There is a teaching in mindfulness about the type of wisdom we give ourselves through training the mind, specifically by understanding our

own mind. Through practice, meditation, in the case of strengthening mindfulness, we gain experience

of our mind. And as Jack Cornfield reminds in his book, The Wise Heart, it is, quote,

like standing at the bottom of a ripe mango

tree. We get to choose between the good and rotten mangoes. It is all to our profit, because you know

which fruits will make you sick and which will make you healthy." As we become more trained in understanding

our mind through the practice of regular meditation, we become better able to pull back and observe

and not become caught up in the thinking mind, which is what we have been doing unconsciously most

of our lives, living by the whims and

reacting to wherever it takes us. With our new strength of mind, we put ourselves in the driver's

seat of where we will let our mind wander and when we will divert its attention away

from where it may have led us

unconstructively in the past. We practice meditation so that we can experience

observing both pleasant and unpleasant thoughts and feelings, healthy or unhealthy fruit

to relate it back to standing under a mango tree.

Before we had our trained mind, we would just take whichever fruit would fall, no matter

its quality. Now we get to choose. And we choose to engage with healthy, pleasant, constructive

thoughts. We choose thoughts that will help us create

the conditions for love, generosity, integrity, and simplicity to come forth and be experienced

within ourselves and with others. Let's begin.

Begin breathing naturally. Rest your gaze softly, on point in front of you.

As you take a breath in, let it feel your body.

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