The heart of cultivating virtue or wholesomeness (sila parami) is mindfulness of our moment-to-moment intentions. We train to become skilled at recognizing the movements of our mind’s reactivity, and we choose again and again to move towards openness and ease, refraining from harming ourselves and others.

The perfection of virtue or good conduct also refers to relying on conventional codes of conduct — ‘external’ practices of ethical behaviour, such as undertaking to live by the five precepts (refraining from killing, stealing, sexual harm, unskillful speech and intoxicants).

Although traditionally listed second of ten ‘perfections’, for the for the 100 Days of Care program we follow the example of Thanissaro Bhikkhu in organizing our contemplation of the perfections with Virtue as the fourth perfection.

This 20-minute guided practice with Heather Fenton begins with mindfulness of breath in the body and then shifts into a contemplation on developing awareness of our mind’s impulses.

Listen on YouTube.

Listen on Insight Timer.