Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.

Today, I'm going to talk about how we

can practice mindfulness for a higher

purpose and get deeper benefits.

So when we first come to mindfulness,

most of us inevitably do so because

we want our mind to feel less

stressed, more peaceful, more free.

And those can be really wonderful

motivations to begin meditation.

But I think it's common that as

we continue to practice, we start

to see that the ultimate aim of

meditation is so much bigger than that.

We start to see that peace of mind

sometimes comes in our practice

and sometimes it doesn't, and it

actually doesn't really matter.

We can be equally present when the

mind is busy, when the mind is calm,

when the mind is discursive or quiet.

So we know that the content going

through our mind in any given moment

is not necessarily an indication

of how our practice is going.

Instead, we start to see each

practice as an opportunity to more

deeply understand our own mind and

strengthen our capacity for presence,

wisdom, understanding, and compassion.

Really deepening our own self

understanding, of course, helps

us understand every human being

and feel compassion, connection,

and understanding with them.

Training ourselves to be wiser, more

loving and you know, more without

bias is a gift to everyone that

we encounter in our life journey.

So with each practice we become more

and more of a locus of sanity and calm

and love in a sometimes insane world.

And so we can start to practice

for this higher purpose.

We can start to practice mindfulness

for the benefit of all beings.

Then we'll always be motivated to

meditate, even on those days when calm

doesn't show up, even on those days when

relaxation doesn't show up, even on those

days where we feel difficult emotions.

It's enough to know that we're meditating

not, only for our own sanity, but for

the benefit of all sentient beings.

So our practice really

becomes an act of love.

So having this higher purpose, not

only makes each practice feel much

more meaningful and rich, but it really

keeps our motivation steady on the

days when practice is less pleasant.

Say on days when the mind is busy

or we feel a bit lazy or emotional.

On those days, in those moments, we can

connect again to our higher purpose,

knowing that with every single practice

we're sending the ripple effects of peace,

compassion, and wisdom out into the world.

So that's the invitation for practice

today and ongoing to consider practicing

for a higher purpose, and then see

what effect that has in your life.

And we'll explore this some

more in today's meditation.

So let's settle in now for that.

And as always, thank you for your

practice and your presence here with us.