The most important moment in meditation is the instant you leave the cushion. When your practice session is over, you can jump up and drop the whole thing, or you can bring those skills with you into the rest of your activities.
When you leave the cushion, do you still maintain awareness and mindfulness? After the meditation bell sounds, don’t immediately let your mind run away or leave the seat; take at least two or three minutes to slowly stand up and leave. Let your awareness naturally remain and manifest. At that moment, you are not deliberately meditating, but due to the momentum of your meditation practice, your awareness will still be present as you leave the cushion. It won’t disappear so quickly. The awareness is still there. So in daily life, when you encounter anything that stirs your mind, you can immediately maintain this awareness and contemplate impermanence and non-self. If you can integrate this practice into everyday life, the rest becomes much easier.
