Streamed reside on Could 8, 2025
Guided Nondual Meditation
Okay! Welcome to the Alembic and Deconstructing Your self. I’m Michael Taft. Do we have now any new folks to the Alembic right here tonight? Oh, two, nice! Welcome, welcome. In case you haven’t heard, the Alembic is an alchemical vessel the place thoughts and matter meet for transformation. That’s what we’re right here for—besides a vessel of individuals as an alternative of glass or no matter.
We’re going to do an hour-long guided meditation, which you’re welcome to partake in, or welcome to disregard, and simply sit and do your individual silent meditation if you want. So to start with let’s transfer our our bodies collectively a bit of bit.
[guided stretching]
Simply discover a very nice spot the place your backbone feels good. Not stiff, not tight, not inflexible, relaxed, open, and but upright and balanced—good. And on this place, let’s perform a little little bit of seed syllable chanting collectively. The one which I’m impressed to do with you tonight is Hum. So in the event you spell it in English, it ought to be one thing like h-o-o-m, however there’s probably not an “m” on the finish. It’s extra like a nasalization. We simply don’t have a letter for that. Typically folks spell it “ng,” however that’s an excessive amount of. So you may say HOOM if that’s too exhausting, however actually form of like HOONG.
This can be a seed syllable that comes from historical shamanic follow of dispelling adverse energies—dispelling demons. However after all, within the deeper, or later, or, let’s say, extra esoteric interpretation, it’s dispelling our ignorance, dispelling our delusion, dispelling our lack of readability. It turns into the seed syllable of seeing vacancy clearly, seeing the precise nature of our expertise—brightly, clearly, and profoundly. Okay, so let’s do Hum collectively.
[chanting]
Good, excellent. Now simply really feel the power of that seed syllable, which is dispelling delusion, dispelling ignorance, dispelling our routine gripping onto the weather of expertise as stable and lasting, and someway important. And as an alternative, noticing the impermanent, steady flux, and look and disappearance of all phenomena. Each what we’d conventionally time period exterior, but in addition the phenomena that we consider as ourselves—the flashing out and in, the continual arising and disappearance of the sense of me as an individual. And simply let the Hum work on you that method for only a few minutes right here whereas we additionally do some pranayama. If you know the way to do alternate nostril respiratory, go forward and do this now, utilizing the seed syllable HOOM internally—after all don’t say it externally when you’re doing all of your alternate nostril respiratory.
When you don’t know tips on how to do alternate nostril respiratory, simply make your hand like this, so your two center fingers are collectively. Then, holding it like this, shut your proper nostril together with your thumb. Breathe in by way of the left nostril. Shut that left nostril. Breathe out by way of the precise nostril, which you now open. Breathe in by way of the precise nostril—good full breath. Shut that nostril. Breathe out the left. Repeat—in by way of the left, shut it, out by way of the precise. In by way of the precise, shut it, out by way of the left.
And when you’re doing that, simply focus in your third eye and the seed syllable Hum. So let’s do this collectively for a couple of minutes. This isn’t simply time to your thoughts to wander and take into consideration what’s on Netflix tonight, however fairly to actually really feel the power of this very balancing, tonifying, energizing, pranayama—and likewise this highly effective seed syllable. If you wish to make it extra highly effective—solely do that if it feels best for you. If you wish to make it extra highly effective, make the out-breaths about twice so long as the in-breaths.
We started on a left nostril in-breath, so hold going by way of the cycle till you get to a left nostril out-breath, after which come to an finish. Simply sit for a second, feeling the results of that all through the entire physique. Let go of any voluntary stress that’s nonetheless there. Really feel the physique opening and enjoyable. Don’t struggle any involuntary stress. This isn’t time to stretch, or do yoga, or do neck workout routines or one thing—that’s for later. However for now, simply sit nonetheless, and if there’s any stress you can let go of simply by desirous to let go of it, then let go of that.
Now open your eyes, and, with a mushy gaze, look in entrance and take within the entirety of the visible discipline directly. So as an alternative of trying on the heart of your visible discipline such as you usually do, see the entire of peripheral imaginative and prescient in addition to the middle. It’s such as you’re getting a good, clean, unfold of your complete visible discipline directly. The entire thing—the center, the sides, every little thing in between—all equally seen directly. After which simply discover the area, the truth that your visible discipline does embrace a complete bunch of area. So that you’re seeing the entire visible discipline with a relaxed gaze, noticing all of the area.
After which simply develop into conscious that the area doesn’t finish at your eyes. That very same area is current inside you. The exterior area and the inner area are one massive area. For some folks you may think about bringing, or inhaling, or someway enveloping that exterior area, and bringing it in. However actually you may simply straight discover that exterior area and inside area is only one massive area.
And see that that one massive area doesn’t have any boundaries. It’s not like your head will get in the best way. There’s only one massive huge boundless openness. Sit with that. This isn’t a visualization, it’s not creativeness. If you cease visualizing, and imagining, and being all concerned in your ideas, what’s current is spaciousness.
Simply permit all ideas to be put aside. There will be as a lot pondering as there needs to be. You’re not attempting to manage that, You’re not attempting to cease pondering. You’re not attempting to make ideas go away in any method. They’re fully welcome, you’re simply not listening to them. As an alternative, you’re resting on this sense of boundless area which is current whenever you’re not caught in your pondering.
Typically I name this “sit just like the sky,” and I simply say it metaphorically. Sit as in case you are the sky. However then folks ask me, Michael, how do I be the sky? After which it’s the identical factor—you’re boundless, cognizant, openness whenever you’re not caught inside your pondering. All it’s a must to do is permit your self to develop into fully uninvolved with thought, after which the spaciousness is there. So simply discover this spaciousness, and it’s possible you’ll hold coming again to the complete visible discipline.
This isn’t about staring, or not blinking, or one thing. When you get a way of the area, you may let go of the attention factor, and simply relaxation as boundless awakeness, which we’d additionally name easy presence. You’re simply sitting in pure presence, easy, pure, openness.
Discover there’s nothing it’s a must to do to make this come about, besides not be concerned together with your pondering. So I invite you to sit down in easy pure openness.
If that’s too unstructured, then you may discover that the breath wave rises and falls inside this openness, and observe that breath wave very flippantly. Not specializing in it. Not concentrating as such, however simply noticing that on this large openness—this sky-like awakeness the breath wave is rising and falling—very straightforward, very naturally.
And naturally, every time you discover your self getting all caught up in thought, you simply very gently set these all again down once more, and are available again to resting as openness. Don’t get in a giant struggle or battle together with your pondering. Simply set it down, and don’t interact.
Executed effectively, meditation takes little or no effort. It’s not a giant struggle or some form of tightness. It’s simply relaxed openness, with out participating with pondering.
When you’re drained, sit up, open your eyes. When you’re used to meditating together with your eyes open that may assist. If it’s useful, you may discover very naturally that on this huge area exterior of thought, the breath comes and goes. That may be useful—to only discover the breath coming and going—however we’re not drilling down into the micro-phenomenology of the breath or attempting to get each femptosecond of the breath, we’re simply very naturally noticing it.
Good. Now, persevering with to only relaxation as pure openness, pure awake presence. Really feel all of physique sensation. Really feel every little thing that falls below the title of physique sensation—every little thing out of your toes to your head, entrance to again, left to proper, the entire within the physique, the entire exterior of the physique—all of the sensations of the physique. Simply really feel all the entire factor directly, and really feel how all these sensations are arising on this awake area.
We are likely to think about that the awake area is someway arising within the physique, nevertheless it’s the opposite method round. The physique sensations come up in awake area. So simply really feel that there’s this openness, this sky-like awakeness, and inside a part of that sky there’s physique sensation occurring. It arises and passes. It comes and goes. It does its factor inside this area of awakeness.
Persevering with to relaxation because the awake area, simply discover that the physique sensations come up inside that, go away inside that. And, discover additional, that throughout the physique sensation, behind the physique sensation, beneath the physique sensation, the awake area is completely nonetheless. As a lot because the physique sensation is transferring and altering—and arising and passing, and wiggling right here, and squiggling there—behind it, and inside it, and beneath it, and round it, and ever separate from it—is that this completely, completely, nonetheless, area that’s immovable.
Noticing the three-dimensional discipline of physique sensation as waves, shimmering, pulsing, exercise towards this spacious complete stillness. And the spacious complete stillness is awake. You’re not in another location spacious stillness from some privileged inside spot. The spacious, huge, open, boundless, stillness is what notices. When you’re falling asleep, sit up and open your eyes. Keep awake.
Persevering with to loosen up and let go, and loosen up and let go. Simply discover complete repose as spacious stillness—huge, boundless, unsleeping, however completely motionless. You might discover that not solely are the physique sensations arising—coming and going—on this boundlessness, however, after all, all that thought exercise that we’re not listening to, can also be simply arising, and dancing, and passing away, on this pure boundless presence.
The nonetheless, broad, awake openness is the area the place physique sensations and ideas discover their expression. It’s the place they occur. Be the area—permitting the physique to come up and categorical within the area, and all of the ideas to come up and categorical within the area, whereas remaining completely uninvolved. Discover the approaching and going of all of the exterior sound—the hum of the followers within the room, the creaking of chairs and bones, the sounds exterior the room, my voice, different sounds—are coming and going on this huge, boundless, stillness, which can also be completely silent towards this, inside this, beneath this, monumental silence. These sounds are coming and going, arising and passing. Be the silence and the stillness that’s awake to the approaching and going of the sound. The spacious stillness that’s awake to the approaching and going of thought and physique sensations. And don’t seize on to any of it. Simply relaxation as nonetheless silent awakeness.
In case your eyes are open, discover that each one the sights and sounds of the world round you’re colours and shapes and patterns and highlights and shadows and textures which might be merely painted on complete darkness, which might be arising inside and round and above a display of complete darkness. There’s simply this gentle present occurring. Be the darkness, the silence, the area, the stillness, through which all expertise arises. And that’s the room—that’s the playhouse—through which every little thing arises.
Discover that the stillness, and spaciousness, and silence, and darkness, is boundless—tremendously extra huge than the sights and sounds and physique sensations and ideas—simply resting as pure presence in pure presence. Completely awake, noticing all experiences arising towards this backdrop.
However right here’s the humorous factor. The physique sensations aren’t separate in any method from the stillness. I’ve been describing them that method so that you simply discover the stillness, as a result of we don’t spend a lot time noticing that. We simply discover the physique sensations. So generally we have now to only have a look at the stillness, really feel the stillness. However now, discover that the physique sensations that come up throughout the stillness aren’t separate in any method. There’s not two issues there —stillness and physique sensation. There’s simply each. Discover that now. There’s not two issues there. Ideas and stillness, or ideas and silence, they come up collectively. There’s not two issues there. The area, and silence, and the sound, all come up collectively. There’s not two issues there—the world, the visible discipline of the world round you, and the utter darkness behind it—they each come up collectively.
Discover that straight, with out imagining, with out enthusiastic about it, with out creating something. Simply discover straight that the huge, nonetheless, silent, darkness, and all of the expertise—the sights, the sounds, the ideas, the feelings, the sentiments—all come up collectively. Totally different, however not separate.
Discover, there’s no separate sense of self right here. There’s not “me” as some form of outlined particular person inside this. There’s simply ideas and emotions suspended over an infinite, unsleeping, abyss. An enormous groundlessness that’s scintillating, and shimmering, with broad awakeness and love, by no means separate. See it clearly. Don’t again off from that huge groundlessness. That’s Hum.
It is going to fully swallow the sense of self, after which give start to a complete new one, again and again, effortlessly. Be the groundlessness that you simply’ve at all times been, since beginningless time. Born-less, death-less, boundless.
Seeing clearly is what that seed syllable Hum is about. Keep in mind, the sound Hum cuts by way of our delusion, cuts by way of our ignorance, cuts by way of our unconsciousness, cuts by way of our fabrication and reification. So, let this huge, open, groundless, abyss radiate forth the knowledge, the readability, the seed syllable.
[chanting]
Okay let’s finish that there.
Dharma Discuss
So, once more, this isn’t an train in creativeness, or inventive visualization, or someway making one thing. In a method, it’s the alternative. Simply cease making something on goal, and simply discover, in your individual expertise, that each one the stuff retains form of arising inside this spacious stillness, silence, darkness. And that what we’re calling our physique, and what we’re calling our thoughts, and what we’re calling self and world is someway showing inside that. However, once more, not separate from it, however fairly the expression of it. Not ever separate. Not someway lower than, not someway the fallen, dreamlike, delusionary, Maya that retains us away from our essence, however, fairly, the exuberant scrumptious expression of this underlying or enveloping spacious, silent, stillness, darkness.
But it surely’s not one thing to think about. It’s one thing that you simply simply aren’t remembering to note. As a result of what everybody tells you to note is all of the stuff that’s occurring. And so, good, discover all of the stuff that’s occurring—nothing mistaken with that. However each on occasion, keep in mind to note the backdrop. What’s beneath all that? What’s this? To make use of an excellent clumsy—however not that unhealthy of a metaphor, the display on which it’s all showing. It’s proper there. It’s very noticeable.
And, moreover, that backdrop, the spaciousness, the boundlessness, the timelessness, the openness of all of it, is far greater—a lot, a lot greater. The entire world, the entire universe of our expertise is sort of a single pixel inside this huge discipline of open awakeness. So the potential is far bigger than the manifestation. Don’t consider me, simply look. When you simply look, you’ll discover that you simply are it. It’s what’s trying. It’s what’s noticing. It’s what’s seeing. It’s what’s being. However that makes it sound just like the manifestation, the expertise, the ideas, the sentiments, the lights, the colours, the sounds, are someway completely different than that—which they’re not. They’re by no means separate.
So, it’s exhausting to speak about, however tremendous straightforward to note. When you simply hold trying, it’s proper there. The obvious factor on the earth—that you simply’ve form of been skilled away from noticing. It may be a bit of discomforting at first, to note that you simply’ve been imagining that I’m a physique, and I’ve this background, and I come from this place, and that is my title, and these are my likes and dislikes, and all that. However that each one of that’s simply ephemeral foam on this complete groundless abyss. Once I say groundless abyss everybody goes into nihilism, nevertheless it’s—unsleeping. It’s an exuberant, loving, abyss—nevertheless it’s completely different than this mounted id.
So, at first it’s a bit of bit like Wylie Coyote ran off the sting of the cliff, and now you’re working on air. And there’s a xylophone sound earlier than you fall. However the bizarre factor is, you by no means fall. There’s nowhere to fall to. However the second it occurs, it’s actually bizarre. It could really feel like vertigo. It could really feel vertiginous. It could really feel nauseating, and it could really feel such as you’re falling—all these issues. However that’s only a reflexive response, and it would occur again and again. However finally you acknowledge, oh, you may’t fall into it. You’re it. And even when it looks like it’s going to swallow you up, you’re it. And also you give start to a different exuberant creation within the subsequent second. Although I’m contrasting all I’ve skilled with this stillness and silence, and all that—it’s not. It has as a lot motion and noise and shade and all that in it because it does silence and stillness.
Q&A
Anyway, possibly there’s one thing you wish to discuss with me. I invite you to lift your hand and communicate in the event you’ve bought one thing you wish to say, to offer a report about your expertise, or ask me what the fuck I believe I’m speaking about, or what do you imply, or no matter.
Q: What do you imply by it’s apparent?
M: It’s the obvious factor on the earth, as a result of it’s probably the most basic factor. The awakeness is the one factor that’s a part of every little thing, and so it’s unmissable. It’s the canvas of all work. It’s the paper on which all of the phrases are written. However what number of instances do you open a bodily e-book and have a look at the paper? You’re simply skilled to take a look at the phrases. And so, in a bizarre method, you by no means see the paper. The paper is required for there to be phrases there, and also you’re at all times seeing it, however you form of subtract it, and simply have a look at the phrases.
However when you concentrate on it, the paper is completely apparent. However you form of subtract it out of your thoughts. In order that’s what I imply, it’s completely apparent. It isn’t exhausting to see, you’re simply not used to giving it room in your thoughts or one thing. You simply don’t deal with it. The minute you get what I’m speaking about, you’ll stop attempting to think about one thing, and also you’ll stop attempting to someway make this factor occur.
I hold saying, don’t do this. Don’t do it. However everybody does it anyway. You’ll simply see it, as a result of it’s there. And I simply hold saying, simply look, it’s there. However as an alternative, everybody imagines and imagines, and tries to do that and tries to try this—which I additionally did for many years—as a result of it’s simply exhausting to grasp. However I imply, actually, simply look in the identical method the place, if I stated simply see the paper, and also you’d be like, effectively the phrases say. And I’m like, no, simply see the paper. No, lower it out. See the paper.
And finally you simply go, you imply you actually simply need me to only? Sure! Oh, effectively, that’s completely apparent. Sure, it’s completely apparent. However we’re skilled to not see it. However when you begin form of seeing it, really feel it, discover it, hear it—no matter. When you get that, then it begins to be one thing you can tune into an increasing number of. After which expertise begins to vary fairly a bit. In order that’s what I imply after I say it’s apparent.
Q: So it may be thought of an expertise, not just a few senses, proper?
M: So some lecturers get actually persnickety about what constitutes an expertise. Properly, with an expertise, we’d like an experiencer, and an skilled—all of which could possibly be technically true, however I fairly simply say it’s an expertise. Even when there’s no experiencer, or factor being skilled,
the factor itself, the second itself, is an expertise. So we will play in that method. Typically that’s useful. I have a tendency not to try this. Okay?
Q: So I used to be simply questioning, there’s this facet of simply stuff. Does this noticing have any relation to the fifth jhana? Which I should not have very a lot—or any—expertise with, however whenever you examine it, it should say like there’s simply numerous area. Is {that a} method of placing your thoughts in a spot the place there’s simply not the stuff. So that you don’t have anything to concentrate to? Is there a relationship there?
M: Folks ask this loads in regards to the fifth Jhana, which is area. All of those are very very particular meditation objects that I’d say are loosely associated. However you’re truly doing one thing completely different whenever you’re doing that stuff. You’re attempting to deal with an object—even when the item is area throughout—you’re specializing in it. Whereas I hold saying be the area. Be the awakeness. You already are that, so discover—that’s a really completely different stance. In a single, you’re form of saying, I’m right here, it’s on the market, and I’m going to take a look at it. No less than it’s typically completed that method. And right here, I’m giving a unique form of instruction round it, Okay? So I’m not going to say they’re completely unrelated, however I’d say, how we’re conceiving of them is sort of completely different.
Q: Do you suggest that
M: Hey, if you wish to do Jhana, do Jhana—that’s nice. Jhana’s are cool, Jhana’s are highly effective. But it surely’s additionally a giant facet quest. It’s not like, oh, I’m going to go do some Jhana after which come again—that’s years of actual effort, and it’s a unique factor. Nonetheless helpful, nonetheless highly effective, nonetheless stunning, however what number of lifetimes have you ever bought? Possibly infinite.
Q: Hello. I’d prefer to ask one thing in regards to the tonglen follow.
M: Positive.
Q: Once I examine it, I used to be like, okay, meditate after which inhale negativities, exhale positivities, and I felt some accumulation of adverse power. [abrupt end to recording]
(Notice: Apologies for the unscheduled cut-off. Cellphone battery died.)
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