In this series of contemplations we explore areas of our daily experience that we may have tended to avoid or simply not noticed. A clearer understanding of our own subjective experience naturally transforms our relationships with  others and our vision of the world.

When we were tiny, we lived in a magical world of direct experience. We could laugh and cry from one moment to the other. We had no preconceived ideas about anything. Gradually we learnt to identify our world but also developed more and more complicated notions about ourselves, influenced by all sorts of expectations from outside, from parents, peers, teachers, employers, and our culture in general. When we learn to meditate we can approach the practice with our usual uneasy mindset. Here we try out a fresh approach and relax with our mind, just as it is.

In the modern world we are constantly stimulated to find distractions or objects which will deflect us from  being simply present and in touch with our deepest  feelings. Of course it is natural that we want to be happy and don’t want to feel sad, but the ability to feel sadness with clarity is something precious. Allowing ourselves to feel sadness can be a way to get in touch with our fundamental tender heart. In this meditation we learn to accept our feelings, happy or sad, with serenity and tenderness.

When we meet new people we introduce ourselves. They might ask us what we do, where we live what we like etc. Those questions are basically asking “Who are you?” They invite us to project an image of ourselves. But when we look inside and ask ourselves that question, what do we find? In this contemplative meditation we try to look beyond our usual assumptions.

Some people are more expressive than others, but we all go through moments when we are more outgoing and moments when we feel we need to withdraw into our own space. Those states are both natural movements of the mind, but we can trip up and get lost in overexpression or rumination. Through meditation we can learn to find an inner freedom and stability which will enrich the quiet moments when we are alone and give us a stable basis for compassionate engagement in our communication with the world.

We all have beliefs and we all have opinions. Our beliefs, our ideals, and our ideas shape the way we relate to the world and guide our actions. However, identifying strongly with beliefs closes the mind. Our minds can become rigid and closed to others who see things differently. This meditation is an invitation to give our beliefs room to breathe. A constant process of change and interaction is taking place in our mind and in the minds of others. We have something in common with everyone. There are untapped possibilities in our relations with those we perceive as different and also with ourselves.