St Ignatius Loyola called it the Daily Examen. Buddhist monks call it Making a Dedication. The practice has different aspects, but all involve reflecting on the events of the day as a way of noticing whether one has fulfilled one’s intention, experiencing gratitude for one’s blessings, and turning toward the next day on the journey of life. The following is a shared practice reflecting the major features of the two traditions. If you have a religious faith, you can adapt this into a prayer practice in which you are in conversation with the divine. If you do not, you can focus on the highest and best part of yourself.
1. Reflect on the day
Before going to bed or while lying in bed, take a few minutes to reflect on your day. Consider important experiences, conversations, emotions, and thoughts, although it is important not to focus too much on what you did or did not do. The point is simply to note the major features of your day and to consider whether your day was in alignment with the intention you set in the morning.
2. Pay attention to your emotions and accept your experience
Reflect on the emotions that came up during the day. If negative thoughts or feelings arise, just be present with them. Do not try to push away the negative or grasp after the positive.
Just acknowledge what happened. If you are disappointed with some aspect of how you acted, put your hand on your heart and say, “I accept myself as I am, flawed and human like everyone else.” Notice where you have fallen short of your intention, because that is part of what will allow you to grow and learn. If something painful happened in your day, you can gently acknowledge it by saying, “That was painful. I am not alone. We all suffer at times.”
3. Feel gratitude
The most important quality to have toward your day is gratitude for what you have experienced, even for what was hard and what allowed you to learn and grow. If you are keeping a journal of what you are grateful for, you may wish to write these down now.
4. Rejoice in your day
Pick something you did during the day that you feel good about—helping someone, keeping your cool during a conflict. If you can’t think of anything, you can rejoice in the fact that you are doing this practice. Now dedicate the merit of your day and let it be a blessing to all.
5. Look to tomorrow
You can finish by turning your attention to the next day and setting your intention for how you wish to face the challenges that may come. Trust that you will be able to handle whatever the next day may hold and release your concerns for the night as you go to sleep.
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Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships – or, as they would say, because of them – they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.
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Copyright © Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams 2016