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

Please visit our website at audiodharma.org.

Okay.

So I'd like to offer a few words about practicing today,

something to keep in mind as you practice.

And that is what would it be like to align with this moment,

this very moment, and this moment, and this moment.

So this idea of aligning, that means to, you know, be going in the same direction

as opposed to like pushing, pushing it away or pulling, trying to get it closer,

like you want more of it or, but instead there's a way of aligning,

requires that we actually know what is happening in this present moment.

And it also requires that we're sensitive to, in the ways that we're turning away

or the way that we're leaning towards.

So aligning with this moment is to like be with the felt experience.

What's happening in this body and mind at this moment?

And can we not be in contention with it?

And of course, I want to highlight that I'm not talking about, you know,

aligning with social injustices and inequities in the world, right?

That's something that we don't want to align with that.

But I'm pointing to the actual, this very moment experience.

It turns out, probably as many of you know, that if we do that,

that allows this, it requires less energy than the pushing or the pulling.

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