“The small retreat is in the wilderness,
the medium retreat is in the city,
and the great retreat is in the emperor’s court.”
Zen saying
We are now embarking on the great retreat — the rest of our lives. You’ve established a mindfulness practice, you’ve experimented with different strategies and have hopefully discovered the ones that work best for you.
How do we move forward? How do we practice mindfulness in the city and the glittering, overwhelming court of the emperor?
As much as mindfulness is about being in the moment and embracing spontaneity and everything the present contains, I also believe it’s important to have a plan. It’s important to set intentions for our practice (recognizing that they are just that —intentions).
I shared with you in the first week that it takes, on average, 66 days to instill a new habit, to make something become part of our everyday routine. As we come to the end of Brilliant Mindful YOU!, we’ve been at this for over 40 days! You’re two-thirds of the way there.
Click here to download a template for Practice Intentions. I have modified this from the work of Marc Anderson, Executive Director of the M2 Foundation (a St. Paul non-profit focusing on bringing mindfulness to schools and workplaces). As a partner with the M2 Foundation, I participate in their 8-week practice periods, which involve making a series of commitments for practice and personal growth. We share our commitments with each other (in addition to gathering for one-day practice sessions).
I think Practice Intentions (or commitments) are so powerful for encouraging us to live the way we intend to. As I’ve stated before, when push comes to shove, we will revert to our traditional patterns rather than rising to our expectations. Practice Intentions keep us on the path of practicing when it’s easy, so we can respond skillfully and mindfully when life gets hard.
These Practice Intentions are also about self-care. We need to take care of ourselves if we are going to live compassionately and joyfully in the emperor’s court.
So download your intention sheet and create your own “practice menu.” As Marc says when he asks us to set our intentions, “Clarity and dignity may be our birthright, but if we don’t engage with them through practices and community they remain dormant. Practice with joy, and find your heart connection to these life activities so they aren’t ‘I have to‘s but are ‘I get to‘s.”
Finally, I leave you today with Chade-Meng Tan’s poem, “The Lazy Bodhisattva”:
With deep inner peace,
And great compassion,
Aspire daily to save the world.
But do not strive to achieve it.
Just do what comes naturally.
Because when aspiration is strong
And compassion blossoms,
Whatever comes most naturally,
Is also the right thing to do.
Thus you,
The wise compassionate being,
Save the world while having fun.
Cultivate peace and compassion, have fun, and save the world. Now THAT’s the great retreat!