Reside Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Streamed stay on Jan 13, 2022
Hey everyone! Welcome to tonight’s guided meditation, guided nondual meditation. Let’s start instantly. Okay, let’s begin meditating proper out of the gate. So what I need you to do is to take your meditation posture. As common this implies to sit down up good and straight. I’m in a chair right here at a desk, but when I transfer the factor there, then I can sit up. And what I do is you sit away from the again. Proper, so you progress ahead within the chair simply sufficient that you just’re not leaning on the again, however as a substitute sitting up, supporting your again along with your again muscular tissues. After which transfer your legs in such a approach that your knees are no less than the identical degree as your hips and hopefully decrease.
You possibly can sit ahead sufficient on the chair your knees will go decrease than your hips. Be certain when you’re in a chair that rolls that it doesn’t roll out from below you when you try this. And then you definately simply sit up good and straight. And you already know that final little little bit of straight is getting the highest most level of your head type of pulling upward only a tiny bit. And that makes your chin tuck only a tiny bit or your tin chuck relying. After which when you get your backbone feeling type of straight up and down like that, I need you to only wave it a bit of bit like a younger sapling in a contemporary wet breeze, very nice breeze, with some water and a few wind. After which progressively settle to that good spot the place it feels simply fully each upright and relaxed.
At all times remembering that that is a part of the bodily embodiment of realization or no less than a focus of good assortment gatheredness, unification of thoughts is that it’s each alert and relaxed. So we’ve our physique alert with the upright backbone and every thing else within the physique is relaxed. In order that’s how we try this.
Okay, now I need you to tune in with your individual, simply the way you’re feeling proper now. Simply tune into your thoughts, your feelings, your physique. Simply what’s it prefer to be you proper now. Simply tune in for a second and verify in. Test in with your self. And don’t simply give attention to one factor, like oh I’m simply nervous in regards to the keys or no matter. Discover how does your physique really feel, how’s your feelings feeling, how’s your coronary heart, you already know, how’s your coronary heart feeling? Simply tune in like this. What’s it prefer to be you proper now.
After which from right here I need you to note your intention or let’s imagine your motivation. Why are you meditating? Come again to why are you meditating every time. It may be, like you already know, a tactical purpose like I’m meditating to get higher at focus. Or it may be one thing very massive like a bodhisattva vow – I’m right here to restore all of creation; I’m right here to convey love and kindness and compassion to all beings. Or it may be one thing type of in between like I’m meditating to be a kinder individual with an open coronary heart each single day, one thing like that. No matter it’s for you. Go forward and consider that now. And actually get clear, so it’s not simply “oh I’m meditating like brushing my enamel as a result of somebody stated it’s good for me.”
And now the subsequent factor we usually do is collect useful resource, collect sources and that may be the visualizations of deities we do, or visualizations of varied objects that symbolize our personal pristine consciousness, our personal rigpa after which we work with that. Tonight I wish to do one thing totally different.
So you’ll be able to sit along with your eyes closed once more. Usually in nondual observe we sit with our eyes open, however for this half you’ll be able to shut your eyes. And I simply need you to spend the subsequent 5 minutes considering of issues that you just’re grateful for. And for every factor that you just’re grateful for I need you to really say out loud, I’m grateful that I had such a pleasant bike trip right now, I’m grateful for the attractive colours of sundown that I’m seeing out the window proper now. And it may be something in any respect. The one stipulation is it’s a must to imply it. You need to really really feel grateful. And you’ll say the identical factor again and again if it’s too laborious to consider belongings you’re grateful for. However for the subsequent 5 minutes we’re simply going to do gratitude observe. And also you’re going to note that that’s type of melting your coronary heart, melting your armor, opening you up, tuning you in. It’s an exquisite observe. So let’s do gratitude observe for 5 minutes right here.
Hold simply considering of issues that you just really feel grateful for and simply noticing. You don’t have to consider them quick. Simply consider one and simply really feel that gratitude. Actually really feel the smile, the nice and cozy smile of gratitude and the meltiness of the guts. Let’s hold going.
Okay, good. Now the subsequent factor I need you to do, this can be a little more durable, however I need it to be a continuation of this coronary heart opening and armor dissolving opening right here. And so as a substitute of gratitude now I need us to do forgiveness. So simply suppose of people that you forgive, or issues or conditions that you just forgive and don’t do it with belongings you’re not able to forgive, okay. So I don’t need you to get all sure up and distressed, however quite, solely conditions and folks and issues that you just actually really feel able to forgive. I need you to only once more convey it up, give it some thought and say aloud you already know so and so, I forgive you. After which really feel the forgiveness. See them in your thoughts’s eye. Forgive, forgive, forgive and spot your coronary heart stress-free and opening. And naturally you’ll be able to forgive your self too. So let’s observe some forgiveness right here.
If there’s anyone or one thing that you may’t forgive all the way in which, are you able to forgive them partially, no less than a bit of bit, no less than for some issues? Let’s clear the decks, our inside system. Let’s clear it solely of every thing that we’re holding on to that we at the moment have the capability to forgive in order that we’re now not holding on to that. And so even when there’s one thing, you already know somebody who you’ll be able to’t actually forgive but all the way in which possibly there’s a number of the stuff you’ll be able to forgive and give attention to that. Once more this isn’t about getting wrapped up within the stuff you’ll be able to’t forgive, however we’re getting good and heart-melty and staying open and stress-free rigidity through forgiveness.
Discover how, as you already know we tune into our gratitude and we tune into our forgiveness you may begin feeling teary-eyed and your coronary heart actually you already know wells up. Your coronary heart will get actually massive. It’s an enormous aid to let go of the issues we’re holding on to and simply permit ourselves to forgive. So that is one other approach we will collect useful resource, not solely visualizing deities and our personal pristine consciousness, but in addition practising gratitude, practising forgiveness. That’s constructing our sources, that’s constructing our resilience, proper. The extra that we let go like that, the extra issues that we genuinely are grateful for, the extra issues those who we typically forgive, the extra useful resource, the extra resilience we’ve out there. And you’ll really feel that now, proper. You’re feeling fairly totally different after doing that.
Now let’s tune into our shamatha with an object. We’re going to start doing one thing with an object on simply the breath. And so that you’re inhaling and feeling that inhaling sensation and also you’re respiratory out and feeling that respiratory out sensation. And you are able to do this along with your eyes open, resting as huge spacious consciousness and simply permitting the sense of the breath to come back and go in consciousness. If you wish to shut your eyes and do it type of the extra closed in, centered approach that’s okay, however I like to recommend sitting along with your eyes open and simply feeling that breath coming and going like a wave in consciousness. It’s very nice that approach.
Once more, simply resting as huge spacious consciousness, feeling the breath wave come and go. However I need you to note the minute the in-breath the second, the second the millisecond the in-breath involves an finish. And spot you don’t need to do tight laser beam focus to do this, you simply are conscious, noticing, noticing, noticing, conscious, conscious, conscious, when does the in-breath finish. And identical factor as you’re respiratory out, respiratory out, respiratory out, respiratory out, when does the out-breath finish. And an essential caveat right here is, don’t manipulate the tip of the in-breath or the tip of the out-breath so that you see it. Proper, simply look forward to it to naturally happen. However ensure you catch the tip of the in-breath, finish of the out-breath with every breath cycle.
Now don’t miss a single a part of the breath wave. Once more you don’t need to drill down. You don’t need to be doing micro give attention to this. You’re resting as huge spacious consciousness and the sensation of the breath wave simply arises in consciousness and passes away in consciousness. However I need you to pay attention to each little second of that breath wave. Don’t miss any of it and notably discover the tip of the in-breath, notably discover the tip of the out-breath. These are particular emphasis factors, however you’re additionally noticing the remainder of the entire breath. So permitting the breath wave to to actually be clear in consciousness, noticing each little a part of it. Let’s try this.
I need you to sink into this much more deeply. Permitting that breath wave to fill huge spacious consciousness. After all, huge spacious consciousness is huge, however that breath wave turns into very, very apparent. Very, very clear and also you’re not lacking a millisecond of it. And the breath wave is so massive it type of simply pushes ideas out of the way in which. We’re not on goal doing that, however the breath wave is so massive and so clear, it simply type of dominates the spacious consciousness. It’s actually very clear in there and also you’re notably conscious of the tip of the in-breath. you’re notably conscious of the tip of the out-breath. And the remainder of the time that breath wave, that feeling of the breath rising within the physique and the sensation of the breath falling the physique could be very clear. You’re staying with that. You’re nearly resting with it or using it. Very easy.
Discover that consciousness of the breath doesn’t take any effort. Consciousness is already conscious. And so the notice of the breath simply is there. Rises in consciousness, passes away in consciousness with none effort required in any respect.
Good. Now, with only a slight shift in emphasis, remaining resting as huge spacious consciousness, simply let go of deliberately being conscious of something and even deliberately doing something. We’re simply resting as huge spacious consciousness, already awake, already conscious, already huge. There’s nothing to do in any respect. Now if you end up doing one thing like participating with a thought, simply drop that. If you end up attempting to meditate, simply drop that. If you end up attempting to do something in any respect, that’s doing. Simply simply drop it. Come again to easily resting. And this isn’t a sleep type of resting we’re very, very, very awake however we’re not doing something in any respect together with following ideas. So it’s not about sitting and simply being distracted as a result of that’s really a doing, that’s following trains of thought. So if you end up following a thought, simply drop it.
Now for some folks the phrase ‘drop it’ is simply too robust. They get entangled in a wrestle. This isn’t a wrestle. In the event you’re struggling, drop that. Proper, so we will use different phrases in addition to drop it. We will simply say simply ‘let it go,’ we will say simply ‘let it’s,’ no matter, however we’re not doing. That is complete non-doing. Letting go or dropping is just not a doing. That’s a relinquishing.
Okay, good. Now we’re going to do one thing that takes a bit of little bit of effort. You already know we’re all already present buddhas, already present bodhisattvas. Our pristine consciousness is already totally enlightened. There’s nothing to do on that degree. On that deep degree there’s nothing to do. You’re already wakeful, however usually we don’t acknowledge it, we don’t see it. And so it’s simple for me to sit down right here and say hey you’re all totally woke up buddhas, we’re all totally woke up buddhas, however you is perhaps considering yeah, however I don’t see it. Properly why don’t we see it? We don’t see it due to our perception system. We don’t see it as a result of we’ve concepts that we will’t be that and these concepts get in the way in which as a result of we’re totally woke up buddhas. Our ideas like which have actual energy to affect our personal minds.
So proper now I need you to take a look at no matter ideas you may have they usually’re going to sound like this: I’m not ok to appreciate my buddhahood; I’m too damaged to appreciate my buddhahood; I don’t deserve it; I’m too fucked as much as ever actually discover my very own buddhahood; oh I’ve tried for years and nothing works; possibly it really works for different folks, however I can’t do it. Ideas like that. I don’t know the way it sounds precisely for you and it is perhaps in your individual language, or it’d you already know come up in a extremely totally different approach, however no matter that’s for you want, I’m too damaged to ever acknowledge this buddhahood Michael’s speaking about. Let’s faux that’s the thought, I wish to hear that thought in your thoughts. Convey it up no matter phrases are the actual thought for you and listen to these phrases as empty. Hear these phrases as simply sounds passing by means of this huge sky of the thoughts, totally empty, totally dissolving, totally passing, totally not true. Okay. More often than not vacancy doesn’t imply issues are true or not true. That’s not the purpose. Even true issues could be empty, however on this case it’s additionally not true.
In order these ideas come up, simply see them as empty. okay. Any thought that you just’re not ok. Any thought that you just’re too damaged, any thought that you just’re too misplaced, any thought that you just’re too previous, any thought that you just’re too silly. Something like that. We’ve got every kind of ideas like this. That is only for different folks, I’ve tried too laborious and it doesn’t work. All of that. All of those ideas are fully empty. So I need you proper now to convey these up over and over and see that these ideas are each empty and never true.
Keep in mind that as a result of we’re already present totally woke up enlightened beings. You already know, Inexperienced Taras, Buddhas, Shiva, Shaktis, no matter your perception system, no matter essentially the most sacred, most awake, most compassionate, most loving being is, we’re already all that. And so it doesn’t matter what the ideas are. They are often issues like I used to be abused a lot as a baby I can by no means acknowledge my buddhahood. That thought is empty and it’s not true as a result of the buddhahood is stronger than that. That’s to not negate what occurred. It’s to not say it doesn’t rely, however by way of your already present buddhahood, that may heal all that. In order that’s an empty and incorrect thought. I’ve skilled an excessive amount of trauma and the trauma blocks every thing. It doesn’t block your individual buddhahood. That thought is empty and unfaithful. Discover that now.
One other one can be I used to be an excessive amount of of an addict, I’ve simply damage myself an excessive amount of, I’m too sick to acknowledge my very own buddhahood. No that’s not true. The Buddha by no means ever was affected by any of that for even one second. Your buddhahood is past all that. It may assist you to to heal all that and you may join with your individual already present enlightenment regardless of all that. So all of the abuse we’ve suffered, all of the trauma we’ve suffered, all of the horrible issues we’ve accomplished to our physique, none of that will get in the way in which of recognizing your buddha nature, proper. The buddha nature can acknowledge itself as a result of the buddha nature was by no means damage in any of this.
The buddha nature is flooding you with acceptance, self-acceptance and confidence and love and kindness at each second. And the buddha nature is what you actually are so even when your bodily physique is damage, even when your psychology is hurting, all that, that might be healed and that doesn’t get in the way in which of recognizing your buddhahood. So discover that these ideas are empty and unfaithful, empty and unfaithful, empty and unfaithful. Possibly there’s issues that may’t be healed, however the Buddha, the already present buddhahood nonetheless acknowledges itself past all that. So discover the vacancy and never trueness of those ideas now and launch them, allow them to go. They’ll now not block your recognition.
Good, now let go of that and I need you to only come again to resting in huge spacious consciousness. Awake, completely clear, totally effortlessly awake, conscious and nonetheless. If something comes up and we get entangled in it, we simply chill out and relinquish that involvement. We stay fully uninvolved with every thing. We’re simply conscious, effortlessly wakeful like a buddha, effortlessly totally conscious.
Good, now resting as huge spacious consciousness, wakeful, totally clear, I need you to only have the intention for this awakeness to note itself. There’s nothing to do, you’ll be able to’t do that, however you’ll be able to intend it, so simply permit consciousness to see itself. Enable consciousness to pay attention to itself after which simply relaxation once more.
Simply permitting or intending that consciousness concentrate on itself. Don’t do something in any respect, there’s nothing to do. In the event you do something you’ll get in the way in which. so simply permit consciousness to pay attention to itself. Enable awakeness to see itself after which simply relaxation doing nothing.
What if there’s nothing to vary? Simply let go of attempting to vary something fully. What if there’s nothing to do? Simply let go of doing something now. What if every thing is already fully good simply the way in which it’s? Let it’s good simply the way in which it’s. What when you’re already good simply the way in which you might be? Simply permit your self to be good simply the way in which you might be. Resting as huge spacious consciousness because the buddha thoughts. Simply resting as clear, crisp, vibrant awakeness conscious of itself doing nothing in any respect.
The urge to vary one thing comes up and also you seize on, simply chill out, let go of that, drop it, simply come again to rest. The urge to carry on to a thought, to do one thing comes up. Simply let go of that thought, don’t do something, simply chill out and open and stay open. Naturally, open naturally, awake, totally effortlessly vibrant and clear.
Good, now let this already awake, totally enlightened buddha that you’re, beam love and caring and kindness and pleasure and energy and well being and love and sweetness and kindness to the entire world. Simply permit that. It takes no effort in any respect due to the facility of a buddha. Simply let that lovely power shine and shine and shine and unfold to all beings, all folks and animals round you, all folks and animals and beings in all places on the planet, in all places in all worlds, on this universe, in all places in all worlds, in each universe. Really feel that pleasure and that kindness and that love and that knowledge and readability and confidence and pure dignity and a way of regality shine forth touching everybody in all places together with your self.
All beings in all places rejoicing, all beings in all places feeling cherished and cared for, all beings in all places feeling wholesome and powerful, all beings in all places feeling protected and safe, all beings in all places feeling assured and succesful. Really feel that beaming in all instructions now.
Okay good, let’s convey the meditation to an in depth now, thanking all beings in all places. Feeling gratitude for every thing, feeling forgiveness for every thing and simply noticing our pure already present effortlessly current, broad awakeness which is at all times proper there. It’s at all times proper right here proper now, this buddha awakeness. And simply permit your physique to maneuver and stretch. Enable your self to really feel snug. Have a drink of water as we convey the meditation to an finish now.
Dharma Discuss
In order you noticed tonight we began out with gratitude and forgiveness and as I discussed on the time, that’s actually highly effective for constructing useful resource, for serving to us to open our coronary heart. Meditating with a closed coronary heart with an armored emotional physique, armored physique. You are able to do it, but it surely’s laborious. It turns into a lot simpler if we open our coronary heart, if we type of soften our armor, we type of chill out, proper come out of our tortoise shell and open, open, open. So we do our gratitude observe, we do our forgiveness observe, different occasions we do our deity yoga or no matter, however we wish to have extra openness than possibly we usually do when strolling round on the planet. So tonight we did gratitude and forgiveness to assist ourselves with that.
After which discover after we did shamatha—we did a dzogchen fashion shamatha—which, as a substitute of being slim, could be very broad. So you already know when you discovered the right way to do let’s say mindfulness in a vipassana custom, otherwise you’re doing the thoughts illuminated fashion shamatha or no matter, it’s very slim. You retain focusing down, focusing down, focusing down and also you’re moving into micro particulars. And that’s high quality, that’s one type of shamatha. It really works, however within the type of shamatha that I’m exhibiting you tonight, which is a extra dzogchen fashion shamatha, we’re resting broad open. Our eyes are open, consciousness is conscious, it’s all the way in which conscious in all instructions, it’s simply resting broad open like it’s. We’re not narrowing it after which we’re simply letting that breath wave come up in consciousness.
Now discover how totally different that’s than saying I need you to make type of a flashlight beam out of consciousness into this tight consideration and also you’re noticing the breath with tight consideration. And a few folks say like in TMI it says to do this whereas nonetheless sustaining some openness, however what we’re doing right here is totally different than even sustaining a bit of openness. We’re primarily simply resting in open consciousness and as a substitute of type of efforting to make a beam out of consideration and shine it on the physique sensations of respiratory, quite we’re noticing that the physique sensations of respiratory are current in consciousness already. You don’t need to type of on goal make this beam and shine it on these sensations of the breath. They’re simply arising already in consciousness. That’s how you already know it’s there you’re conscious of it. There’s nothing to do. You’re already conscious of it so we’re not moving into the micro particulars, however we’re staying with the notice of the breath all through the cycle of the breath. You’re not lacking any a part of the breath cycle.
The primary mistake that individuals do once they’re attempting to do shamatha observe is what I name verify the field. So in your listing of issues to do it says really feel the in-breath and they also’re feeling the in-breath they usually go, yep felt the in-breath. After which they go and take into consideration their pokemon go snorlaxes, or no matter, or how they’re going to rearrange their pokedex till the subsequent breath comes they usually’re like, oh there’s the breath once more, I really feel it, verify, now I can go take into consideration my pokedex once more or the subsequent pokemon that I wish to seize, or no matter. You go off and play along with your thoughts in between since you suppose, oh I checked the field, I did what I’m alleged to do.
That’s a mistake after we’re doing shamatha, even this very broad, open consciousness shamatha the place we’re simply effortlessly conscious of the breath coming and going. You don’t wish to verify the field. Or to place it a unique approach, you’re checking the field each second of the breath. Feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now. After which actually additional noticing the tip of the in-breath, noticing, noticing, there it’s. Okay, right here comes the out-breath, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now. You already know you’re checking the field repeatedly after which particularly right here, right here comes the tip of it, there’s the tip of it, growth. Now right here comes one other in-breath.
So that you’re not lacking any second of that breath cycle, however neither are you, the way in which we’re doing it tonight. Once more, there’s many many various sorts of shamatha and there’s nobody magic sort of shamatha. However anyway, the way in which we’re doing it tonight, you’re resting as open consciousness, noticing you’re already conscious of the breath. You don’t need to do something. There it’s. It’s simply occurring in consciousness. Now stick with it, stick with it on a regular basis. All the way in which on the out breath. All the way in which on the in-breath. Give a bit of additional discover on the tip of the in-breath, staying with it, staying with a bit of additional discover on the tip of the out-breath. And also you’ll discover that you just’re having fairly a centered meditation, proper. Not centered slim, however centered within the sense of you’re actually staying with that breath. And it’s not even laborious, proper.
And as you’re permitting increasingly more of that breath sensation to fill consciousness, different issues like considering will get actually pushed to the aspect. It’s not that you just’re in any approach attempting to cease considering or manipulate your ideas. You’re not doing that in any respect, however you’re getting so concerned within the rising of the breath and the falling of the breath that it’s nearly that rising and falling is taking on all of consciousness. And it’s type of pushing the considering out of the way in which. So that you’ll discover increasingly more time passes the place you’re simply all that’s arising in consciousness is the breath sensation, proper. You’re nonetheless seeing the skin world and also you’re conscious of stuff however there won’t be a lot considering occurring as a result of it’s type of getting nearly like, there’s not room for it.
And in order that’s how I need you to do shamatha proper. In the event you’ve discovered this different approach the place you’re doing the slim shamatha that’s high quality. Go forward and do it, however for these non-dual sort meditations we’re doing a non-dual custom type of shamatha the place we’re simply permitting the breath to come up in consciousness, permitting the breath to fall in consciousness, whereas remaining wakeful like that. Whereas remaining huge and spacious like that. In order that’s how I need you to be doing shamantha for these meditations.
However I additionally wish to say, I simply stated it briefly, however I’ll say it once more. There is no such thing as a one proper option to do shamatha. Shamatha is shamatha. There’s a zillion methods to do it and if a type of methods was so a lot better than the opposite methods, as a result of folks tried out all of the methods of doing shamantha 2000 years in the past, 2500 years in the past, 3000 years in the past. If there was one additional particular approach that was so a lot better, it could have taken over a thousand years in the past. We’d all find out about it and it’d be the one one we do.
So there is no such thing as a one proper option to do shamatha. That’s simply nonsense. Nevertheless, having stated that, the way in which that we’re doing it, with our eyes open and retaining in huge spacious consciousness and never getting slim simply makes it a lot simpler to then transfer into shamatha with out an object and so forth. It simply makes it simpler for what we’re going to do later. However discover that’s totally different than saying it’s a greater type of shamatha or it’s the correct of shamatha. It’s simply setting us up for the subsequent strikes. Plus it’s a good way, it’s enjoyable to do easy open shamatha. So it’s good. However I don’t wish to declare that someway the proper approach or one of the best ways.
And a corollary to that that’s tremendous essential, I’ll let you know I’ve been educating meditation a very long time now. Right here is the query that I hear so usually. I hear this nearly daily. And so that you just by no means need to ask this query once more, I’ll say this as clearly as potential. There is no such thing as a particular shamatha object. There is no such thing as a particular shamatha object. There is no such thing as a particular shamatha object. What do I imply? What I imply is in several traditions they’ll be like, oh these stinking soiled losers do shamatha on the breath, however we’re going to do shamatha on visualization and that’s the one true approach, that’s the way in which you get enlightened. Oh no no no, the individuals who do shamatha on the visualization are stinking soiled losers, however we who do shamatha on this particular mantra, we all know that is the way in which you’re going to get enlightened as a result of what you want is the proper shamatha object. You want a particular shamatha object. Individuals there is no such thing as a such factor because the particular shamatha object. Simply let go of that concept perpetually. It isn’t the case.
Right here’s type of the implied query within the query when folks say what’s the nice shamatha object, what they actually imply is what shamatha object will get me enlightened and I respect the query. I’m not mocking the query. That’s a completely affordable query. However the reply is all of them or none of them, as a result of focus or staying with an object, is simply staying with an object and you are able to do that with any object. So there’s nobody that’s the proper one besides the one which works for you.
So to barely backpedal, let’s say you want doing mantras and also you don’t like doing visualizations, properly then mantras are higher shamatha objects for you since you like them and also you’ll do them extra. Or let’s say you actually love doing shamatha on the breath and also you’ve accomplished years of it and also you simply love that. Properly okay then, that’s your shamatha object. Superb, that’s nice for you, but it surely’s not the case that there’s one proper focus object for each individual. Or like there’s a particular one which when you’re led into the key again room and you place a fifty greenback invoice in my palms I’ll present you the one proper shamatha object. And that’s the actual one. shamatha is shamatha is shamatha is shamatha. All of them work. It’s all simply resting the thoughts on an object. Permitting consciousness to pay attention to that object no matter it’s okay.
So cease the seek for the particular shamatha object or the one proper option to do shamatha. Simply do your shamatha and permit your self to relaxation with it. Once more, the way in which I need you to study to do it’s type of the conventional approach in my programs, but in addition on these youtube meditations is eyes open, consciousness resting broad open and simply permitting consciousness of the breath to come back and go. That’s our shamatha with an object. However different occasions you’ll hear me do it one other approach. Generally we’ll do a visualization. Generally we’ll do a mantra. In order that’s type of simply one other approach of doing shamatha. So there’s all these other ways to do shamatha and there’s nobody magic object.
You learn a few of these books which can be on breath consciousness they usually make it sound like that’s the one factor you’ll be able to meditate on. And that’s simply incorrect. You possibly can meditate on something. It’s quite common in meditation traditions to start out out meditating on one thing like a pebble. Go get a pebble, set it in entrance of you, stare at that factor along with your eyes mild. That’s a completely regular meditation object and it’s not someway higher or worse than the breath. So simply let go of this concept that there’s a particular object. There isn’t, okay. In order that’s my type of ranty a part of the dharma speak.
The opposite half is, discover that you just don’t need to do something to bear in mind. That is one other factor possibly that is type of persevering with the rant, however on a unique subject. What I hear folks say loads is one thing like I’m struggling to make my consciousness huge. Or I’m struggling to note consciousness. You possibly can’t make your consciousness huge. It’s already huge. It begins out huge. However what occurs is that as a substitute what you’re used to doing is narrowing, narrowing, narrowing and simply noticing one little tiny channel, an consideration channel out of the entire vastness of consciousness. However consciousness is at all times huge. So that you’re not making your consciousness huge. All you’re doing is stress-free your consideration. And you already know and when you’ve acquired a behavior of tight consideration, you bought to only hold letting go, hold letting go, till it relaxes and also you discover the notice that’s already wakeful. So there is no such thing as a making my consciousness huge. By no means wrestle. By no means spend even a second struggling to make your consciousness huge. Simply let go of narrowing and also you’ll discover it’s already panoramic. It’s at all times been panoramic.
After which the opposite one is I’m attempting to note consciousness. Now that one is absolutely really type of humorous as a result of the koan there can be: oh actually you’re attempting to note consciousness? What’s noticing? The one factor that may probably be noticing is consciousness. Consciousness is what notices. So if somebody says, or in case you are saying I’m struggling to note consciousness. That’s like your canine looking for its tail. It’s already acquired it. It already is the tail. The canine contains the tail. The notice contains the noticing. So simply discover the noticing. That’s consciousness.
One other option to say the identical factor is that consciousness is sort of the identical phrase as expertise. The truth that something is going on proper now in any respect, that the lights are on in your expertise, the truth that you’re having a thought or can really feel your physique and spot the thought or really feel your physique. Or the truth that you’ll be able to hear my voice or see this video or any of that. That’s all consciousness. So the laborious factor to do is just not discover consciousness. Consciousness is what’s noticing. The laborious factor to do is to someway not discover consciousness. So these are some pointers about issues folks wrestle with that you just now have permission to thoroughly let go of.
Now we additionally did numerous psychological work tonight speaking about beliefs that get in the way in which, ideas that get in the way in which and so forth. And we labored with {that a} bunch and we’ll proceed to work with that over time as a result of that seems to be a giant deal. I simply didn’t get into it within the speak tonight, so we’ll come again to that one other time.
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