Daily Word. A Practice. A Focus on One Word at a Time
With Guidelines
Last month (october 2025), I gave an insight meditation (vipassana) retreat at the Waldhaus Buddhist Zentrum, an hour or so from Bonn in Germany.
One of the meditators from Sweden showed me a small square of paper with a word she had written. She told me she made the word a theme for her day.
Here is a selection of words.
During the day, she took the piece of paper out of her pocket several times to remind her of the theme. Before sleep, she reflected on the influence of the word during the day.
I told her I regarded her daily exercise as a fine practice. After the retreat, I wrote some notes to encourage you to explore the Daily Word.
Here are Twelve Suggestions for the Daily Word
Cut a piece of white paper, around 5 square cm.
Write a single word for the day in the morning to remind you to stay close to what the word represents.
Below are selection of words to consider. Or find a word suitable for you.
Keep the piece of paper in your pocket.
Do not change the word during the day. You might get close to going deep with the word and miss the opportunity.
You might use the same word in the following days if you go deeper with it or if it stays on the surface.
Look at the word for a few moments a few times per day.
Before sleep, look at the word again to see if you stayed connected to it.
Keep a daily diary. Write down a few lines of what the word meant to you.
The next day choose a new word or repeat the word you used on the previous day.
Remember, you may feel close to the experience or distant from during the day.
Consider inviting friends to engage in the same practice and to share their collective experiences.
May all beings understand the world of name and form
May all beings see what lies behind the word
May all beings know a boundless way of life.
Pass the Word on!