Welcome all people. I’m Michael Taft, as standard, we’ll do an hour-long sit. If you happen to’re not used to sitting on the ground for an hour, you may wish to rapidly get a chair, as an alternative, as a result of generally that may be uncomfortable in the event you’re not used to it. Aside from that, I’ll lead a guided meditation, which suggests I’ll be speaking, and also you wouldn’t have to observe the guided meditation—do no matter you need, so long as you simply sit nonetheless and quiet, you’ll be able to have no matter meditation expertise, or another type of expertise, you want to have contained in the privateness of your personal thoughts, assuming our minds are non-public. So, with that, let’s get going.
The very first thing I would like you to do, is to only flex your wrists, you are able to do it any means you need, I’m type of into circles, however it’s not train. Simply loosen up, flex your wrists, after which do your elbows nevertheless you need, there’s no actual solution to do it, after which your shoulders, and your wrists, elbows, and shoulders unexpectedly.
Superb. Then do a few of these—it’s a bit exhausting while you’re seated, however let it really feel good, let or not it’s relaxed. Your physique’s actually unfastened, actually open, actually free. Good, after which do your head a bit bit, your neck, after which we’ll do backbone rotations—no matter that’s for you. Right here I’m type of doing the pelvic rotation, however ultimately, you let your pelvis keep nonetheless, after which simply your head turns in a circle on the finish of your backbone, after which, simply begin feeling that circle getting smaller and smaller, smaller and smaller, smaller and slower, and smaller, and, ultimately I would like you to get to the place the place you’ll be able to’t inform in the event you’re making a circle or not. You may nonetheless be making one, however you may not—I can’t inform—is it simply the thought of a circle that you simply’re feeling, or is there nonetheless a circle occurring? And, proper there, simply relaxation.
Then look inward, ask your self, what’s it wish to be me proper now? After which, look. Don’t assume you realize the reply. Test in. How does it really feel? Discover the considering, discover the feelings, discover the physique sensations, discover the tales. And no matter’s arising, simply let that be excellent, even in the event you really feel such as you’re gonna puke and faint or one thing, let that be high quality. Even in the event you really feel enraged, let that be. No matter is developing, nevertheless you’re feeling—I’m actually bored and skeptical and hate this. Okay, let that be okay. Simply settle for no matter is occurring, utterly. Identical to the climate, let the climate be the climate.
Superb. Now, let’s do some very, very mild ujjayi respiratory. If you understand how to do this, simply begin doing it. Not the alternate nostril respiratory, simply ujjayi. Simply very evenly tensing your throat, as in the event you’re going to whisper, very very evenly on the out-breath. You breathe in usually, after which, on the out-breath—I’m going to do it actually loud, however you shouldn’t be doing it loud, you simply, from a slight pressure behind your throat, it ought to virtually be inaudible. If it’s so loud you’ll be able to hear it, that’s an excessive amount of pressure. We simply need very slight pressure, slowly breathe in, after which, on the out-breath, it offers you the capability to control the velocity of the out-breath. You need it to be actually, actually, actually, lengthy and uniformly clean. It’s a protracted, clean out-breath. If you wish to, you are able to do a mantra with these. On the in-breath you do om, on the out-breath, do hum—not really saying it, simply considering it. All this respiratory is thru your nostril, all the time by means of your nostril. Discover, already, even doing just a bit bit, it’s very regulating, it’s very soothing, that lengthy clean out breath, with simply that tiny, tiny little bit of very minute little bit of pressure within the throat—fairly settling.
Good. And now, as lots of you anticipated, let’s do just a bit little bit of alternate nostril respiratory, remembering to begin on the left. If you happen to haven’t completed it earlier than, shut your proper nostril together with your proper thumb, breathe in by means of the left nostril. After you have a full in-breath, you shut the left nostril together with your two center fingers, then open the correct nostril. Breathe out during the correct nostril. Change nostrils breathe in by means of the correct, then out the left. Very gradual, very clean, very mild, however all the way in which up. Let’s do that collectively for a pair minutes. Once more, on the in-breath om, or you might do many, no matter you need. On the out-breath, hum, hum, and we’re going to do it otherwise than we did it final week. On the in-breath, really feel that in your root chakra, and on the out-breath, really feel it on the third eye.
So, preserve going. Just a few hints right here. You don’t must scrunch up your face—no pressure in any respect. Actually, actually, actually, relaxed, and nevertheless lengthy you’re doing the in and the out-breath, let or not it’s snug, let or not it’s easeful, don’t pressure. It’s finest in the event you’re sitting up as straight as doable.
If you happen to’ve completed this earlier than and also you’re snug, make the out-breath fairly a bit longer than the in-breath. If you happen to’re not used to that, don’t do it. That is very soothing, and regulating. It’s type of bihemispheric stimulation—left, proper, left, proper—and on the identical time, moreover being soothing, you’ll discover that it’s energizing. Begin to really feel each extra relaxed, and extra alert on the identical time. Within the conventional texts, from a pair thousand years in the past, this cures each illness identified to humankind, in the event you do it like eight hours a day. However it’ll definitely make you extra relaxed and extra alert as a result of we began respiratory within the left nostril and respiratory out the left nostril. Then simply sit quietly with that. If you wish to you, can proceed to do the mantra with the breath hum, or simply be with the respiratory. Both means, we’re not tightly focusing. Enable the thoughts to be relaxed, extensive open, utterly relaxed, utterly with out pressure. The thoughts is open just like the sky, and the breath is just coming and going like wind within the sky, and simply be with that.
We’re very alert, very conscious, however not concentrated. You’re not tightening consideration onto an object, slightly the other. You’re permitting consideration to be so unfastened that it’s equal with consciousness, simply extensive open. And that consciousness simply occurs to note the breath rising and falling, rising and falling. Discover that, in contrast to consideration, consciousness is tremendously steady of its personal accord. It’s all the time conscious, so if, slightly than making an attempt to direct consideration with a bunch of management and tightness, we as an alternative, loosen up into simply the notice that’s already there, stability is already current, very steady, very relaxed, extraordinarily pure, and unsleeping.
Typically the thoughts is perhaps muddy, or sleepy, or distracted, however the thoughts is one thing that consciousness does, it’s one thing that simply seems in consciousness. Consciousness itself isn’t boring or muddy or drained. Consciousness is vibrant, unsleeping, clear. So, you could have the paradoxical expertise of resting as this vibrant, clear, extensive open, consciousness, noticing the thoughts being muddy, or drained, or distracted, however that’s high quality, as a result of consciousness is totally conscious of that, merely noticing the breath rising and falling, coming and going like wind in an open sky. We’re not doing the factor of making an attempt to drill down and discover the micro-movements of each molecule, we’re doing virtually the other. Simply in a really relaxed means, the sky is conscious of the wind coming and going. That’s it. The sky itself, the extensive open, boundless consciousness, huge spacious consciousness, is completely relaxed, and completely awake.
Be the awakeness itself. Relaxation outdoors the equipment of the thoughts so there could be quite a lot of considering occurring and that’s utterly high quality. That’s what minds do—we’re not making an attempt to cease that or make it go away, however neither are we partaking with it, we’re resting outdoors that. Be the awakeness, not the equipment of thought. At first, they could look like the identical factor, however ultimately, you’ll discover that you could relaxation as awakeness, and the thought, the considering, simply occurs, and it’s probably not distracting in any means. It’s simply occurring within the background. You’re probably not ignoring it, however you’re probably not down inside it, both.
Now, let your face loosen up, let your being loosen up, because the wind of thought, or the wind of the respiratory, is simply rising and falling within the sky of consciousness, enable the physique to change into tremendously spacious, in order that it’s not simply the thoughts that’s spacious and sky-like. The physique turns into just like the sky, too. Discover that spaciousness in physique sensations. You’re not making an imaginary psychological picture of a sky-like physique, you’re feeling all of the spaciousness within the physique, feeling how open, and comfy, and non-compressed the physique is. Discover that sense of nebulosity of the boundaries of the physique, till the physique itself is simply extra sky. Nonetheless with physique sensation, we’re not numbing any sensation, it’s all there, however it’s all a type of spaciousness that’s occurring in spaciousness. It’s not constricted, or constrained, or confined, it’s extensive open.
Really feel that extensive openness of the physique and thoughts, relaxed and comfy, the sky of the physique feels the wind of the breath transferring by means of it. The wind of the breath reminding the physique of its sky-like nature, every breath permitting the physique to open increasingly completely. As huge because the sky, as unbounded because the heavens.
Now, enable the considering thoughts—what I used to be calling the equipment of thought—enable the considering thoughts to change into tremendously spacious. This isn’t one thing you’re doing to it, you’re simply noticing its already present spaciousness, boundlessness, vastness. The wind of the breath is transferring by means of the sky of the considering thoughts, reminding the sky of the considering thoughts of its huge nature. Once more, we’re not partaking with thought, however we’re simply noticing the considering thoughts’s already present boundlessness, openness, and it’s not simply boundless left to proper, back and front, and up and down—it’s boundless in each course. Enable the considering thoughts to display its inconceivable boundlessness from the wind of the breath transferring by means of the sky of the thoughts and the considering and the physique. It’s simply this huge unsleeping consciousness that’s noticing breath transferring in area. Relaxation as that. Be that. You’re not watching it, you might be it. The inconceivable vastness of the considering thoughts, spaciousness of the physique.
Discover how typically you attempt to put the physique in a body-sized field in your thoughts, and simply cease doing that. The physique is in a space-sized, boundlessness—it has no boundaries. Discover how typically you attempt to put the considering thoughts in a head-sized field—cease doing that. It exists as super spaciousness and ease, one thing that’s occurring in huge spaciousness.
Now, discover the thought of your self, the story of you, effectively I’m right here on this room meditating,
doing this and that, and permit that to change into infinitely spacious as effectively, nonetheless there, however it’s simply completely, tremendously sky-like, extensive open, just like the physique, just like the considering thoughts,
like consciousness itself, huge and spacious in all instructions. The entire concept of your self doing one thing is simply nebulous, boundless, timeless, in all instructions, because the wind of the breath strikes by means of this area of consciousness.
Discover the vastness and nebulosity and spaciousness of the sense of self, the wind of the breath is rising and falling within the spaciousness of the sense of self. The extensive openness, the convenience and application, completely, completely, relaxed, completely alert and clear, tremendously extensive open.
Now, from right here, I would like you to look very rigorously, and see if you could find the place this skylike spacious consciousness of the whole lot is coming from. The place is it coming from? And I would like you to look rigorously, proper now, in your expertise. Don’t give it some thought, don’t attempt to discover the correct reply, don’t search for a reminiscence or one thing you realized. I would like you to look, proper now, in expertise. The place is all this consciousness centered? The place is it coming from? Look. Hold trying. Discover it. The place’s the middle location? And, in the event you suppose you discovered one, take a look at that location rigorously. Is consciousness actually coming from there? In that case, what’s it from outdoors it?
It’s simple to combine up sensory expertise with consciousness. I’m asking, the place is consciousness coming from, and I would like you to look. Simply considering and answering doesn’t assist in any respect, you need to look. The place is the middle of this endless sky? I’ll offer you a touch: if it’s boundless, it’s going to be fairly exhausting to discover a middle. However it’s not sufficient to know that, you need to look, and preserve not discovering it.
Superb. Now, one other factor I would like you to look into, is consciousness simply conscious in a single location? In that case, then that’s the earlier query—discover that location. But when it’s not, it’s conscious in multiple location, then the place is it conscious? Is it simply within the physique? Nicely, the physique is as huge as area. Simply in considering? Nicely, the considering is as huge as area.
Discover a place that isn’t consciousness. Something within the room, something on the earth outdoors, something that’s not consciousness. Discover it, look and discover it. This isn’t a psychological train, that is trying, it’s not considering. Simply look. Discover a place that’s not conscious.
That is normally fairly a bit extra highly effective together with your eyes open. You don’t must, however I invite you to open your eyes. What within the room shouldn’t be conscious—or, I ought to say, not consciousness. Is that this absolute riot of colour, and type, and form, and sample, and texture, and lightweight and darkish, not exploding in consciousness? What a part of it isn’t conscious? Look. Inform me, what half isn’t conscious?
Hear. What a part of the sounds shouldn’t be conscious? As we mentioned from virtually the start, this consciousness is boundless, so it’s in all places. There’s nothing that we are able to pay attention to that isn’t conscious, that’s how we’re conscious of it. Look. Hear. Really feel the physique—what a part of the physique shouldn’t be conscious, not consciousness itself? There’s nothing that’s not consciousness. It has no boundaries, it’s not centered anyplace, it’s not coming from anyplace, it’s not going anyplace, it’s merely there. Merely right here.
Now, I would like you to note that each one this consciousness in each course, in all of the sense
gates, is completely sacred—no matter that phrase means—it’s completely sacred. It’s a miracle,
it’s shining with the sunshine of purity and infinity. Discover that. Discover it’s a miracle.
Good. Now discover, it’s additionally, this consciousness in all instructions, that comes from nowhere,
that has by no means been born, that may by no means die, that isn’t going anyplace, that’s completely
boundless and centerless, can also be the whole lot inside it, can also be completely fallen, profane,
sinful, darkish, sick, and incorrect, mundane, quotidian, forgetful, ineffective, damaged, crap,
disgusting, foul. That it’s each of these issues directly, and that, in truth there’s no distinction between these two issues. It’s a sacred, shining miracle of infinite magnificence, and an completely fallen, and decayed hell realm—on the identical time. Discover that clearly in your personal expertise, and spot the urge to attempt to power it to be one or the opposite. What if it’s neither of these issues, or each of these issues, or what?
Merely relaxation as quick spacious wakefulness, permitting the whole lot to be simply the way in which it’s, precisely the way in which it’s, a shining miracle of purity and pleasure, and a foul cesspool of filth. Discover the resistance, or the urge to have or not it’s one or the opposite utterly, or to do away with one half of that, or to seize on to the opposite half, and simply loosen up. Discover the spaciousness of the physique, spaciousness of the self-story, spaciousness of considering, spaciousness of consciousness itself. Discover that each single factor that’s occurring in expertise is nothing aside from awakeness itself, whereas on the identical time, additionally being skilled. It’s not simply wakefulness itself, there are properties to note—that consciousness itself, wakefulness itself, has no middle and no edge, and no in between. Discover that now.
Superb. Let’s finish the meditation there. Be at liberty to maneuver and stretch.
Who has some questions for me, or feedback? Sure, right here’s the microphone.
Questioner 1: Thanks for the meditation. I actually didn’t get into “each object is conscious.”
Michael: How are you aware there’s an object that’s not conscious?
Questioner 1: I needed to know, what does it imply for a candle to remember? Is it aware?
Michael: How are you aware there’s a candle?
Questioner 1: Oh, I see you…
Michael: You see it, so that you’re conscious of a candle?
Questioner 1: However is the candle conscious? I don’t know. That’s my query.
Michael: Are you conscious of the candle?
Questioner 1: Yep.
Michael: So, what’s not conscious in that, you may need an concept of a candle in your thoughts as a factor that’s not conscious, and so that you’re projecting it as an object that’s lifeless over there, however, no, that’s all an concept. The experiences is: consciousness of candle, “candle” is a part of consciousness. How is that not conscious? That’s direct expertise. It’s completely different than the thought of a dumb, unaware candle. That’s all a thought. That’s the way it’s conscious. So, discover, we’re doing that to the whole lot on a regular basis. There’s a room right here, however society tells me that rooms are fabricated from atoms and molecules, and atoms and molecules are meaningless objects that simply collide at the hours of darkness. One lengthy thought that results in the thought of, there’s a bunch of lifeless on the market someplace, however it’s only a thought that you simply preserve interposing on expertise. Expertise is—there’s this alive conscious factor being painted with roomness proper now. See that, actually, see it instantly. If you happen to preserve making an attempt to suppose, there’s a lifeless room on the market, however I’m going to make it conscious by someway giving it a consciousness, cease that.
Questioner 1: I suppose I can see it as if I’m tripping on acid, and the whole lot is related, and the room is being, the whole lot is being. That’s how I see it now.
Michael: Nearer. It’s actually exhausting to get the only factor there’s, which is that you simply’ve received an concept about how the whole lot is since you’re skilled in that concept. The entire meditation is about dropping that concept, after which simply noticing. That’s why I preserve saying, simply look, simply discover what you’re really experiencing, which is there’s this expertise, the entire thing’s awake. In any other case, you’re not conscious of it, so the whole lot that you simply’re conscious of is conscious, it’s simply logical, proper? It’s simply an expertise. Now, I’m not saying something concerning the fact of actuality, like possibly there are lifeless partitions on the market, however our expertise is certainly one of whole aliveness, whole awakeness, that’s all there’s.
Questioner 1: So it’s like, if the whole lot that exists exists within my thoughts, as a result of that’s the one factor I’ve direct expertise of, then something that I see exists is alive as a result of it’s alive in my mind someway?
Michael: Sure, however that’s the entire, “I’m gonna inform a narrative about it utilizing the mannequin that
I’ve been trained-in” model, however, yeah, that’s right. Now, simply drop all that shit and spot that there’s simply this whole expertise, and that each one you’ve received is the aliveness
of the expertise. I can spend quite a lot of time imputing and shoving this filled with meaninglessness, and gears or chips, and simply do this with my thoughts, however that’s not what I’m experiencing. You would say, effectively, consciousness is coming from my mind, however once more that’s an idea, you’re not experiencing it coming from something. Attempt to discover the place it’s coming from, you’ll be able to’t do it.
Questioner 1: Thanks.
Michael: Positive, thanks on your query. What else is occurring on the market?
Questioner 2: Howdy. When my physique expands, and the equipment of thought expands, I’m left with this overwhelming laughter inside, and I’ve this actually big urge to only begin laughing hysterically. I can really feel it within me, and it’s joyous, I feel, however I’m undecided, however it’s occurred to me earlier than. When issues get solid, I simply have this urge of laughing and shaking. Is that one thing that occurs typically?
Michael: Typically sufficient, and so I might simply say, in the event you’re alone in a room, go for it, simply snicker and shake.
Questioner 2: Sure, at residence I simply begin howling with laughter, and I shake, too. This occurs the place I simply shake, identical to it’s shaking itself.
Michael: Proper, simply let it occur. Finally, that may simply be completed.
Questioner 2: Oh, good, however I prefer it, although.
Michael: That is the place there’s a possible drawback—in the event you prefer it, and so that you type of preserve it occurring goal. Don’t do this. So long as it’s simply doing it, then that’s okay, and ultimately, it’s just like the tightness that it’s coming from—which is why it sort of feels dangerous, on the identical time, it’s tightness that’s releasing—the releasing is what feels so nice. Finally, it’ll launch all the way in which, after which it’s not there anymore.
Questioner 2: Thanks.
Michael: It may be the identical factor with sobbing, with quite a lot of stuff.
Questioner 3: Hello, thanks for the meditation.
Michael: Thanks for coming.
Questioner 3: My query is, generally I really feel like I’m experiencing what you’re pointing to for moments at a time, however it’s fleeting, and it’s like generally I can work as much as it by means of these guided meditations. Or different occasions I expertise it are when there’s one thing insufferable in my life, I virtually drop out of that. after which I’m going into one thing extra spacious. However, I’m inquisitive about, possibly you’ll be able to simply communicate to this from your personal private expertise. What’s the method from going to those moments of openness, and connection to creating {that a} extra common a part of your expertise?
Michael: What would you guess?
Questioner 3: Follow, or one thing.
Michael: Nicely, otherwise you simply have much more of them. So you might have a bunch of very brief,
interrupted moments, however then you might have extra of these, and extra of these, and so they get a bit deeper, after which they get a bit longer, and deeper longer, after which they type of begin glomming collectively. So that they get loads longer and loads deeper, and regularly what you’ll discover, over time it begins to only take up the remainder of the whole lot. Which is attention-grabbing, as a result of that’s what’s really occurring. It’s the other of how we describe it. It’s that the huge spacious awakeness is all the time there, and we’re simply actually within the behavior of holding ourselves out of it actually tightly. Then we loosen up for a minute, after which it’ll get tight once more, loosen up for a minute, get tight once more. However, ultimately, your mind simply learns, and you’ll simply loosen up, and simply keep there. However then I’ve received to tighten up, however, however, wait a minute, I might simply keep there a bit longer. Over time, it simply learns to be open.
So the metaphor, as a result of that’s what’s actually there, it’s really the place we don’t acknowledge this
as a result of it’s such a behavior, however we’re doing a factor on goal to not be in it. It’s simply so recurring that we forgot that we’re doing it, and so that you loosen up that behavior. What’s on our facet is that it needs to, to not simply return to its pure openness, as a result of it takes quite a lot of effort to maintain it tight like that. So, we simply received skilled over life to do this, and now it’s like, hey, you realize what, you might simply loosen up. So the metaphor I’ve is that it’s like a rolled up paper map that’s been in a tube a very long time. Actually, it’s a chunk of paper that’s flat, however it’s been in a tube a lot it’s simply used to being curled up. So, you need to roll it out. If you happen to take your arms off, it’ll go [zrrp], roll it out once more. However in the event you do this sufficient, it goes again to its authentic flatness. It simply remembers tips on how to be flat, after which it’s simply open on a regular basis. Okay?
Questioner 3: Yeah, that’s hopeful, thanks.
Michael: Yeah, since that’s your authentic nature, it needs to return to that, so it’s gonna do it, it doesn’t matter what, however we can assist it alongside by simply enjoyable and opening and enjoyable and opening. Normally, in the event you look intently, it’s a type of concern that’s inflicting it to recollapse, and the one confirmed solution to recover from a phobia is publicity. It’s actually exhausting to be afraid of one thing that doesn’t harm you over and over and over. So, as you drop into this expanded factor, you’re afraid and also you collapse, and also you’re afraid, and also you collapse, however over some time, over a very long time, it’s like—nothing dangerous is going on—so your mind learns. It’s actually exhausting to be terrified each time nothing occurs. So it simply begins to loosen up, and simply rests there. Okay?
Questioner 4: May you communicate to how a lot of the shamatha or settling practices you select to incorporate, and the way a lot you may advocate to individuals of their residence apply, earlier than bringing in directed mentioning directions, and issues like that?
Michael: Each single particular person is completely different, so there’s actually no proper reply. That’s the proper reply. For some individuals, it’s a lot simpler to by no means do any shamata, and simply relaxation as open consciousness, as a result of that’s its personal type of shamata. For different individuals, our minds are actual wound up, they’re used to being actual tight, so it’s essential do quite a lot of shamatha apply to loosen up, loosen up, loosen up, and stabilize, stabilize, stabilize. Then there’s vipashyana in there, too, which is de facto hardcore unbinding of the tightness.
Actually what it boils right down to is discovering spaciousness, in all that tightness. Though, historically, you’re presupposed to do the shamatha first after which the vipashyana after you’ve accomplished the shamatha, actually, mixing them collectively could be very, very, efficient, as a result of the steadiness of the shamatha helps the vipashyana. But in addition, it really works the opposite means, the unbinding of the vipashyana helps the shamatha to appear extra steady, as a result of the distractions are unbound, they cease being tight. So, these two issues assist one another.
After which, there’s a lot of different issues we are able to usher in there, among the power and respiratory work we did is usually related to shamatha, however not utterly. It’s simply type of direct, it’s reintroducing that relaxed spaciousness within the physique, within the power. So that you type of must—and that is the place it will get mystical or one thing—you need to, in a means, have a way of the place you’re coming from, and be a bit bit frank with your self, and possibly get some good steering. However it’s like, oh, I even have the type of character and thoughts that may sit there and do vipashyana for hours—that may be kind of a constricted, intense programmatic doership sort of course of. However you should use it to deconstruct tight programmatic deconstruction—it will possibly undo itself, and so that you wish to use your finest qualities towards your self, in a means.
If you happen to’re already actually good at going into deep stability, whereas staying awake, then do shamatha sort stuff till that will get actually, actually deep, after which use it for both going instantly into awake consciousness, or noticing, recognizing awake consciousness, if that’s accessible. Or, if it’s not, then utilizing that stability to do vipashyana.
And there are entire different methods—what in the event you’re simply gushy devotee who simply loves God, you should use that—not even simply not eager about shamatha or vipashyana, however simply opening and surrendering, and opening and surrendering, till all boundaries are dissolved by the full love of devotion, the devotion to this huge area. So there are heaps and plenty and plenty of methods, as a result of, in truth, the whole lot is a means. Nothing shouldn’t be it, so the whole lot is it. So, actually each path might probably be a means in. There’s the basket weaving means—is perhaps your means, it simply relies upon.
Questioner 4: Thanks.
Michael: Thanks. See you subsequent week.
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