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

Please visit our website at adioderma.org.

Hello and welcome to the meditation session. And as an introduction to this meditation, I think many of you know that when we practice mindfulness meditation,

there's a big emphasis on being with things as they are

and cultivating the ability to be present for whatever arises in experience

and whatever sense store, whatever location, mind, body, heart,

and to cultivate a way of being with what is.

But there is something subtle, or maybe not so subtle,

that's very important to take into account,

is that the mind has a tendency to prioritize certain things, to be oriented in certain directions as being the important

thing to notice. And so if we're, you know, looking for, I remember many years ago

when I was looking for a futon couch, I was surprised suddenly how many futon couch stores there were. I had no idea. But now that I was

looking for it, I were concerned with it, my attention prioritized it. And I noticed and saw.

And so some of us prioritize certain way of thinking, certain attitudes. We prioritize what's wrong. We prioritize finding

evidence that we are somehow wrong or a bad person or something like that.

And some people prioritize, you know,

everything is wonderful and live in kind of a rose-colored glasses of things.

And so they don't see things as they really are.

And so this idea of prioritizing.

Some people prioritize around things that are directly connected to themselves, me, myself, and mine.

And there can be a tremendous over-orientation on myself,

and how it affects me and what I want.

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