Small Group Exercise

GROUP INSTRUCTIONS (80 MINUTES)

STEP 1: PERSONAL CHECK-IN ( 4 MINUTES)

Each member of the triad checks in and shares:

• How are you arriving today?

• What inner weather or life themes are most alive?

STEP 2: SHARED FACILITATION, TIMEKEEPING & Coherence (5 MINUTES)

This session is grounded in shared leadership and mutual presence. Before beginning, take a few moments to decide:

• Who will read the prompts for each section?

• Who will serve as Timekeeper to help the group stay gently on track?

Once roles are chosen, begin with a brief cohering meditation (3–4 minutes) to:

• Settle in the body

• Connect to the stability of the earth

• Attune to the heart-mind

• Sense into the mycelial connection of your small group

STEP 3: FRAMING THE CONTEXT (6 MINUTES)

Each member of the triad reads a paragraph aloud:

Commitments are the ethical bones of the path. They hold the container of our integrity. They’re not rules to obey but sacred vows that orient us when we lose our way. They emerge not from outside mandates, but from honest self-inquiry — what do I need to remember to stay true to my deepest intention?

Guidelines are the breath of practice in motion. They allow us to meet complexity with responsiveness rather than rigidity. They help us find our way back to the heart after reactivity, contraction, or overwhelm. Unlike commitments, which create structure, guidelines create flexibility. They’re not abstract ideals; they’re lived, practical reminders of how we return to presence.

Points Six and Seven are the ethical architecture of awakening — commitments provide stability and clarity, while guidelines invite movement and relational wisdom. Together, they form a living contract with ourselves: to remain trustworthy, responsive, and awake as we navigate the path of daily life. Together we are interested in what commitments and guidelines are relevant to our lives today. Rather than falling back on what was relevant for the growing Bodhisattvas hundreds of years ago we are investing in discovering this for ourselves.

Today, we’ll explore both commitment and guidelines: first by naming the places where our integrity wavers, and then by listening for the vows that want to emerge. We’ll also name the relational triggers or post-meditation patterns where we tend to drift — and shape gentle, living guidelines to help bring us back.

Take a short pause in silence to integrate what’s been shared.

STEP 4: COMMITMENT REFLECTION & JOURNALING (10 MINUTES)

Take 10 minutes for solo reflection and journaling. Ask yourself:

• Where in my life do I tend to abandon my integrity under pressure?

• What patterns of self-deception or subtle ego habits do I justify?

• What actions or behaviors restore me to humility, courage, or care?

• What personal commitments would anchor me in authenticity?

Draft 3–5 personal commitments, beginning with:

• “I commit to…” or

• “I refrain from…”

Keep them clear, kind, and concrete — not punishments, but lifelines.

STEP 5: COMMITMENT CIRCLE (15 MINUTES – 5 MINUTES EACH)

Each member now shares their commitment with the group. Take about 5 minutes each.

Begin by speaking one commitment aloud:

• “I commit to [your commitment].”

Then reflect on why it matters:

• Why is this vow alive for me now?

• What challenge do I anticipate in living it?

• What would support or remind me?

The other two members offer brief, non-evaluative reflections:

• “What I hear…”

• “What resonates for me…”

Pause for a few breaths of silence between each person’s turn.

STEP 6: GUIDELINE REFLECTION & JOURNALING (10 MINUTES)

Return to silent journaling for another 10 minutes. This time, focus on Point Seven.

Ask yourself:

• Where does my practice vanish in daily life?

• In conflict?

• When I feel unseen?

• In urgency, tiredness, or fear?

• What are the somatic signs of reactivity?

• What patterns repeat?

• What small gestures or actions bring me back to awareness

• What gentle reminders would help me stay rooted in presence?

  3–5 personal guidelines using evocative phrasing:

• “When I drift, I will…”

• “Let me remember…”

• “In stress, I choose to…”

• “When I close, I will soften by…”

STEP 7: GUIDELINE SHARING CIRCLE (15 MINUTES – 5 MINUTES EACH)

Each person takes about 5 minutes to share:

• One situation where they tend to lose their practice

• One personal guideline they’ve written to support return

• Why this guideline feels relevant now

Group members reflect briefly:

• “What I heard in your share…”

• “What that brought up in me…”

Pause briefly in silence after each round.

STEP 8: CLOSING INTEGRATION ( 15 MINUTES)

Co-creation (13 minutes)
As a group, explore and name:

• One shared commitment that reflects your collective ethical integrity

• One shared guideline that invites daily responsiveness

Speak them aloud together

Final Round (2 minutes)
Each member offers one closing sentence:
“One thing I’m taking with me…”
“One thing I want to remember this week…”

End with a moment of silence, resting in gratitude and mutual presence