Gradually and gently introduce the contemplation of impermanence and your own mortality into your life and meditation practice, as accepting the end of everything you love and care for can reduce fear, make you more vibrant and alive, and allow you to face major crises like climate change more effectively.
Cultivate mindfulness to be with unwanted or challenging situations (like climate change) without ignoring them or reacting with anger, but simply acknowledging what is there, which helps find solutions or build resilience.
Recognize that meditation is not about ceasing the flow of thoughts, but rather about ceasing your belief in the thoughts, allowing for meditative exploration even when the mind is active, as long as there is a moment of recognition.
Use mindfulness to check in on your state of mind by observing feeling tones (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) beneath surface thoughts, which helps identify underlying defilements like greed, anger, or delusion without getting entangled.
Cultivate compassion, defined as the wish for the absence of harm, by generating this condition (e.g., through images or phrases) and then resting in it, allowing your whole body and mind to be suffused by it boundlessly, which faces suffering with a positive orientation and carries over into daily life.
Practice mindfulness of the earth element by cultivating an embodied presence and relating to the earth, realizing your complete dependence on it and feeling supported by it, which fosters groundedness and respect for our ‘only one home’.
Approach personal contributions to systemic problems (like climate change or racism) by taking responsibility for your part and privileges, rather than feeling guilt, as responsibility is useful and can lead to joyful action.
Engage in individual actions that embody your ethical integrity (e.g., vegetarianism, reducing travel, picking up trash) regardless of their global impact, because these actions are a manifestation of your values and can be a joyful and meaningful experience.
Weave the topic of death and mortality playfully into your daily life through reminders (e.g., objects like skulls), finding opportunities to speak about it, and being honest with children about it, which helps integrate this reality and fosters a more vibrant, present, and compassionate engagement with life and others.
Dedicate yourself to intelligent and consistent meditation practice, making it a daily habit and regularly monitoring if a particular style is working for you, adjusting as needed, as this dedication is more important than one’s monastic or lay status for progress.