Guided Nondual Meditation with Michael Taft
Streamed on March 31, 2022
Introduction
We’re stay. Howdy everyone, simply ensuring ‘don’t disturb’ is on. We don’t need to be disturbed. Who desires to be disturbed? Wouldn’t that be good in case your thoughts had a ‘don’t disturb’ swap? Simply flip it on and then you definitely by no means really feel disturbed by something. That’s what we’re studying to create in a manner with our meditation, a psychological ‘don’t disturb’ swap. In order that’s good. Welcome to tonight’s guided meditation, as you realize I’m Michael Taft and you’re whoever you’re. And we’re right here tonight collectively to meditate.
Meditation
So with out additional ado let’s hop on in. So start by settling into your meditation posture, as all the time that is sitting good and upright with an alert posture, okay?
Comfy, comfortably alert, we would like our physique to be joyful and relaxed but additionally upright. If we’re sitting, not leaning in opposition to the again of a chair, not leaning in opposition to a sofa or one thing, you’re utilizing your again to take a seat up, okay? And this–you can also make this actually, very easy by having your knees a lot decrease than your hips like perhaps you realize a number of inches decrease than your hips. And then you definitely’ll get that good curve in your backbone, your again goes up straight and simply stays there, okay?
In any other case, you may meditate mendacity down. I like to recommend having your knees within the air if you happen to do this and your again flat so long as you may keep unsleeping. Staying awake is de facto, actually necessary. You too can, if you happen to’re having bother staying awake, meditate standing up. However regardless, when you get into your meditation posture I would like you to remain there. You will notice me in the course of the meditation in case your eyes are open and also you’re staring on the display screen, which I don’t suggest. Don’t stare on the display screen. In case your eyes are open, simply type of meditate wanting some place else. However both manner, I would like you to remain nonetheless. And if you happen to’re wanting on the display screen, you’ll discover I’m not staying nonetheless, I’m taking drinks, I’m working with the pc generally and so forth as a result of I’m operating the meditation and I’m talking so I’ve to drink some liquid. So do as I say not as I do and please stay good and nonetheless in your meditation.
Okay, so let’s start meditating and what we’re gonna do tonight is start by taking up the temper of–what can we need to be the temper of? Let’s meditate once more because the sky, okay? So simply be the sky and simply image this huge spacious sky. And the properties I would like you to type of resonate with and form of specific in your meditation are that spaciousness of sky and the boundlessness of sky. You may’t actually discover the sides of it, the sides are nebulous, so there’s a boundlessness, there’s a spaciousness, there’s room within the sky, and nothing bothers the sky. There may be clouds, there may be lightning, there may be birds flying by way of it, there may be jets flying by way of it, however the sky essentially will not be bothered by any of that. There’s a lot room within the sky and the sky is all the time excellent. It’s not bothered by something that’s occurring in it. So the temper I would like you to start with for tonight’s meditation is to be just like the sky. So simply take that in for a second, meditating tackle the temper of the sky; spacious, accepting the skylets, every thing arrives inside it and it’s essentially undisturbed by all that. It’s boundless.
Okay, so we tackle these properties of sky-like thoughts or being just like the sky and simply take that in and picture that you’re nothing however sky, the sky that’s spacious and boundless and essentially accepting of every thing and essentially undisturbed by something. It’s all good with the sky, there’s room for all of it. So simply really feel that now. It feels good.
Now, after all, on the earth the sky is full of air, so let’s let go of that visualization
now and simply start our breath meditation. I’m going to begin out by meditating on our breath and to start with we’re simply going to easily breathe. Breathe utterly usually, don’t change your breath in any manner. And I simply need you to remember while you’re having an in-breath and while you’re having an out-breath, that’s it. If you wish to you need to use a label like inhaling then on the out breath respiratory out. That’s it, simply stick with the breath within the easiest most simple method. Let’s begin there.
So simply preserve settling in, enjoyable, being huge and spacious just like the sky, though we let go of the visualization, we’re nonetheless having that sense of feeling relaxed or feeling open, feeling spacious, every thing’s good. And simply stick with the breath. Inhaling you simply acknowledge that you simply’re inhaling. Respiratory out we acknowledge that we’re respiratory out, so grasp with that.
Good. Now if it’s extra comfy for you, simply stick with this sort of respiratory, if alternatively, you need to do some mild pranayama fashion respiratory, then what I’d such as you to do is 2 issues; you’re taking deeper breaths, not tremendous deep, however deeper breaths with longer exhales so the exhales are longer than the inhales, solely do that if this feels comfy for you, after which, if you wish to; make the exhale actually lengthy, you are able to do your ujaya breath, proper? The place you make that sound in your throat by tightening your throat on the out-breath. So that you breathe in type of deep after which out-breath good and lengthy. Now, this could really feel good. Don’t do it if it doesn’t really feel good. Take a pleasant deep in-breath, soak up that life-giving oxygen, after which do a protracted out-breath. Don’t do it so lengthy that you find yourself having to yawn or soak up additional air once more. It ought to really feel very nice however we do the breath as a result of it permits us to let that breath go free, that out breath go for even longer, however you don’t must do the yoga breath, you may simply do longer out breath if that feels good. And if the lengthy deep inhales and lengthy exhales don’t really feel good, then simply breathe usually.
However what we do–we do the deep inhale, lengthy exhale–after which what I would like you to do will not be solely are you aware when the in-breath is going on and when the out-breath is going on however I would like you to note the top of the in-breath and see the top of the out-breath don’t change them. Don’t, you realize, manipulate it however simply discover that second when it ends. So let’s do this now.
Okay. Good, now I would like you to only stick your consideration proper on that breath, so that you’re noticing each second of the breath from the start of the in-breath by way of your complete in-breath to the top of the out in-breath, the start of the out-breath the center of the higher on the finish of the out-breath. Simply stick your consideration proper on that and actually, actually stick with it. Don’t miss any second of the breath. If labeling helps you to do that, that’s nice.
Okay. Good, in order that’s our shamatha for now. We’re going to change on to vipassana–which suggests to note the vacancy of one thing, on this case, what I would like you to note is the vacancy of ideas. So we go from meditating straight on the breath to meditating straight on pondering. Ideas are arising within the thoughts however we discover one thing actually fascinating about ideas; they’re not likely objects like billiard balls or ashtrays or clocks or one thing, they’re simply type of occasions that cross by way of the thoughts. You may’t actually outline the thought–when it begins, when it ends, what it’s made from, what its boundaries are–it’s simply form of this transferring factor that passes by way of the thoughts and you’ll by no means pin it down. You may by no means outline it. You may by no means actually discover it and so that is the side of ideas that we might name vacancy. Generally, if I say I would like you to note the vacancy of ideas, individuals assume what I’m saying is that you simply don’t have any ideas or that your thoughts has stopped or no matter. That’s not what I imply, I imply you discover that ideas are just a few exercise passing by way of consciousness.
Keep in mind, after we’re meditating just like the sky, ideas would simply be, you realize, some clouds transferring throughout the sky type of quick, or perhaps one thing just like the wind within the sky, they’re not likely strong, actual, necessary issues. They’re simply transferring, altering actions that don’t actually hassle the sky in any manner. So I would like you to note this vacancy of thought now. The minute you get caught up in a thought–now you’re not noticing its vacancy anymore–you’re taking it as actual. You’re grinding on it. You’re occupied with it. So keep in mind, what we’re doing right here is resting as sky, and simply noticing ideas and permitting the ideas to both on function noticing their vacancy or permitting them to only be empty.
Okay, so let’s start working with vacancy of thought. If this actually is unnecessary and it’s tremendous exhausting and also you’re completely confused and also you’re simply pondering, pondering, pondering, then simply return to meditating in your breath, that’s completely wonderful. Ideas are identical to wind within the sky. It’s not that they’re not there however they’re not likely separate from the sky. So we’ve obtained this huge sky with these ideas transferring by way of it. So we’re not making an attempt to cease pondering. We, the truth is, welcome all ideas however we see their vacancy clearly. The sky will not be disturbed by the ideas. The sky doesn’t actually change when the wind strikes by way of it, it’s nonetheless the sky. And we’re not caught up within the pondering, we’re not including something to the pondering, we’re not making an attempt to comply with the pondering, we’re simply conscious that it’s there and noticing its vacancy.
Let’s simply broaden this slightly bit to note that every thing that’s arising within the thoughts is empty; ideas are empty, once more, they’re like wind within the sky, they’re there however not there, they’re there however they don’t disturb. However even feelings–any feelings we could also be having–are empty too, they’re there however not there. The sense of our troubles, the sense of the issues we’re concerned with, the sense of being sure up, all of it–in expertise. And occasions, all of that’s simply empty, proper? It’s like wind within the sky. So discover the vacancy of ideas and emotions and of even being an object known as you. There isn’t any object known as you. That’s empty, that’s wind within the sky, discover that now.
If it’s a thought, consciousness is simply conscious of the thought and it dissolves into the clear empty sky. Finally, it’s an emotion, consciousness may be very conscious of the emotion and it simply dissolves into the clear empty sky. We’re not making an attempt to dissolve it or making an attempt to make it go away however we’re simply noticing that it was empty from the start. It’s identical to ripples within the sky, wind within the sky, it’s not separate from the sky, however neither is it not there in any respect. So simply discover that, it doesn’t matter what arises, it passes within the thoughts, and in between arising and passing it’s only a type of a ripple. It’s not likely a factor. And so ideas and emotions and even our sense of self are merely empty.
Good. So I would like you to note that your thoughts itself is empty, proper? It’s identical to an enormous spacious sky of consciousness, it’s obtained room for every thing, it accepts no matter arises, ideas transfer by way of it, emotions transfer by way of it, the sense of self strikes by way of it, however all of these are simply wind within the sky. The sky itself is totally, utterly open and empty, open and accepting, open and clear. So discover the standard metaphor for a way the ideas and emotions and all these items that usually transfer by way of your thoughts are; they only don’t have any–while you see their vacancy they only don’t have any grip anymore. It’s as if there’s this metaphor that claims a thief comes into your home at evening however can’t discover something, there’s nothing to steal and so the thief simply leaves, proper? So the thief got here in however there was nothing to steal, so the thief left. In the identical manner, ideas may come into your thoughts, ideas come into the sky of consciousness however there’s nothing for them to stay to, so they only ultimately simply type of sail away. Feelings come into the thoughts, the sky of consciousness however there’s nothing to stay to, there’s nothing to seize, to seize onto so they only ultimately sail on their merry manner. And even the identical with the sense of being of self, being me with all my issues and stuff, that comes into the thoughts however there’s nothing for it to seize onto so it simply sails on its merry manner. And extra ideas come and extra feelings come and extra sense of self comes however there’s nothing for them to stay to as a result of we essentially see that the thoughts is inherently empty. It’s only a huge boundless sky of consciousness.
Okay, now the subsequent step right here, as soon as we see that our thoughts is empty, ideas are empty, feelings are empty, even our sense of self is empty, there’s simply this clear sky–now the subsequent step is to note that the sky will not be nothing, proper? The ideas will not be nothing, they’re there, they’re simply empty. Emotions will not be nothing, they’re there, they’re simply empty. Sense of self will not be nothing, it’s there, it’s simply empty, and moreover, there’s this sky. What’s the sky on this case? It’s this endless consciousness, it’s the factor that is aware of the ideas, it’s the factor that is aware of the sentiments, it’s the factor that is aware of the sense of self, but it surely’s not separate from them in any respect. It simply is aware of. It’s the understanding. It’s not a knower, it’s not an individual, it’s not a character, it’s not a thought or feeling, it’s only a sky of pure consciousness, and this consciousness is aware of itself as a result of it’s conscious. Now what I would like you to do is relaxation as this consciousness which you already are. You’re not doing something to remember, and no ideas could make you extra conscious, and no emotions could make you extra conscious, and no nothing can. So simply see the vacancy of all that and relaxation as vibrant, clear, unsleeping consciousness that isn’t notably concerned with something. Let that occur now.
Discover that this isn’t nothing. That is even not simply boundlessness or openness but it surely’s awake, it’s conscious, it’s crisply awake. Nobody is doing something to make this consciousness occur. It’s simply there, it’s all the time there. So simply relaxation as this consciousness. Discover the brightness, the readability, and don’t become involved in any explicit object. If the thought arises, we simply let go of it. If feelings come up, we see their vacancy, we simply let go of it. If we begin to contract or seize onto something, simply calm down and are available again to only being an open sky. Don’t seize the chicken, don’t attempt to seize a cloud, don’t attempt to seize an airplane, they’re all simply transferring by however we’re resting as sky, vibrant, clear sky and all these occasions are identical to wind within the sky. I would like you to note that we’ve been speaking about two issues; this spaciousness and the attention, proper? There’s this huge house and it’s conscious however they’re not likely separate, there’s a union right here, the union of house and consciousness, the union of this vastness and openness, and consciousness will simply relaxation in that union now. There’s house and it’s conscious. Something that strikes by way of it’s just a few…only a ripple, it doesn’t have an effect on the openness and it doesn’t truth have an effect on the awakeness, or the attention, in any manner. Don’t seize on. Are you able to simply merely relaxation as spacious consciousness with this union of house and consciousness? And if you happen to can’t, and all of the sudden you seize onto one thing, all you do is calm down, and the grabbing fist relaxes naturally and opens, and no matter you grabbed onto simply falls out. And we simply come again to resting as this union of house and consciousness that’s all the time there, that’s naturally there with no effort.
One other manner of claiming the identical factor is that if ideas are arising they too are simply spacious consciousness, feelings come up they’re nothing different than simply conscious house, a way of self arises, it’s simply the identical huge spacious consciousness that’s awake, that’s alert, that’s clear, that’s vibrant, that’s vivid. Every little thing is simply this huge house that’s consciousness. And consciousness and house are one. They don’t seem to be totally different, house and consciousness are one. Relaxation as huge spacious consciousness noticing that every thing that arises is simply extra of a spacious consciousness with no doing, with no grabbing.
Now this house of consciousness, this consciousness in huge house is of course joyous, it’s naturally sort, it’s naturally heat and loving. And so let the sky of consciousness simply radiate its love, its kindness, its pleasure, its friendliness out in all instructions. The sky has no boundaries, so simply let this pleasure and kindness and love and caring and compassion simply radiate in all instructions in all places. Actually really feel that kindness, love, compassion, caring, flowing in all instructions from the sky–sky which has no middle within the sky, which has no boundary. Pleasure and peace and bliss and compassion radiate in all instructions, to all beings of each kind in all places. Let’s really feel that very, very clearly now. Excellent, so let’s finish the meditation there.
Be happy to softly transfer and stretch or simply wiggle your fingers and toes or transfer your face round or no matter feels good. You need it to really feel actually good. And have a drink of water,
moist the proverbial whistle with some water and permit your physique to only really feel that pure goodness prefer it does.
Dharma Discuss
Okay, so it’s actually necessary that we discovered that the stuff that we’re usually tuning into is ok, proper? We are able to tune into our every day world and work, do our work. We are able to tune into {our relationships} and be with others and luxuriate in that. We are able to tune into the fantastic thing about the pure world and profit from that and play with that. We are able to play, we will love, we will work, we will do all these items and but, how we do them issues. The traditional manner that we’re taught to do them is by being engaged with them. I’m going to fuse with my pondering, and have interaction with my pondering, and even like faux that I’m my ideas. After which I’m like type of glomming into pondering after which I’m my ideas. And even, extra preciously, extra deeply, I imagine I’m my feelings and I’m gonna glom into each emotion that arises, and simply be that emotion. And there’s my sense of self, who I’m on this planet, and what others take into consideration me, and if my boss likes me, and thinks I’m nice, and if the web thinks I’m cool as a result of I publish photos of doing cool issues, and that type of sense of self on this planet. I’m going to glom onto that, and when it goes up slightly bit I’m going to really feel that, and when it goes down slightly bit I’m going to really feel that. And we might simply preserve transferring round with these totally different adjustments, proper? The ideas are constantly altering, (I’m turning on some lights right here) the feelings are constantly altering, my sense of self on this planet is constantly altering, and that changingness if I’m glommed into it, then it’s identical to being a tennis shoe in a dryer, proper? It’s simply all day lengthy and as a lot as you attempt to management that it’s simply gonna preserve turning and turning and turning.
Within the type of traditions of South Asia, or the Asian non secular traditions, we might name that state samsara, proper? The wheel of struggling is rather like turning and turning and it simply by no means stops, type of having this nature of simply being. It’s by no means what we would like it to be, it simply turns and turns, and it’s all the time mistaken, and in order that’s the Jap non secular, the quote “Jap”… the Asian phrase is samsara. However within the west, the standard imaginative and prescient is a tennis shoe and a dryer, proper? A smelly tennis shoe and a dryer, simply type of gha-gha-gha-gha bump, and in order that’s what we’re taught to do, that’s how we’re taught to stay, to glom on to ideas, to glom on to emotions, to glom onto our sense of self. And that’s going to end in us simply bouncing round, bouncing round, bouncing round, and each a kind of bounces hurts.
And so generally individuals say, properly, we need to cease the ideas, and we need to solely have good feelings, and we would like our sense of self to be this, you realize, form of a constructive factor. All of that’s pointless, you are able to do that, you may go right into a deep meditative state, particularly if you happen to go right into a retreat for like three months or six months or a yr and are you aware your…you’ll get to a spot the place you haven’t any ideas all day lengthy and that feels good, it does, positive, since you aren’t…there’s no ideas to glom onto. They’re simply not there and so it’s not painful in that manner. Or you realize, we will work on making an attempt to solely have constructive feelings by being in our particular you realize room on a regular basis with our stunning issues and you realize…however these methods of working are fragile, proper? For those who want a meditation retreat to get your ideas to go to zero, the minute you come out of the retreat the ideas spin up once more and guess what, you haven’t discovered to not glom onto them. As quickly as they’re–once they weren’t there you simply couldn’t glom on, however once they’re again you glom on once more. In order that retreat expertise vanishes in a short time.
Similar factor if you happen to’ve obtained a setup to only really feel good, since you’ve obtained simply the best flowers and good incense and also you all the time really feel good while you’re in that room. And that manner the minute you allow the room, you’re glomming onto feelings. And boy, the massive one, as quickly as somebody says, “Oh, I just like the factor you stated on Twitter,” you realize we glom onto that, and we really feel good. Or you realize you say one thing on Twitter and somebody you respect is like, “Oh my god, that’s the stupidest factor I’ve ever heard,” now your sense of self goes down. We’re glommed onto it. We really feel horrible. So these conditions are simply the situational glomming of ideas and emotions and sense of self.
It comes again, it comes again straight away if we’re doing practices which are making an attempt to only calm it down. It’s necessary that we be taught to not glom on and if we be taught that, then it doesn’t matter how a lot thought is going on, it doesn’t matter what sort of emotions are occurring, our social scenario on this sense doesn’t matter as a result of we’ve discovered to not be it, proper? We’ve discovered that it’s empty, it’s not a factor, and due to this fact it’s not an id. All these issues are occurring however they’re occurring on this huge house of consciousness, and it’s an enormous house of consciousness, and that huge house of consciousness will not be one thing we will glam into both, however we will relaxation because the huge house of consciousness. Okay? We relaxation as vibrant, clear, awake consciousness and that we will relaxation in. And after we’re resting as consciousness, consciousness will not be a tennis shoe and a dryer, it’s an enormous sky that’s all the time peaceable, that’s loving, that’s joyous, that’s actually vibrant, that’s actually awake, after which if there are ideas occurring? Nice. If there are different feelings occurring? Nice. If there are social emotions occurring? Nice, proper? All that’s wonderful as a result of we’re resting as this pure consciousness and it’s spacious, there’s room, there’s room for every thing to occur.
Now individuals can assume that this consciousness is tremendous particular, however like I’ve been type of yelling at everybody about for a number of weeks now, it’s not a particular state. It’s all the time there, okay? You don’t must, you realize, make a particular consciousness occur. It’s all the time there. Folks really feel—I typically
hear like, “whereas I used to be, you realize, making an attempt to make my consciousness huge…” and it’s like—no, it’s already huge! It’s all the time huge. You don’t do something to make consciousness huge. That’s its nature.
Or, you realize, “I used to be making an attempt to have extra consciousness” and it’s like, you realize, that’s an English phrase, and we all know what meaning, like, “I need to have extra consciousness about my consuming,” it simply means to concentrate to it. In order that’s a wonderfully regular manner of talking however in the way in which we’re speaking now, on this consciousness that we’re describing, you may’t make extra of it. It’s all the time there and it’s all the time all the way in which on, proper? So it’s already huge, it’s already spacious, you don’t must in some way make it spacious. It’s already conscious, that’s its nature, that’s what it’s. Let me put it one other manner, you realize if there’s house, then it’s already conscious, and if consciousness is already conscious, it’s naturally spacious, proper? There’s nothing to do, moreover, as we’ve seen, the one who thinks they’re doing something in any respect is empty anyway. We’re doing these meditations, however the deeper we go into the meditation the clearer it’s that there’s that the sense of the self doing it–that’s empty too. Doesn’t imply there’s no meditation, meditation is going on however nobody’s doing it, and it’s simply type of naturally unfolding. Consciousness rests in itself, consciousness is spacious and really unsleeping and at relaxation. Arrests, it’s the alternative of a resting, it rests in itself completely with none effort in any respect.
Okay, so we do make efforts to do that shamatha a part of our meditation, the place we’re simply making an attempt to calm issues down a bit to make this simpler to note. And we do make effort in our vipashyana to see the vacancy, see the vacancy, see the vacancy, however ultimately, we see the vacancy of effort, after which we simply relaxation as huge spacious consciousness. Now if that will get clogged up with a bunch of emotions that you simply’re glomming onto, don’t combat, simply come again to resting as spacious consciousness. For those who can’t do this, if that’s too exhausting, each time I attempt to relaxation I’m nonetheless caught up within the ideas and emotions, okay, again up, do the vipashyana on vacancy, discover the vacancy of the ideas and emotions time and again and over. If that’s too exhausting simply return to meditating in your breath, that may chill issues out slightly bit, you’ll really feel slightly extra relaxed and open, so that you simply all the time know what to do, okay?
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