Brother Richard

Trusting in the present moment as an entry into divine presence.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Allowing even the sound of the word to fade.

Just being with the breath.

just being with the breath.

Gently then beginning to feel the connection with the floor beneath us, with the chair or a cushion supporting us.

knowing that we can return to this space, this time of meditation, by simply connecting with the breath and the word, making the intention to bring its peace into the rest of the day, and then allowing the bell to draw us back to all of the activity of the day

Thank you.

Welcome back.

Today we're going to look at observing the subtle movements of thought.

This means beginning to try and find the place where the thought begins.

Part of our meditation practice is observing the thoughts as they arise, make themselves present, and then letting them go.

But it can help us in later discernment, particularly ethical discernment, to notice how, when, and why a thought appears.

So let's begin.

Gently coming into this time of meditation,

We consciously let go all that has come before today, allowing ourselves to enter this moment freely, gently, openly.

Taking our seat with intention, making our ritual gesture, we sit, allowing the spine to lengthen, the breath to open, the shoulders to drop.

As we sit into this space, we can even for a moment generate a little gratitude that we have this time, this space, this moment.

And then take a long, gentle breath in and an even slightly longer breath out.