Stay Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft
Streamed dwell on Mar 17, 2022
Introduction
Hey you guys, welcome to tonight’s guided meditation and naturally, we’ll even have a Dharma speak and a little bit little bit of Q&A. So all of that awaits you this night. Discover I’m sporting my most colourful, enjoyable, loopy shirt, which I actually like; I hope you prefer it too. It actually issues to me whether or not you want my shirt. I’m going to consider this so much tonight, primarily based in your feedback, about my shirt. Anyway, the rationale I’ve the shirt is we’re going to work with some extra of what we have been working inside a earlier week, which is equanimity with confusion or equanimity with chaos. So though to me it is a type of concord, for others they may see that is chaos. So I assumed properly, what’s my most chaotic shirt? So that is the chaos shirt. We’re gonna work with equanimity with chaos and confusion however differently than normal.
Meditation
So let’s start our meditation this night by settling into our sitting posture. So what I would like you to do is take your seat and, as normal, it’s greatest should you’re–let’s see, myself in place right here–in case your knees are beneath your hips; it will get you sitting up good and straight. Be happy to additionally lay down or arise, no matter you need. However should you’re sitting down I would like you to take a seat in such a method that your decrease again is doing that good factor that makes your backbone sit up. And since you’re doing it type of mechanically by having your knees beneath your hips, it doesn’t take loads of muscle energy to maintain your again upright. So we have now our backbone good and upright in a really comfy method. And simply type of sway forwards and backwards like a tree, like a sapling in a wet breeze, proper? Saplings actually like wet, mushy, wet breezes, so it’s simply type of doing this: it goes ahead and again and aspect to aspect, and finally, the younger sapling of our backbone finds that spot that’s simply completely balanced, that feels excellent. The Goldilocks spot of your backbone the place it’s simply floating upwards with virtually no effort. It’s virtually prefer it desires to only, on this one spot, it simply desires to move upwards in direction of the sky, effortlessly.
As soon as we’re in that spot then we let our, for instance, neck and shoulders and arms and palms loosen up. After which we’re simply gonna keep on this posture, we’re not gonna transfer in any respect, okay? You may see, in case your eyes are open, you may see me transfer each every so often however that’s simply because I’m guiding a video and so I want to regulate the pc or I must take a drink as a result of I’m speaking. But when I used to be meditating solely, I’d sit fully nonetheless for the whole meditation and that’s what I hope you are able to do is sit fully nonetheless. Not scratching your nostril, not, you already know, shifting your posture or attempting to, you already know, alter your neck. However simply moderately sitting good and nonetheless and feeling that stillness, okay?
So as soon as we’re sitting in that method then let’s set our intention, why are we meditating? What are we right here for? So I’ll simply allow you to try this for a second. It actually helps to tune into our goal. Generally we neglect our goal once we come to take a seat down. We simply know, ‘it’s time, oh it’s time to meditate’. We sit down, we begin meditating and we are able to’t even keep in mind what we’re doing right here, you already know? And that by no means results in a great meditation. So what I’d such as you to do whenever you sit down is at all times be like, ‘okay, right here’s why I’m meditating’, or ‘right here’s, you already know… I’m now meditating’, is the purpose, proper? ‘I’m doing a factor, so I’m totally right here’.
Good. After which what we’re going to do tonight is, initially, we’re going to do one in every of my favourite standbys, one in every of my favourite metaphors for meditating; we’re going to meditate just like the sky. So simply develop into the sky. Huge, open, completely clear, vibrant sky, okay?
So what’s fascinating concerning the sky and why we meditate just like the sky is that there’s no, nothing bothers the sky. There may be planes flying by it, there’s every kind of birds flying by it, there’s noises in it, there’s clouds, there’s climate, there’s rain; however none of that bothers the sky. The sky is at all times unruffled, undisturbed, fully peaceable and huge and spacious; there’s room for every little thing within the sky. So I would like you to type of think about or tackle these properties of spaciousness and room and of unruffledness. And this unruffledness doesn’t imply nothing’s taking place, every kind of issues may be taking place: every kind of thoughts climate, every kind of feelings, every kind of, you already know, emotions about this or arguments in your thoughts about that, or no matter. However none of that disturbs the sky. So it’s not that the sky has to don’t have anything happening. It’s that the sky is so huge and so clear and so open that it doesn’t matter what’s happening, that’s okay. So let’s sit for a short time just like the sky. And similar to the wind comes and goes within the sky, as you’re being the sky right here for a couple of minutes I would like you to only deal with the breath coming and going.
So that you’re being the sky, you’re being huge and spacious and, not like the sky in all probability–you already know I’m unsure if the sky is a being or not–however we’re going to say we’re positively certain that we’re beings. And so we’re going to not solely be huge and spacious however we’re conscious, we’re conscious. And in that huge, spacious consciousness we’re merely permitting the breath to return and go. Permitting the wave of the breath which is sort of a wind rising and falling, proper? In lots of languages, the phrase for breath and the phrase for wind is strictly the identical phrase. So simply let that breath come and go within the sky of consciousness. Let’s try this now.
Simply persevering with to relaxation because the huge, open sky of consciousness with the wind of the breath rising and falling, rising and falling effortlessly in consciousness. Now if you wish to and solely do that if you wish to, you may change your breath just a bit bit. You may let the breath have longer exhales if that feels comfy. You might have an everyday inhale after which just a bit bit longer of an exhale. And I would like you to note the tip of that exhale. Don’t drive it in fact, simply wait ‘until it occurs however when it occurs simply discover that it ends. And it’s possible you’ll discover, relying in your breath–it’s completely different for various individuals at completely different occasions of day–however typically they’ll even be type of a pause there. Like, the lengthy exhale will come to an finish after which there’ll simply be a second the place it’s simply sitting there earlier than the inhale begins. It may not, it could be very quick, very seamless: finish of exhale then – [straight] into the inhale. However typically you do a protracted out-breath after which it simply rests there after which the inhale will begin. So I don’t need you to control that. I do need you to, if you wish to–you are able to do lengthy out-breaths–however simply look forward to the tip, look forward to the tip, look forward to the tip. After which discover when it arises, and see if there’s a pause or not and if there’s, the size of the pause earlier than the in-breath begins once more. Now we’re simply noticing, however I would like you to be particularly conscious of that. The sky, the thoughts is taking note of how the wind of the breath is transferring.
Keep in mind that the sky is huge, the sky is open, the sky is just not bothered by something in any respect. All of the issues can come and go and the breath, the wind of the breath, comes and goes within the sky. And we’re simply permitting that naturally, already current consciousness of the sky to note the breath. The wind of the breath because it rises and falls within the huge, open sky.
Okay, good. Now persevering with to easily be the sky, be the huge, spacious, open consciousness of the sky. Let’s change our focus from meditating on the wind of the breath transferring by the sky, and as an alternative, we need to focus now on the wind of ideas transferring by the sky of the thoughts. So ideas are merely transferring by consciousness and we’re conscious of them. We’re not staying fully uninvolved in the best way that we might if we have been doing dropping the ball. We are literally meditating on them as an object however we’re staying uninvolved when it comes to the content material. So that you’re not getting caught up in considering, however consciousness is conscious of the considering. The sky of consciousness feels, notices, hears the wind of thought transferring, the wind of thought whistling within the sky. And so we’re truly meditating on our considering. And to do that we deal with verbal considering as just a few sound, ‘blah, blah, blah, blah’, or visible considering, if that’s arising, is just a few lights altering. So we’re taking note of it however we’re not participating, we’re not getting caught up within the content material. So the wind of ideas is transferring by the sky of consciousness and we because the sky are unperturbed by the ideas and but we’re meditating upon them. That is taking the thoughts as path: we’re meditating on the stream of thought with out altering it in any method.
Once more, merely letting the stream of ideas, the wind of ideas transfer by with out actually participating it. And but we’re nonetheless specializing in it, we’re noticing it, we’re listening to the wind however simply not manipulating it in any respect. Not attempting to have good ideas, not attempting to have dangerous ideas, not participating with the ideas in any respect however merely specializing in them, letting them simply–let the winds go.
Now, persevering with to permit consciousness to meditate on the move of thought, it’s possible you’ll discover one thing fascinating. Though we’re probably not getting concerned in a deep method within the content material or following the content material or considering on goal, you already know, considering is simply ‘occurring’. So I would like you to note that ideas are merely occurring. The wind is blowing within the sky however there doesn’t, you’re probably not attempting to suppose: the ideas are simply taking place. And moreover, as we sink deeper into this you’ll discover one thing fascinating and that’s, the ideas may probably not, typically, make that a lot sense. There could be incomplete sentences, there could be garbled ideas. Generally it doesn’t even sound just like the language English, or no matter language you usually suppose in. Generally it would sound like a number of streams of speak. It will probably get type of bizarre in there. And what I would like you to do is to not attempt to drive it to make any sense. Let it’s as fragmented or jumbled or garbled or muddy, when it comes to the content material of the ideas themselves, because it desires. Don’t attempt to make it into logical chains of verbal considering; permit it to be simply as, permit it to be nevertheless it’s truly exhibiting up.
That is a part of the chaos that I used to be describing. Generally the thoughts is kind of a bit extra free and open and incomplete in a method than we’re usually used to. So simply let it current the way it’s presenting.
Good. Now persevering with to only relaxation because the huge, open sky of consciousness. Observing, conscious of the stream of ideas as they move. On goal simply permit your self to type of gently discover the a part of considering that appears essentially the most non-linear, damaged up, muddled, incomplete, or jumbled ultimately, and simply type of permit consciousness to note that half extra. So there’ll be elements which might be, you already know, talking in common sentences and guiding you and considering. However I would like you to go in direction of the stuff that’s essentially the most jumbled. And that is simply very, very mild; you’re not jamming gears, switching between. You’re simply very calmly permitting consciousness to be extra conscious of the a part of thought that’s much more non-linear, non-rational, jumbled, damaged up, muddled. And I would like you to only meditate on that. And let it’s okay that there’s part of the mindstream that’s fairly chaotic, okay? So, and perhaps you’re solely noticing that a little bit bit, or perhaps you’re not even noticing that in any respect. So simply go together with what’s there. I don’t need you to vary the content material on goal. Don’t attempt to change the way you’re considering. That is nearly–type of like, an instance could be, or a metaphor could be; should you have been listening to a track and I stated, “I would like you to only take heed to the bass guitar in that track.” The remainder of the track goes on and also you’re not making a bass guitar occur, you’re simply choosing out that one half and listening. So let’s select the a part of the mindstream, the a part of considering that’s the most, let’s say chaotic, and simply be okay with that; let it’s there.
Good. Now let’s come again to only being the sky. Permitting the stream of ideas to maneuver just like the wind by the sky and permitting consciousness to note the whole spectrum, the whole big selection of each type of thought. Not simply extra narrowly wanting on the one band however moderately all of the ideas transferring like wind within the sky. Discover that we’re not attempting to vary them, we’re not attempting to regulate them. The wind will get to blow no matter method it desires; the numerous winds get to blow in no matter instructions they need and the sky is just not disturbed. The sky is conscious of the considering however it’s not concerned within the considering and it’s not disturbed in any method by simply permitting the ideas to move. That is our precise thoughts, that is what it does, that’s okay. The sky of consciousness has room, greater than sufficient room, for all these ideas.
Generally it’s simply so nice to let go of all management of considering, all analysis of considering, all critique, all attempting to make ideas at all times make sense or be good, or no matter. And simply permit the prepare of ideas, or the wind, the move of the wind of thought, to only do no matter it desires and to not intrude with that in any respect. There’s a type of huge reduction in letting go of that management and letting go of that anxious monitoring and easily to let the ideas do what they need. Chances are you’ll discover that ideas simply occur. There are ideas with no thinker, proper? No person’s truly in there controlling that. It’s simply taking place and consciousness is conscious of it.
Now let’s let go of that now and easily let go completely of monitoring the move of thought and simply come into resting because the open sky, uninvolved with something. We’re simply conscious, extensive conscious, huge, spacious, completely accepting. However not even monitoring the breath, not even monitoring the thought. If you wish to you may preserve that kind of wind of the breath rising and falling within the background. However for essentially the most half, we’re simply sitting doing nothing.
Generally once we’re simply resting as consciousness, doing nothing, we would like it to be a sure method, we would like it to be peaceable. However consciousness itself is at all times peaceable. We wish it to make sense or have a sample however consciousness itself doesn’t want that in any respect. It’s huge, it’s spacious, it has room for every little thing. We wish it to not be distracted or someway not be crammed with upsetting feelings, or no matter. However consciousness is rarely upset. Any feelings can come up and it’s high quality. So no matter is occurring proper now, simply let that be okay, simply let that be okay. Permit the sky of consciousness to only let every little thing be what it’s, with out interfering in any method. And but completely accepting, not ignoring or denying, accepting every little thing, simply as it’s.
Good. Now only for the final second of the meditation right here, the final minute or so, I would like you to, on goal, to ship out this peace that you simply’re feeling. Any peace in any respect that you simply’re feeling, ship it out to the entire universe. Any sense of pleasure that you simply’re feeling, ship it out to the entire universe. Any sense of loving connection and caring about others, ship it out to the universe. And simply let your open coronary heart ship out open-heartedness to each different being in the entire universe.
We nonetheless have issues, we nonetheless have difficulties, we nonetheless have interactions, we’re nonetheless human beings with human issues and but we have now goodwill. We now have friendliness, we have now openness, we have now kindness and we’re sending it out to the entire world, leaning into the sunshine, because it have been. And simply radiate that now with as a lot real kindness and real caring and real openness and even playfulness as you may.
Good, so let’s finish the meditation there.
Dharma Speak
Permitting your self to maneuver and stretch. If you wish to do a pleasant cat stretch, letting your fingers and toes and palms and toes, or paws because it have been, stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch in a method that feels very nice. Permit your physique to maneuver in no matter method feels good. Have a drink of water or, you already know, scotch. No matter feels good proper now, and possibly not Scotch–good, so–but when I did have Scotch I’d have some Highland Park.
So tonight is the total moon and actually, as we’re recording this, let’s see Pacific Time, so about 5 and a half hours from now the moon shall be completely full. So proper now we’re actually feeling that full moon power. And it’s humorous, you already know, there’s completely different moods on completely different days. In the present day has a particular full moon really feel. And one thing that I talked about with a number of completely different individuals in a number of completely different conversations right this moment was the truth that: it was concerning the ‘knowledge thoughts’. We have been speaking concerning the knowledge thoughts. It was simply humorous, I didn’t deliver this up, it got here up independently in numerous conversations. So perhaps this was right this moment’s full moon theme, who is aware of? However we have been speaking concerning the knowledge thoughts. And the humorous factor concerning the knowledge thoughts, or what in Sanskrit could be referred to as prajna; in, you already know, in Buddhism or Hinduism we might discuss prajna which implies knowledge. But it surely’s higher translated because the knowledge thoughts as a result of it’s not usually what within the West we would consider as knowledge, which is like, you already know, understanding some good, deep shit about how you can cope with stuff. That’s not precisely what is supposed by the knowledge thoughts. What is supposed by the knowledge thoughts is that the a part of your thoughts that’s linear and rational and type of put collectively is rather like this floor of the thoughts. It’s the uppermost floor of the thoughts. It’s barely one or two p.c of your thoughts, proper? It’s a tiny half that’s logical and rational and every little thing is sensible in a type of regular method. And we would name that simply the common thoughts. However just under that’s, you already know, the dreaming thoughts: the unconscious, the a part of your thoughts that’s non-linear and non-rational and speaks within the language of metaphor and is in a method, to speak metaphorically now, in a method is at all times dreaming. And it’s humorous as a result of within the West we don’t actually, I don’t know, we don’t like that a part of our thoughts very a lot as a result of it doesn’t make sense in that standard, linear, rational method.
After all, it does make sense in dream logic. It is sensible in a metaphorical, related, symbolic method. But it surely doesn’t actually work in a linear, rational method. And so, as a result of we within the West are so centered and provides a lot consideration to and provides a lot credence to being rational and logical and linear, we don’t actually like this different a part of our thoughts very a lot. And so, as you do extra meditation on considering, we’re taking the thoughts as path. However even should you, there’s other ways we are able to meditate on considering, one in every of them would simply be common previous vipassana on ideas, you already know? Or as we did tonight, taking the thoughts as path, and simply permitting ideas as we type of take note of them, and different methods too. As we meditate on considering we discover after some time, you’ll discover that you simply’ve received this predilection to remain within the a part of considering that’s clear, that’s linear, that’s following a sequence, that’s orderly, that’s rational. However you may begin noticing, perhaps even to your dismay, you may begin noticing that there’s a complete lot of non-rational, non-linear thought happening.
So, once I say that, you may not have a concrete concept of what I imply. So to make it concrete I’d say, for instance, the ideas are damaged up; the ideas are garbled just like the language, you already know, is garbled. Possibly it doesn’t even sound actually like language, it simply feels like sounds, like phonemes. Like, typically it feels like many various trains of thought directly. Generally even when the sentences are full sentences they’re like, they don’t make any sense, you already know? Though these are all completely respectable English sentences, they’re not, they’re, they’re like a dream. They’re saying one thing that doesn’t actually appear to imply something. So there’s all these various things happening within the thoughts.
As I stated, it’s like a dream, okay? Or like hypnagogia or hypnopompia, it’s dreamlike, okay? And so it’s possible you’ll discover–you may not however you in all probability will discover that you’ve a choice. You don’t like that half that’s type of dream-like. You don’t like that half since you need issues to be clear. And so what we’re doing in these, once we meditate on thought, it’s crucial to let the ideas be as unclear, as non-linear, as non-rational as they need. Simply allow them to do their factor, we’re not attempting to regulate them in any method. And the very first thing most individuals discover is like, ‘whoa it’s, you already know, it’s a little bit bizarre, there’s all… you already know’. However after some time, should you simply let it occur, you don’t attempt to management it, don’t attempt to drive it to make sense, don’t attempt to drive it to talk in correct sentences, or no matter. After some time, you’ll discover one thing fascinating taking place which is that that feels actually good for some motive. It’s an actual reduction, it’s an actual load off: take a load off, it’s an actual load off. Why is that? Why does that really feel so good? It feels so good as a result of we’re not controlling the thoughts, we’re simply letting it’s itself for as soon as. Simply letting it breathe straightforward, letting it take a load off, letting it do what it desires. As a substitute of regularly attempting to whip it into some type of synthetic form. ‘I used to be simply letting it’s’.
However should you work with it much more on this method, should you simply sit with it, much more, it will get even deeper. It doesn’t simply really feel good, it can begin to do a humorous factor, a very fascinating factor. You’ll begin to discover that there’s inventive ideas arising. Like, you abruptly have a brand new concept for a undertaking otherwise you abruptly perceive how you can do one thing in a brand new method otherwise you abruptly may have options to issues arising with out you having tried to make an answer occur. You weren’t sitting there excited about that however an answer to some downside in your life will simply come up. So there’s a type of inventive problem-solving factor that simply begins to occur. Now you’re not attempting to make that occur. That is once we’re completely simply letting the thoughts do no matter. And it’ll simply, each every so often, you already know, not on a regular basis however each as soon as… properly, tremendous inventive ideas, problem-solving ideas will come up.
Now don’t cease your meditation to jot down these down, in the event that they’re vital you’ll keep in mind it. Simply let it go and afterwards you may write it down. So there shall be that stage of, you already know, inventive problem-solving. However then should you proceed to work with, you already know, taking the thoughts as path, meditating on considering, letting the ideas be no matter they need to be, it can go even deeper. And also you’ll begin to discover you could have perception into your self, like your character and why you do stuff. You’ll have perception into different individuals, what they really need, what’s their deal? What’s happening with them? That may be actually, actually – particularly when it’s about ourselves – it may be typically disagreeable. Possibly you don’t need to see that about your self however it is going to be deep, it is going to be significant. So that you get insights like, type of like psychological insights into your self and others. And you’ll’t say why essentially. It’s not like, ‘oh, I abruptly perceive this about myself and for this reason I do know that’. Once more, it’s simply introduced as a fait accompli; it’s like growth, right here’s this perception. However whenever you go to work with that perception it can ring true, it’ll truly work.
So we have now type of this inventive downside fixing after which we have now these psychological insights. After which much more deeply we have now insights in, properly, religious insights. Insights into the deepest questions on life: who am I? What’s the which means of life? That type of stuff. It is also, these solutions aren’t logical, they’re not rational, they don’t make that type of sense. They make sense on this different method, the dream logic, this non-linear, open-minded type of sense. And all religious traditions, particularly mystical or meditative traditions, actually agree on this level. It’s like, that kind of dreaming thoughts, the deep thoughts or what we’re calling the knowledge thoughts speaks this different language, the language of metaphor, the language of dream. However you’re going to search out as you simply permit the thoughts to do this, these very deep, religious insights come up each every so often. Not simply inventive ideas like, ‘oh I found out my screenplay’, and never simply psychological ideas that are deeper, like ‘oh I abruptly get this actually clear understanding, a deeper understanding of, you already know, why I try this factor typically’. However each every so often we’ll get even these deepest type of solutions to the questions on life.
In order that’s prajna, that’s the knowledge thoughts and to get there it’s important to permit the thought course of. Once more, whether or not it’s visible thought, the photographs in your thoughts, or verbal ideas, the phrases in your thoughts, it’s important to let it simply do no matter it desires. As a result of should you management it then you definitely’re forcing it to be this sort of linear, rational factor, okay? So it’s tremendous vital to know that we would like the thoughts to, not less than throughout meditation, have this sort of actual freedom, actual acceptance, actual openness. I’m not saying that you simply present up for work and begin babbling or, you already know, making non-linear statements. I’m saying, in your personal meditation you permit the thought course of to only do no matter it’s going to do, in no matter method it desires to do, and never management it. And also you’ll discover it has this very deep, very highly effective, and even actually, truly stunning feeling whenever you try this. It feels actually, very nice and it’ll have a strong impact in your life.
So, you already know, that is intimacy with our personal thoughts. That is, you already know, the alternative of what we usually do, which is, you already know, there’s stuff we don’t need to take into consideration, stuff that’s too scary to come across, stuff that we don’t need to cope with and we type of lock it away within the basement of the thoughts and we keep up right here. However what meaning is we’re at all times listening to the monsters within the basement and we’re afraid of our personal thoughts, proper? And that’s not a pleasing state of being. We need to be buddies with our personal thoughts, we need to be intimate, which means actually, actually know deeply our personal thoughts. And to do this we have now to love open the cage door on the basement and let the monsters in and make buddies with them, make them tea and have some conversations with these monsters. And typically, particularly in the event that they’ve been in there a very long time – they’ve been locked away a very long time – at first, that could be actually scary and so we solely do it, you already know, perhaps a little bit bit. However finally, you’ll notice that every one the monsters are simply you they usually’re your mates and you’ll speak to them, proper?
Be a part of Michael’s mailing record and get notified of latest choices and programs.
Donate to assist create extra of those movies and extra.