Brother Richard

Is this a thought you have had before?

Is this a thought you think often?

And if it is either of those things, ask yourself, what are the usual conditions that allow this thought to arise?

And then ask yourself, what would happen if you changed those conditions?

For example, if my thoughts are angry or irritated, what would it take for me to change the originating moment, the conditions for the arising of this thought, such that it would become less likely for me to respond in anger or in irritation?

Discerning and practicing with the thoughts in this way allows us to begin to create a clear field of discernment.

It allows us to begin to choose the way we think rather than simply reacting to thought.

For now, though, gently return to the awareness of the breath.

breathing in and breathing out and as an intention for the rest of your day you can say inwardly I will be a little more aware of my thoughts in the day ahead I will be a little more aware of my thoughts in the day ahead

all the while just breathing in and breathing out.

Take a moment to choose to re-enter a space of connection with others.

and allow the sound of the bell to draw you back to the activity of the day.

Welcome back.

One of the great gifts of beginning to practice with meditation is to realize that everything can become meditation, or at least that we can bring a meditative quality of awareness to all that we are doing.

In our meditation today, we're going to meditate upon food.

And we'll use as part of the meditation the visualization of a particular food.

You can use this meditation later with actual food.

So you don't need to rush off to the fridge or try and find something in the moment.

And if at the end of the meditation you find yourself a little hungrier, that's okay too.

Slowing down, savoring, being with our food in a grateful, appreciative way can really deepen our awareness.