Guided Practice | 10-Minute Common Humanity Meditation - "Just Like Me" with Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D.
I would like to invite you to join me in this short reflective practice. We call this practice Just Like Me Meditation, and the aim here is to really allow us to connect with the common humanity that we share with everybody. As in any other type of meditation or reflective practice, it's important at the beginning to find a comfortable posture.
So that the body is relaxed, but also, um, facilitates alertness.
And then let's begin by drawing our mind inwards, either using our breathing as an anchor or attention to a part of body as an anchor, and rest our attention on our breath, noticing consciously the air coming in and going out, just to slow down the energy of your mind.
So let's settle our mind in this way, resting our attention on our breathing.
Now from this more quieted state of mind, let's bring to mind someone in our life that we interact, but we don't know this person that well. Kind of a stranger, but not total stranger, but someone that we kind of visually see, but don't know that well.
Think of this person, think aloud for yourself. Just like me, this person too wishes to be happy, do not want suffering, wishes to be loved, wishes to find joy and meaning, just like me.
Restore your mind on this simple recognition of this very important universal fact, just like me.
Now bring to your mind someone in your life that you find difficult for some whatever reason.
Think of this person as And also, say to yourself, just like me, this person too wishes to be happy, do not want suffering, wants to be loved, wants prosperity, good health, loving relationships, just like me.
Now let's be braver and expand the circle and include everyone in your neighborhood and say to yourself, just like me. Everyone in my neighborhood wishes to be happy, do not want suffering, wants to be loved, wants prosperity, good health, and to feel safe, just like me.
Let's now be braver and expand further and include the entire world, 7 billion plus humanity, and say to ourselves, just like me, every single human on this earth do not want suffering, wishes to be happy, wants to be loved, wants prosperity, good health, to feel safe, just like me.
And let's rest our mind on this recognition of common humanity, the common human condition of each one of us sharing this planet.
Let's end this practice by wishing that may we all find happiness, may we all be free from suffering. May we all find love and joy. May we all find happiness. May we all be free from suffering. May we all find love. Enjoy.
You can bring your attention back on your breathing and your body.
So this kind of common humanity practice is particularly actually helpful, especially if you're struggling with certain individuals in your relationship and interaction, that you're finding it very hard. Doing a just like me practice with a special focus on that person can actually also be very powerful.
At least it will helpful. You know, enable you to, while having difficult interaction, not to forget the shared humanity that binds you together. And once you're able to do that, then any interaction on your part in relating to that person will come from a place that is more constructive, that's more empathetic and understanding.
So it can be really powerful. Thank you.