Compassionate Integrity Training CIT-Faciltator-Guide-2.1-Final | Page 41

C OMPASSIONATE I NTEGRITY T RAINING
A S ECULAR E THICS A PPROACH TO C ULTIVATING P ERSONAL , S OCIAL AND E NVIRONMENTAL F LOURISHING
cultivating an attitude of equanimity by just noticing and observing non-judgmentally anything that arises
in the field of our experience, be it thought, emotion, feeling, memory, or sensation.
We may think of our basic awareness (the natural state of our mind) as being like the blue sky. The sky
allows anything to manifest within itself. It neither rejects nor clings on to anything. Birds, airplanes, the
sun and the moon, rainbows, and other objects may appear in the sky, but they simply come and go. The
sky itself remains always the same, untouched and undisturbed by any of these manifestations. Similarly,
when we practice this meditation, we may find that no matter what arises in our experience, when we
notice it impartially, we see that it has the same nature: it comes and goes. It is impermanent, and it does
not affect the basic awareness of our mind.
Eventually, as we practice, we may notice a space or gap between thoughts. Although the mind has become
nonconceptual in this state, our awareness does not cease. Rather than try to conjure up new thoughts, we
simply rest in that non-conceptual awareness. Taking this state of mind as our object of meditation, we
engage in shamatha on the natural mind. To return to the analogy of the sky: even when nothing appears in
the sky, the sky is still there. Similarly, even when thoughts are absent from our mind, we experience a
natural spacious awareness. Eventually these moments grow longer and longer.
One of the benefits of meditating in this way is that when thoughts do arise, they arise more clearly and
distinctly, because our mind has become less cluttered. In our daily life, we become better able at
recognizing subtle emotions, thoughts, and reactions as they are occurring, instead of later when we are
already caught up in the midst of them. This is like catching a spark before it becomes a forest fire. This
ability becomes an essential tool for the practice of self-compassion.
Analytical Practice
Beginning with Skill 4: Self Compassion, the contemplative practices shift to “analytic” or “discursive”
forms of contemplative practices. These practices are used to gain understanding about or insight into an
object of focus that might not be readily apparent or that may not easily engender the emotions one is
trying to cultivate. For example, if one wants to cultivate gratitude for someone who has caused him or her
harm, this gratitude does not arise naturally when bringing this person to mind during one’s practice.
C ENTER FOR C OMPASSION , I NTEGRITY AND S ECULAR E THICS | L IFE U NIVERSITY | M ARIETTA , G EORGIA
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