This meditation is complements Monday's Heartfulness Drop-In Dharma talk. You can find the related talk here.

Meditation Transcript (word-for-word from the recording):

Here you are. Here we are. Doing this beautiful work of strengthening and beautifying, and cultivating, a good heart; a wise mind? that's so beneficial to ourselves and others.

So sitting with. Quality of integrity, uprightness, energy, stability.

The same time, ease, rest, peace, and calm.

Bringing mindfulness in the front. We bring mindfulness to the front and we're open. We're receptive to what can be perceived. There's sounds. There's sensations. There's thoughts. There's memories. Emotions.

To be mindful. To be open.

There's a sound that makes an imprint on your sense organ.

We're also open at our heart as much as we're able to be.

And our heart, this quality of heart relies on that awareness, that mindfulness that we're bringing. So we can be sensitive in our mindful awareness. And what we're mindful of. We can be sensitive in our heart.

Open in our heart,

Open in our awareness, open in our heart.

We protect this. We protect our awareness by stabilizing and keeping mindfulness in the front. Refreshing it as often as we can. Guarding our open heart, as best as we can, refreshing it in each moment.

And by keeping all these things open, we're growing them.

And the first person to bring to your heart and mind is you. Yourself. You sitting here doing this activity.

First, offering love and kindness.

Your intentions of Goodwill.

Your intentions for safety for yourself.

To support yourself.

To befriend yourself.

In essence, this loving kindness toward yourself.

You are safe. You are supportive. You are kind.

Open protecting, growing this kindness.

And appreciative joy.

Appreciating the goodness that is you.

And the health that you have.

Your understanding, your compassion.

Just even appreciating your own existence.

And compassion. Moving to compassion.

Sometimes we don't feel a hundred percent. Sometimes we have mistaken views about ourselves.

Or we are hurt.

Compassion fields and it cares. And It's ready to act. To act, to give compassionate relief. That's best as we're able.

The compassion can come from just, self-understanding. Just showing up. Maybe an action. Maybe a thought.

Turning toward equanimity.

Equanimity is this willingness to let whatever there is to be here - the good, the bad, the easy, the difficult.

It's really allowing you to be you.

Without judgment.

Without reactivity.

To be you and to be seen being you.

This equanimity is a kind of an open eyes and an open heart; a patient caring.

And doing the same thing for a few minutes, to anyone that comes to heart and mind.

Hold them in your heart and mind, whoever comes up, long enough to go through kindness, compassion, equanimity, appreciative joy.

Lastly, remembering that every point of contact is where you can be aware and where you can be open. Every point of contact in your life. That's where your life is. Where we can practice.

Just imagine yourself going about your day. Open, aware, protecting.

This openness and awareness — growing.

This practice of the heart and this practice of understanding, reveals what's important. Reveals what's not so important. Reveals what's beneficial and reveals what's not so beneficial.        

I'll ring the bells three times to end the meditation and the session. The first bell as a reminder that each and every one of us can be more awake, more open.

More wise, more compassionate, more healthy, more free.

The second bell is a reminder about our practice. May we guard our life and the life of others through our practice. May we enjoy our practice.

May we protect our practice.

May our practice and may other people's practice benefit one another.

We're all in this together.

Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for being here. Take care.