Our practice is to sit and meet our difficulties, but do we fully acknowledge the sorrow that we carry, brought on by the suffering in the world?

Not turning away from this sorrow can be difficult, yet there are practices we can employ to embrace the fullness of our experience without growing despondent.

In this talk, Syra Smith explores five practices for nurturing happiness, from Thich Nhat Hanh’s “No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering”

1. Letting go. There is a kind of joy that comes from letting go of our repetitive thoughts and stories, and instead coming back to the sensations in the body. This allows us to avoid getting caught up in patterns that lead to more suffering.
2. Inviting positive seeds. The focus here is watering the positive seeds in our consciousness, rather than dwelling on negative thoughts and emotions. This could involve practices like gratitude, connecting with others, or engaging in activities that bring us joy.
3. Mindfulness-based joy. By practicing mindfulness and being present with the here and now, we can open ourselves up to the wonders of life and find delight in simple things like the breath or our surroundings. This helps cultivate a sense of well-being.
4. Concentration. Developing concentration through our practice helps stabilize us in the present moment, so we don’t get as easily swept away by external circumstances or our own mental afflictions. This supports equanimity.
5. Insight. By looking deeply into our experiences with mindfulness and concentration, we can gain insights that help us understand the root causes of our suffering and find more skillful ways of responding. This can further nurture our happiness and well-being.

Overall, these practices are about tending to our happiness, rather than just trying to get rid of our suffering. By learning to be with our experiences, both joyful and painful, with compassion and wisdom, we can cultivate a deeper sense of equanimity and contentment.

______________

Syra Smith is an artist, facilitator, and mindfulness educator interested in deep ecology and manifesting a culture where we can turn toward fearless abundance and generosity. A lifelong meditator and San Francisco Bay Area native, Syra began her meditation practice as a teen in 1988 and has been practicing in the Theravada Buddhist tradition since 2009. She graduated from the East Bay Meditation Center’s Commit to Dharma program in 2011 and became a Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader in 2017. Syra teaches insight meditation and mindfulness throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond and proudly serves as Core Teacher with the San Francisco LGBT Sangha. She co-leads the Midday Dharma Collective at San Francisco Insight and is a resident teacher with the women’s community of Assaya Sangha. For more visit: https://www.projectroot.org/syra-smith-meditation