force for good for all in our community and beyond, to infuse our individual and collective now with compassion, caring, and wisdom.
By participating here, we affirm the suffering that is happening, acknowledge that suffering can be ended, and seek to prevent more suffering in the future.
We affirm that we and our brothers and sisters all want to be safe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We also affirm that we, as individuals, must make the most of every opportunity to show love for all of our communities: black, brown, LGBTQ+, uniformed, unhoused, unaware, and those unable to find their ways to compassion. These are our people, our community, our conditions for compassion. The motivation and goal here are compassion and wise caring for all, toward a more perfect union.
Now, to our meditation:
Our meditation will last for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The bowl will start us on our way and then, again, we will invite the bowl to conclude our meditation. Make yourselves as comfortable as possible, and let’s begin.
Invite the bell
Let’s first focus on our breath, on our unhampered ability to breathe freely. Be aware that we are individually and together breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out.
This helps us to feel compassion for ourselves, for our individual needs.
Let’s focus our meditation and concentration on breathing compassion into greater abundance and availability. What does that mean for you and for others around you? What does that look like? What does it call for?
This is the beginning of compassion for others.
Let’s focus on our friends, our enemies, and those we don’t know, sharing with them our compassion, care, and love to reduce suffering. See who is still suffering. How can that suffering be reduced?
This is the opportunity for compassion as an experienced condition.
Let’s develop awareness for all the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
This is the activating of compassion as a force for good.
Let’s concentrate on ourselves as the compassion we wish to see, see ourselves as reducing suffering through deep love, compassion, and care.
This is inviting compassion as a state of being.
At 8 minutes, 46 seconds: Dedicate the work together
May the good will and compassion we have generated here be experienced by us all, here and elsewhere.
May this meditation contribute to the happiness and safety of ourselves and all others.
May our goodwill and compassion here help to answer desperate, dying cries for mothers, fathers, loved ones.
May compassion be where we start and may wise caring become the practice going forward.
Invite the bell again
Thank you for doing this important work today. Enjoy the rest of your evening.