The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

Please visit our website at adioderma.org.

So I'd like to offer a few words, something to think about as you practice this morning,

and that is, it's not uncommon to have this intention to be

meditating and then thoughts are arising and you just find yourself lust and thoughts.

Take stories or planning or memories, fantasies, whatever it might be.

You didn't make those thoughts arise,

nor did you make mindfulness arise again.

It's just what happens.

So when you realize, oh wow, I was just lost in thought,

and now here I am mindful again,

just notice what is your reaction to having been lost in thought?

What is your relationship to having been lost in thought? Is there a sense of,

oh, dang it, I'm lost in thought, or is it like, oh, yeah, okay, that's what happens. And then

you bring your awareness back to the breath or to the feet or whatever it might be. So just an encouragement to notice

that beat that happens right after you realize, oh, I was lost in thought. And is there a way

that you could be friendly towards that experience?

As I said, you didn't make it happen.

You didn't make mindfulness happen again.

It's just what's happening.

And can we have a friendly attitude towards it?

That's the practice note for this morning.

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