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

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So I'll talk a little bit about some reflective thinking in my own practice mostly.

At different times in my practice,

maybe once or twice a year,

I've taken a formal time

to reflect my deepest intentions

and inspirations in practice.

At different times,

I'd ask myself, what was the edge of my practice?

What felt the most challenging?

Or what felt the most nourishing, an area of growth?

It helped keep the practice at the center of my life.

The method I was taught was I'd go for a long walk or just sit somewhere peaceful and reflect.

I'd take a little time for the mind to settle.

And then I'd ask the question, what is my deepest intention?

I'd allow my mind to answer freely.

And then after a while, after all the superficial answers that showed up,

kind of died down a little bit, I'd ask it again.

At first, you know, by the third or fourth time I asked,

it began to be a little deeper and arise from deep within.

For myself, I chose not to do it on my meditation cushion because I wanted to keep it separate.

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