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| 1. | Knowing I will get old, I breathe
in. Knowing I cannot escape old age, I breathe out. |
Getting old No escape |
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| 2. | Knowing I will get sick, I breathe
in. Knowing I cannot escape sickness, I breathe out. |
Getting sick No escape |
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| 3. | Knowing I will die, I breathe in. Knowing I cannot escape death, I breathe out. |
Dying No escape |
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| 4. | Knowing that one day I will have
to abandon all that I cherish today, I breathe in, Knowing I cannot escape having to abandon all that I cherish today, I breathe out. |
Abandoning what I cherish No escape |
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| 5. | Knowing that my actions are my only
belongings, I breathe in. Knowing that I cannot escape the consequences of my actions, I breathe out. |
Actions true belongings No escape from consequences |
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| 6. | Determined to live my days deeply
in mindfulness, I breathe in. Seeing the joy and the benefit of living mindfully, I breathe out. |
Living mindfully Seeing joy |
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| 7. | Vowing to offer joy each day to my
loved ones, I breathe in. Vowing to ease the pain of my loved ones, I breathe out. |
Offering joy Easing pain |
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I know from Thich Nhat Hanh’s commentary on this exercise ( Exercise 15 in Blooming of a Lotus), that the Buddha called on his monks and followers to do this meditation on a daily basis, so that their fears and anxieties are welcomed into consciousness rather than hidden away. When I do this meditation I feel something more, that each moment of life is absolutely precious and somehow I am communicating this to all that I connect to. |