It occurred to me this morning that the difficulties I’ve been having in formal meditation have everything to do with my lax holding of certain precepts. What I have also noticed is that chanting the Mahāparittaṁ The Great Safeguard before meditation in the mornings and before bed at night brightens and purifies the mind.
I’m entering a phase again where I’m feeling the need to return to a more orthopraxic form of cultivation and, although there are things that speak to me from other schools, I have never felt as inspired by the forms and teachings. In short, I have never felt ill-at-ease with the teachings as presented in Theravada whereas I have always had to hold back or rationalize when it came to Mahayana teachings. This isn’t to criticize them at all; rather, it clearly shows how my personality has been conditioned and says more about my own proclivities than anything else.
May we practice ardently and make a refuge for ourselves.
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
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