Reflect on the Eight Worldly Winds (pleasure/pain, gain/loss, fame/disrepute, praise/blame) to recognize the tendency to desire one side and resist the other, fostering acceptance of life’s inherent ups and downs.
When facing adversity or suffering, consciously shift your mindset from “why me?” to “why not me?” to cultivate a sense of universal experience and reduce self-pity.
Understand that “joy is whatever is happening minus our opinion of it,” distinguishing it from fleeting happiness. Practice observing experiences without judgment to find freedom regardless of circumstances.
Actively practice tolerating unpleasant experiences, as this builds resilience and fosters a realistic outlook on life, rather than constantly seeking only pleasant sensations.
Cultivate a deeper connection with the body while simultaneously practicing non-identification, recognizing its impermanence and interconnectedness, to reduce personal suffering from physical experiences.
Regularly reflect on the Five Daily Recollections (I will age, grow ill, die; I will lose all that is dear; I am subject to karma) to acknowledge impermanence and foster a realistic, grounded perspective on life.
During serious illness or challenging times, deepen your meditation practice, attend retreats if possible, and prioritize comprehensive self-care, including healthy eating and reducing overall life stress.
Employ meditation to develop tools for recognizing and addressing challenging mental states like fear, panic, and “what if” thought spirals, helping you stay present with sensations.
Practice Metta (loving-kindness) meditation, starting by sending wishes of well-being to yourself for an extended period to cultivate self-compassion and concentration.
Begin meditation by focusing on the breath, then expand awareness to body sensations. When the mind is scattered or “future tripping,” anchor your awareness to the body to stay in the present moment.
Practice open awareness meditation by being mindfully aware of whatever arises in perception (thoughts, sensations, sounds), and strive to carry this awareness into your daily life.
Actively cultivate appreciation and gratitude for available support and resources during difficult times, and study the broader teachings of the Dharma to integrate gratitude and perspective into your life.
Actively examine your own unconscious biases related to race, gender, size, and other identities, recognizing these as prime subjects for mindful inquiry and self-awareness.
Consciously engage with and process negative emotions like anger, depression, and rage, rather than prematurely transcending or repressing them through spiritual bypassing.
Recognize and address cultural spiritual bypassing by confronting uncomfortable cultural biases and stereotypes (e.g., racial tension) rather than avoiding them with generalized concepts of oneness or loving-kindness.
Engage in open conversations about challenging social issues like race, sexism, gender, sexuality, and body image (e.g., fatphobia) to educate yourself and foster awareness.
Use meditation to develop the ability to catch biases and stereotypes as they arise in your mind in real-time. When noticed, consciously replace them with alternative, positive possibilities.
When observing your own biases, avoid self-condemnation; simply acknowledge their presence without judgment to make the process of addressing them more sustainable.
If a meditation center or practice feels too strict, anonymous, or doesn’t resonate, explore other entry points, communities, or experiment with different practices to find what works for you.
To make spiritual teachings more accessible, communicate them in a vernacular that resonates with specific communities, and support the creation of affinity groups where teachings can be tailored to relevant experiences.
Question and challenge culturally constructed aspects of spiritual practice (like the emphasis on silence in Western meditation) to ensure inclusivity and broader appeal to diverse groups.