Six days · About five minutes a day
Kind Mind
Practise goodwill, starting with yourself and moving outward.
Your six days
- Start close to home — Free in your browser
- The measuring stick
- Teach or bear with
- A gentle person
- When it is tested
- Neighbours
A taste of Day 1: Start close to home
Welcome. Goodwill is a skill, and like any skill it can be practised. Over six short days, we'll practise it, starting with the person closest to you, yourself, and moving outward. Today, we simply begin.
If a man hold himself dear, let him watch himself carefully; during one at least out of the three watches a wise man should be watchful.Traditionally attributed to the Buddha · Dhammapada, verse 157
F. Max Müller, 1881
The verse begins with an ordinary premise: if you hold yourself dear. It treats self-regard as natural, and then asks what follows. What follows is attention. We look after what we cherish by watching over it. The watches in the verse are old divisions of the night, so the idea is simple: for at least some part of each day, be on your own side, and pay attention. Not harshly. The way a good friend would.
Try the reflection
Rest a hand on your lap or your chest, if that's comfortable. Silently offer yourself a plain wish, such as: may I be well. Or: may I be at ease. Use whichever wording feels true enough. You don't need to feel anything special. If the words feel odd, that's fine. Keep them gentle, and return to your breath. Take two and a half minutes.
One question to take with you
What wording felt true enough, if any?
Day 1 is free. Days 2–6 are planned for the iPhone app, coming soon. This is reflection, not medical advice.