"How We Show Up" Meditation
The Abundant Presence of the Fifth Precept
“Kindness is a way of life. Find compassion in you heart by releasing your judgements and your expectations so that kindness can flow easily. One of the easiest ways to help someone heal is to just show up with your whole self; be really, authentically, wholly present with him or her…When you are living this principle, the force of unconditional love supersedes any other programming that you might have, and it will guide you through your life.”
Nicholas Pearson
This Splendid Sunday, we pause to reflect on how the last precept, “Be kind to others” shows up in our relationships with people, animals, the environment and ourselves. Exploring how we arrive does ask us to be honest with ourselves (precept four), but it is well worth the effort if we wish to move towards living in the abundance of being present.
Questions for Reflection:
Read the above quote from Reiki scholar, Nicholas Pearson. You might ask yourself:
What sentences resonate most with me today?
What does it feel like when I am fully present in a situation?
What quality of energy do I want to bring forward in my life?
What judgements and expectations are blocking me from being present? How will I work to release them?
How does this quote come alive in my relationship with animals and Mother Earth?
Or, keep it even simpler. In all and any circumstance, ask yourself:
What would love choose right now?
Then, move in that direction.
Ways to Reflect:
Journal: Free write, doodle and/or draw your thoughts. Jot down ideas in your day planner or on a sticky note where you can see it to help you stay centered through the week.
Daydream: Visualize what showing up fully for animals, people, the planet and yourself truly looks and feels like. It is okay to sit and think and let you mind wander! For the Type- A readers here, daydreaming is an activity that doesn’t require permission. It is a full, restful activity on its own.
Move: Wander outside for a walking meditation to think about which parts of this statement are calling you to delve deeper. Sometimes moving our physical self can help release thoughts or conjure up new solutions.
Remember, showing up doesn't have to be a grand gesture. It might just be putting your phone down, working on one task at a time fully, or stopping to soak up the moment and saying the simple prayer, “thank you.”
Nicholas Pearson, Foundations of Reiki Ryoho: A Manual of Shoden and Okuden, 2018. Healing Arts Press.