Integrate mindfulness into daily life by practicing during chores like washing dishes (noticing sensations and thoughts) and during routine movements like walking down a hallway, which builds continuity for formal meditation.
Take primary responsibility for your own mind, as this is where your greatest potential for change lies; discern what is beneficial to nurture and what is not beneficial to refrain from.
Develop a spacious mind that can encompass all experiences without reacting with aversion or attachment, and use mindfulness to simply observe any reactivity that arises, allowing it to pass.
Develop equanimity by practicing mindfulness to identify unwholesome mind states and refraining from acting on them, simultaneously nurturing qualities of non-harming and goodwill (sila) in your daily life.
Before challenging interactions, prepare your mind by setting intentions like “May I use clear, beneficial, and useful words,” and during the interaction, use short self-reminders such as “Stay stable, spacious, clear,” forgiving yourself if you falter.
Recognize that both your intentions and the impact of your actions matter; if your words or deeds inadvertently cause harm, acknowledge the impact and sincerely apologize, rather than using intention as an excuse.
Equanimity is not passivity; it creates space for discerning what action is truly helpful, whether it’s remaining silent or speaking up forcefully to prevent harm, always prioritizing wise and compassionate responses.
Begin formal equanimity practice by cultivating metta, then focus on a neutral person, using wisdom-oriented phrases such as “Pleasure and pain arise and pass away; this is how it is,” “Birth and death are part of life,” or “All beings have their own journey” to deepen understanding and acceptance.
Regularly set intentions, even small ones like “May I be helpful today” or “May I be kind and calm,” as these powerful intentions influence your mind stream, making desired qualities more accessible in your behavior.
When practicing metta for a difficult person, begin by sending loving-kindness to yourself or an easy person first, and if focusing on the difficult individual, visualize them surrounded by people you care for.
In moments of reactivity, offer equanimity to yourself using phrases such as “May I open to things as they are” or “May I open to this situation with balance,” and internally ask, “May I know what to say or when to be quiet?”
Cultivate equanimity to maintain a balanced mind when others are suffering or distressed, allowing you to remain calm and effectively provide support and assistance.
Strive to lessen hatred, greed, and delusion to cultivate a purity of mind, which makes your words and actions powerful and capable of having a great positive impact on your surroundings.
Recognize that your intentions, words, and actions create an inward “karmic stream” that directly impacts your own heart and mind, shaping your internal feelings and experiences.
Actively avoid the “far enemies” of attachment and aversion, and guard against the “near enemy” of passivity or numbness, instead cultivating responsive, wisdom-guided engagement with life.
When you observe unwholesome states of mind without reactivity and understand their transient nature, you create mental space for wise and compassionate responses to arise.
Recognize that making mistakes is a natural part of being human and a continuous learning process; with consistent practice, you will improve your ability to discern and refrain from harmful actions.
Cultivate self-compassion by reminding yourself and others, “We’re all just human,” to acknowledge imperfections and foster understanding within the human experience.