Dwell Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Streamed dwell on Feb 10, 2022
Introduction
Hello sentient beings, you realize, usually I make an inventory of beings you is perhaps like; hey people or non-humans or alien beings. Tonight, as a substitute of constructing the listing, though I assume I simply sort of have made the listing, tonight I’m going to simply say hey sentient beings, beings with sentience, beings who’re acutely aware, we may additionally say samsarins however I’m not going to imagine that you’re not bodhisattvas. I’m not going to imagine that you just’re trapped in samsara. So I gained’t name you samsarin however I’ll say sentient beings. Howdy, hey my earthly identify, they name this earthly vessel Michael Taft, not less than on this planet which is a method of decoding the time period earthly. And I’m right here with you this night or everytime you’re watching this to do some guided meditation.
Meditation
We’re going to do one thing actually enjoyable tonight so let’s leap proper in. What I’d prefer to have you ever do is take your seat, your meditation seat and prepare to do the factor. In order standard I need you to–when you’re sitting in a chair–scooch away from the again of the chair, enable your again to carry up your again as a substitute of the chair to carry up your again. However hopefully, you’re sitting on a meditation cushion, one which has your knees decrease than your hips and that makes sitting up straight very easy so that you just’re not doing it with a lot effort. However it’s also possible to lay down. You can even stand. Simply be snug and alert. And usually we do sort of a protracted part of useful resource gathering and typically, as you realize, when you’ve been doing these meditations, I like doing those the place we now have a picture for sitting. Generally we sit like a mountain. Generally we sit like an ocean, that sort of factor. Tonight we’re going to do an entire sequence of these so let’s simply–we’re going to skip the useful resource gathering as a result of in a approach the entire meditation is useful resource gathering, okay? Or not less than three-quarters of it. So we’re going to actually be specializing in that half tonight.
So simply settle in and I need you to recollect and convey up for your self; why are you meditating? Why did you make the time to come back right here and meditate? What’s your cause for meditating? Get that clear. That helps to convey slightly extra vitality, slightly extra intention to the sit. So simply state that aloud to your self except you’re within the room with different folks then silently state it to your self.
After which what I’d such as you to do is; let’s simply spend possibly a couple of minutes simply meditating on respiration. So we’re simply going to do easy shamatha with the breath. Simply to all be part of collectively right here and to start permitting the system to settle collectively, to sort of come collectively, to combine. So what I need you to start doing is solely inhaling and respiration in and out a really light gentle simple approach following that physique sensation of inhaling and respiration out we’re going to do that for about 5 minutes after which we’ll get going with sort of the primary meat of the meditation right here if you wish to and provided that it’s snug I’d such as you to do deep stomach respiration throughout this half, not like pranayama, however simply deep stomach respiration. And with lengthy out-breaths, even when you don’t do the deep stomach respiration, see in case your out-breaths might be longer than your in-breaths. These are often accomplished by the nostril, inhaling and respiration out by the nostril however you breathe in after which lengthy out-breath and one option to make this simpler is to do the ujjayi breath, the Darth Vader breath. So on that out-breath, you do the factor that makes your voice try this–however in fact, you’re not talking but it surely’s the factor that makes your voice try this and also you’re simply respiration that approach and that permits you to regulate the velocity of the out-breath and you may make it good and lengthy. And naturally, this goes with out saying, don’t do it in any approach that’s uncomfortable, you realize don’t make your self get out of breath or one thing like that. Do it in a approach that’s simple, a approach that’s wholesome, a approach that doesn’t pressure the system.
Okay, so lengthy and quick in-breath or common in-breath after which lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy out-breath. And also you’re simply staying with that. If you’d like you should utilize a label that will help you stick with it so inhaling, inhaling after which respiration out, respiration out, respiration out, respiration out. And actually really feel that in-breath and really feel that out-breath. So let’s do that for a short while collectively. And simply stick with that feeling of the in-breath and stick with the sensation of the out-breath actually permitting it to settle every thing and permitting you to really feel built-in and picked up and grounded.
Okay. Good, and now only for a second, like one minute, I need you to simply confide in the already current naturally current huge spaciousness of your personal consciousness. So simply loosen up as open consciousness, not forcing it to be open however permitting your self to simply discover that consciousness itself is of course boundless huge open comfortable vibrant clear, and so forth. And simply discover that for just a bit whereas right here.
Okay. Good. Now we’re going to undergo a five-element meditation right here. That’s going to be the beginning we’ll perform a little bit after the top however we’ll begin out with a five-element meditation so we’re going to start and I need you to take a seat like a mountain. So that is in fact the earth component and the earth component on this mind-set about components. Once more, these are the standard components, so there’s simply 5: earth, air, hearth, water, area. And so we start with earth. Sit like a mountain and so I need you to really feel–tune into the sense of super groundedness, super stability, to a way of integration and cohesion, proper? So sit like a mountain there’s this type of immovability. And so with this earth vitality, we really feel our scattered thoughts changing into unscattered and picked up. We really feel our sort of like possibly energies which might be in all places coming into cohesion. The earth component has that sense of gravity, issues coming collectively and clumping and stabilizing and changing into built-in and stable. So sitting like a mountain additionally has this sense of permanence and stability and even the Aristocracy, proper? So start by sitting like a mountain–no matter which means to you. And let’s work with that component first this earth vitality, this sitting like a mountain is nice, as I stated when you really feel scattered otherwise you really feel off steadiness simply tuning in to the pull of gravity and the solidity and stability of the earth component. Remembering the physique has a number of earth component and it’s very soothing and stabilizing, very gathering and connecting. So simply discover how good it feels to take a seat like a mountain; the earth vitality.
Okay. Excellent. That’s sitting like a mountain; the earth component. Now we’ll go to the following component so as and that’s the water component. And so the picture right here is to take a seat like an ocean, a relaxed ocean. And after we sit with the water component, we really feel the sense of calmness, we really feel the sense of fluidity and we really feel a deep sense of peace and luxury and ease. Water is easy.
Okay? And naturally, it’s an enormous ocean of water, and naturally, your physique itself is especially water, proper? It’s principally water and the blood transferring in your veins might be thought of water, there’s the lymph, there’s all the varied fluids however even our thoughts has a water component of this sense of deep fluidity and peace and ease and luxury and effortlessness. So now sit like an ocean tuning into these qualities. So simply discover the soothing comforting qualities of this water, the fluid ease-full effortlessness of it, and, in fact, the vastness of the ocean of water.
Okay. Good. So we sat like a mountain with the earth component after which we sat like an ocean with the water component. The subsequent component is hearth. Keep in mind final week we sat as hearth and the picture right here often I’d use is the solar. If you’d like you should utilize the solar like a ball of fireside or you should utilize one thing nice like a campfire or a fireplace in a hearth. No matter works for you as a picture of fireside. And hearth is a superb component to meditate as. It’s the essence of pleasure and creativity and inspiration and naturally, hearth may be very purifying, and it’s very cell, proper? So it has this actual sense of inventive pleasure, inventive inspiration but in addition a way of purification. So sit as a fireplace and likewise really feel that heat and the consolation of fireside, proper? It’s very fantastic. So benefit from the hearth component both as like a campfire and even one thing just like the solar.
Within the historical past of meditation apply, hearth has been a extremely necessary component, a extremely necessary picture, once more for purification but in addition the entire concept of meditation is usually in comparison with a fireplace. It’s the hearth through which we burn off the impurities or burn off the dross leaving this super vitality of fireside, the enjoyment of fireside, and the heat and luxury of fireside. So sitting as a fireplace may be very highly effective.
Feeling the enjoyment of that fireside meditation we now transfer to an excellent lighter so to talk component which is air. So with air, I need you to think about being wind, a delicate breeze, or perhaps a robust wind, and the air component is all about motion. It’s about flexibility. Once more, if we think about this type of boundless wind with a kind of vitality of motion, vitality of change that is very highly effective–particularly when you really feel caught otherwise you really feel depressed otherwise you really feel down–this vitality of air may be very uplifting. It’s very–it will get issues transferring once more. And naturally in tantrism, in yoga, and so forth that is the component that we’d name prana, proper? The component that we’d name chi or lung it’s the actually necessary component for lots of non secular apply, a number of meditation apply. So sitting just like the wind and feeling that motion and alter and suppleness may be very impermanent. Identical to the hearth–actually impermanent feeling component and this provides you the flexibility to vary. It offers you the flexibility to maneuver and likewise energizes the entire physique in a extremely nice approach. So let’s discover this vitality of air. So meditating just like the wind. Once we tune into the vitality of air, after we meditate just like the wind, this brings a number of equanimity as a result of we’re versatile. We will deal with no matter is developing as a result of we now have flexibility and the flexibility to vary and transfer. So the wind component can–and meditating just like the wind or the air component–it will probably convey an amazing sense of equanimity, even with all of the motion, all of the change, there’s this sense of like, “yeah, we will roll with that.”
Okay. Good, that’s the air component, meditating just like the wind and now let’s do my favourite meditating like area, like infinite unbounded area, the fifth component on this custom. And after we meditate like area we’re noticing that there’s boundlessness there’s room and there’s an actual sense of openness and acceptance of every thing. We will discover that area is particular, proper? All the opposite components exist in area, and come up in area, and move in area. And area is the closest component to simply pure consciousness itself. So meditate like huge boundless area and see that there’s simply room, there’s simply sufficient room for every thing, and we will deal with no matter’s arising as a result of there’s simply a lot openness. House is accommodating, proper? The whole lot on the planet, whether or not it’s good or dangerous, or huge or small, or scorching or chilly, or no matter it’s all given area, proper? It has sufficient area to be. So area has this super high quality of lodging and openness and a sort of–once more, only a sort of a way of room for every thing. So now, simply sit like area, like huge spaciousness. Discover how peaceable and the way a lot ease it brings to take a seat as this huge area, simply permitting every thing, being with every thing, completely open, completely free huge area.
Okay. Good, now let’s transfer from the 5 components instantly into consciousness itself, which keep in mind may be very very like area. I at all times say huge spacious consciousness, proper? So in different phrases we let go of those elemental concepts, we let go of any visualization or any creativeness and simply relaxation in our nature as huge spacious consciousness. Now, what’s the distinction between area and consciousness? House is non-conscious however consciousness, in fact, is what consciousness is. It’s acutely aware, however in each different approach it’s very very like area, so it’s huge spacious however awake. It’s awake. It’s conscious. It’s experiencing.
So now I need you to simply sit as consciousness itself, not participating with something, not grabbing on to something, merely resting as your deep nature, which is consciousness itself; unsleeping, fairly conscious, vibrant and clear. Keep in mind, the concept right here is to not become involved with something. Consciousness itself permits for every thing, permits all the weather, permits for ideas, permits for emotions, permits the world to come up however it’s not concerned with something. So if you end up getting concerned simply drop that, come again to simply resting in your nature as huge spacious consciousness. Consciousness itself is sort of a mirror, every thing is mirrored in it, however not one of the reflection, not one of the issues mirrored truly disturb the mirror or change the mirror in any approach. There might be each sort of scene going by. There could possibly be a nighttime scene, a daytime scene, plenty of folks, no folks, forest animals, cityscapes with skyscrapers, all that. All mirrored within the mirror and the mirror is uninvolved with any of them, unchanged by any of them, and but completely reflecting, completely clear. So sit as huge spacious consciousness with this sense of unaffectedness, this sense of uninvolvement.
Okay. Good, now inside this consciousness discover that area is there. House is arising. The component of area is there. There’s room, there’s spaciousness, there’s lodging, proper? So we now have area there and likewise discover that the component of air is there, the motion, the change, the wind, the sense of the flexibility to unstick. That impermanence is there and likewise, in fact, the vitality of wind, super vitality. So inside consciousness, there’s the area, there’s the air, after which there’s the hearth component–that sort of pleasure and inspiration and creativity, the heat and the purification of fireside, okay?
We will really feel the air that we’re respiration with our physique. We will really feel the heat of our physique, proper? We will really feel the area in our physique that enables the heat and the air that we’re respiration to be there. After which we really feel the water component, proper? We really feel our blood and we really feel the fluidity of our physique and likewise this sense of consolation and ease and that actual sense of effortlessness of the water. After which there’s the earth component, the steadiness, our bones, and our weight, and that sense of cohesion and groundedness and connectedness and stability and solidity that’s so attribute of the earth component. So inside consciousness, all these 5 components are current and simply sit with that now. Feeling them combine, feeling them work together in a really perfect method. They’re simply flowing into one another and turning into each other and balancing in order that we now have, simply up inside ourselves, an ideal concord of those components.
Good. Now let’s let all of those components come along with a way of pleasure and inspiration and a way of freedom and openness and motion and a way of connectedness and a way of ease and openness and beam out love and pleasure to the entire world, beaming out, radiating out a way of inspiration and creativity and aliveness to the world, beaming out a way of therapeutic and power to the world, and beaming out a way of equanimity and openness and lodging to the world. So actually, actually simply feeling how all of those 5 components arising inside consciousness are simply streaming out to the complete universe, to the multiverse, to each sentient being within the multiverse, to whom all these meditations are freely given, we beam out this pleasure, this therapeutic, this sense of peace and ease, creativity, inspiration, groundedness, openness, the flexibility to vary, the flexibility to purify. We’re wishing the entire universe and each being within the universe, the entire multiverse, and each being within the multiverse, we’re wishing them properly, together with ourselves. I need you to simply radiate out, beam out, movement with that vitality now.
Okay. Good, let’s finish the meditation now.
Dharma Speak
That was a pleasant meditation, proper? It’s good to attach with these components. So enable your physique to get cozy and transfer and stretch and really feel your self transferring. The physique loves to maneuver, although in meditation, after we’re doing this type of meditation, I’d such as you to stay very, very, very nonetheless, after we’re accomplished meditating then we get into the enjoyment of motion, not less than slightly bit. Really feel, enable your physique to simply do what it must do, don’t get in the best way, don’t prescribe what you assume it ought to do, however really feel into what it needs to do. And possibly have a drink of water. The white one is water, so we could have some water right here. There’s slightly little bit of lemon in it too. That’s very good.
And so let’s discuss this for a minute. So, in fact, although I’m calling these the weather in fashionable English these should not components, proper? Parts are issues like beryllium and cobalt, however within the historical approach of talking, these are the component’s historical which means of the time period. And naturally, these phrases change over time, like, for instance, the time period planet, proper? Now it has a really particular which means, not the solar or the moon, a planet is a really outlined factor. However initially planet comes from the Greek phrase planetos which simply means one thing that’s transferring within the sky. As a result of planetos means wanderer, one thing that’s transferring within the sky, and particularly it meant stuff that’s transferring in opposition to the background, the supposedly mounted background of these stars. So initially the which means was far more open similar to the phrase vitality, proper? Now it’s acquired a really particular definition, extremely exact, mathematical, blah blah, however in fact, in years and centuries passed by we may use the phrase vitality in a way more open approach. The definition is quite a bit looser, and the identical with components. So I’m utilizing an earlier, looser definition that has–it’s slightly bit extra like what we’d now name states of matter, proper? So there’s stable and liquid and gasoline and that might be earth and water and air, proper? After which there’d be hearth, the vitality, proper? And area continues to be the room for it to occur. It’s like area, space-time.
In order that’s sort of a enjoyable semi-translation of how we may take into consideration what we imply by these components now, however in fact, it’s extra of a mind-set about some completely different states of thoughts, some completely different states of our personal inner area, and possibly even the exterior area. Once more, with these states of matter, you realize the issue is now there’s new states of matter like plasma and superionic ice, all types of stuff that don’t actually…you realize, folks maintain discovering these states of matter so it doesn’t actually match the 5 component scheme both. So we’re simply going to say the five-element scheme is its personal factor, proper? It’s its personal imaginary approach of contemplating the world and it’s truly fairly a pleasing approach and a helpful approach and sort of a inventive and attention-grabbing approach to consider issues. Once we do–you realize every time after we begin a meditation, fairly often we solely do considered one of these, so I wished to have a meditation tonight the place we do all of them collectively and really feel how they combine and likewise really feel how they exist inside consciousness itself. And that’s a robust factor.
If we had been doing conventional practices like tantric type practices, we use the weather in very particular methods. If we’re doing–even additional again, like shamanic practices, we use the weather otherwise. If we’re doing non-dual-like meditation traditions, we will even use the weather in a 3rd approach, proper? And we did a few of that tonight the place–discover after we went to consciousness the weather are there however now we’re not utilizing them as sort of states of thoughts, we’re saying there are issues which might be arising inside consciousness itself. And so there’s sort of other ways to–or let’s imagine completely different ranges at which we’re participating this concept of the traditional components, or this extra open mind-set about components.
And naturally, there’s even utilizing them psychologically like–oh, I really feel depressed so I’m going to meditate on air as a result of that provides me freedom and motion and you realize it sort of loosens issues up as a result of despair can really feel like a sort of stuckness. Or–I’m feeling kind of flat and boring and uninspired so let’s herald some hearth component as a result of that’s inspiration and creativity and it’s acquired vitality. Or–I’m feeling all scattered and my mind is in 600 locations, oh hey, let’s convey that earth component that has that cohesion and collectedness and stability, you realize. Or–I really feel like I’m working too onerous and every thing is troublesome and so let’s herald water. The water component, which is easy and has that sense of ease and luxury. Or–every thing’s simply too up in my face, I’m anxious as a result of there’s simply an excessive amount of occurring and there’s no time to reply and every thing’s too…and so let’s convey within the area as a result of within the area there’s simply greater than sufficient room for every thing to occur. In order that’s sort of a psychological option to work with these. There’s you realize there’s simply so many ranges and so many methods and so many ways in which we will play, creatively play, with this concept of those 5 components.
So I’m not suggesting that that is the one true approach of viewing the world or one thing, however it’s a fantastic option to work, and it’s excellent for meditation, excellent additionally psychologically, you realize, too as a metaphor. But in addition as kind of like properties to tackle. We will see the place we’re imbalanced and tackle these elemental properties not less than as an creativeness train.
So there you may have it; some five-element meditation and when you go approach again, I haven’t accomplished this for some time, however when you go approach again to the mandala meditation that we now have accomplished prior to now on these YouTube movies we will make these work collectively too. That turns into very attention-grabbing the place the–keep in mind we now have the mandala with the 5 quadrants, properly there’s a cause it’s 5 quadrants as a result of these quadrants match components and we will tackle these properties as properly. So it will get actually attention-grabbing. It’s sort of a factor to assist manage our apply, but in addition only a enjoyable option to play with life and to play with expertise, proper? So there you may have it.
I believe the purpose I used to be making whereas we had been meditating that I wish to come again to is that area is sort of the tremendous component. All the opposite components come up in area after which consciousness is exterior of the weather but it surely’s most like area. However in fact, it’s also acutely aware. So we will say all these 5 components, although the 4 components come up in area, all 5 of them come up in consciousness and we will–similar to every thing–expertise itself is arising in consciousness. The sense of our character, the sense of our physique arises in consciousness. The sense of stuff taking place exterior; arising in consciousness. So all of that comes again to every thing arising in consciousness and if we go far more deeply we will say even all of the issues arising in consciousness should not separate or completely different from consciousness, proper? So there’s a a lot deeper educating out there there as we begin to study to contact consciousness.
It’s humorous after I say contact consciousness as a result of what’s it? My query, that is my koan for you; what’s it that contacts consciousness? I usually use that phrase, hey we’re contacting consciousness or we’re stabilizing our contact with consciousness, but when you concentrate on it deeply, who or what’s contacting consciousness? And whenever you try this, and naturally the sort of typical reply the simple reply is; properly I’m. However what do you imply whenever you say I? Due to course, the educating right here, not less than a part of the educating, is that you realize sometimes after we say “I” we imply my ideas and emotions and possibly my physique, however actually deeply my feelings and my ideas, that’s me. Since you may, for instance, lose an arm in an accident and that might be tragic, so a part of your physique’s eliminated however actually your ideas and emotions are nonetheless you, proper? You’re not–you wouldn’t consider that as altering the essence of your being irrespective of how a lot it modified your life. So although we do have a tendency to think about the physique as us, much more deeply we consider the ideas and feelings as us. However this is among the first belongings you study in meditation; the ideas are simply altering and transferring on a regular basis, these can’t be you, the feelings are simply altering and transferring on a regular basis, that’s not you. So who’s you? Proper? Who is you? If something it’s the attention through which the ideas and emotions are arising, and naturally we–there’s issues if we attempt to decide on consciousness as a stable factor however the place, the truth is, it’s empty. However nonetheless there’s an enormous transfer to see oh after I say, “I’m connecting with consciousness,” we sort of must get it but it surely’s consciousness that’s connecting with consciousness. And consciousness was by no means separate from itself.
So after we quote join with consciousness all we’re actually doing is enjoyable into what’s already there. That’s why I stored saying our pure, already current being as consciousness, proper? That’s at all times there, all we do is loosen up into that. You don’t make that completely satisfied. You don’t actually join with it. You don’t by some means turn out to be conscious of consciousness, you’re already conscious. That’s the essence of your being. If there’s an essence, it’s consciousness itself. Humorous as a result of essence is one other approach of speaking about components however I imply otherwise, proper?
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