Okay, welcome all people. You may inform it’s late summer time. Good to see you all. So, I believe most of you, possibly virtually everybody has been right here earlier than, so you already know the drill. We’re going to do an hour-long meditation, a guided meditation, after which after that I’ll say some stuff and you then guys will possibly have feedback or stories or belongings you need to say, or possibly ask a query. After which after that we’ll meditate some extra. In order that’s how the subsequent 90 minutes is ready up.
So with out additional ado, let’s start. We’ll start by doing a bit little bit of embodiment, proper? So simply throw your mind out. You don’t want that rattling factor. Simply toss it. And let’s do some embodied stretching. And yeah, I do just about the identical factor each time.
[stretching]
Good. And now I’d such as you to only discover your intention. No matter it could be. Why are you even doing this? Simply remind your self, what’s the purpose? Should you don’t know, then that’s a very good factor to seek out out. However if you happen to do know, simply form of remembering for your self is useful.
After which past that, step two, in case you have any figures or rules that you’re dedicated to, what are you dedicated to? Convey up these figures or rules now and really feel your devotion. Oftentimes, there’s some resistance to that phrase. However that is extremely vital, foundational actually. I’m simply not telling you who to be or what to be dedicated to. It’s a must to determine. However you have to be dedicated to one thing. Should you’re not doing it consciously, then you’re unconsciously dedicated to random issues.
Now, talking of emotion, let’s once more set the thoughts. Nothing fallacious with a pondering thoughts. I’m so glad we will all suppose. It’s crucial to have the ability to try this and to honor that. However for proper now, we’re going to set that apart and never have interaction with it. It nonetheless will get to suppose. We’re not attempting to cease it from pondering. We’re not attempting to suppress it or sluggish it down or something. We’re simply setting it apart and never partaking.
And after we try this, discover that we relaxation in spacious, easy, pure presence. If you end up repeatedly re-engaging, every time you discover, you simply let go once more and are available again to only easy, pure, open presence—proper there with our consciousness—just like the sky, boundless, not caught on something, not coming to anyplace particularly. Merely current the second. We’re not engaged within the equipment of pondering.
And now, once more, staying exterior the pondering thoughts for the second. We’re not in opposition to pondering. We’re—only for now—not partaking. Only for the second, I’d such as you to really feel your embodied expertise. Really feel your physique. Really feel what your physique appears like. Really feel what it’s prefer to have or be, or one way or the other discover a physique. After which what I need you to do is let or not it’s precisely as it’s. And also you don’t must suppose to try this. Simply let go of judgment. Let go of pondering your physique ought to be a special approach, of imagining it’s too this or not sufficient that—I want it have been this, I want it have been that. Simply drop all that—not less than for the subsequent hour—and permit it to be precisely the best way it’s, precisely the best way it’s.
Good. Discover if one thing relaxes once you let your physique be the best way it’s. Additionally, discover any resistance to letting or not it’s the best way it’s. Effectively, if I simply let or not it’s the best way it’s, I’ll find yourself as a fats slob, or I’ll find yourself not brushing my tooth, or, you already know, you might need some story you instructed your self of what you’d be like if you happen to weren’t continuously attempting to vary your physique. However we’re not doing that. We’re being tremendous accepting, tremendous light, very form to our our bodies, permitting it to be precisely the best way it’s proper now. And see if you happen to can take this little further step, and truly generate a bit bit of affection and gratitude on your physique. It’s actually good to have one. Definitely good to be one. It’s actually good to note a physique—all the various issues it has performed for us, with us, for all these many many years.
So it doesn’t must be an enormous deal, and it doesn’t must take a variety of thought. Simply merely see if you happen to can beam some gratitude towards your physique. It really works laborious to maintain you alive. Regardless of all of the belongings you do to it.
Now let’s take a look at our emotional state. How your feelings are doing? Perhaps you’re comfortable. Perhaps you’re depressed. Perhaps you’re panicking. Perhaps who is aware of what’s happening. Perhaps you’re feeling a pervasive sense of doom. Who is aware of?
However what if we provide our feelings—which, in spite of everything, are merely our pure reactions? What if we provide them the identical allowance? What if we simply mentioned that our feelings get to be no matter—the best way they’re proper now? And only for a short while right here, not attempting to vary them or management them, or make them do that or make them try this, however they simply get to be the best way they really are proper now.
And so actually, all we’re doing is giving this up solely briefly. If you wish to, you possibly can deliver it again on the finish of the meditation. However briefly, we’re suspending aggression in the direction of ourselves, aggression in the direction of our physique, aggression in the direction of our feelings, and simply letting them be. For many individuals, possibly even most individuals, all a day is—between the second they get up, and the second they’re asleep, and possibly even throughout components of sleep—is simply attempting to really feel completely different, attempting to have a special emotion than the one they’re having.
And so only for as soon as, even only for the break, the holiday, simply all through the sit, let your feelings be no matter they’re. And don’t attempt to change them. Don’t attempt to management them. Don’t make them do that or try this or go away or be good or simply allow them to be what they’re, which could not be nice. It is perhaps form of laborious or possibly even quite a bit tougher. However that is the work. That is what we’re doing proper now. We’re letting our physique and our emotions be simply the best way they’re.
Now, though we’ve set the pondering thoughts apart and we’re not partaking it, we will not less than have the intention to not change that in any respect. As I mentioned, we’re not attempting to manage it or cease it or make it suppose completely different ideas—simply not partaking with it. So in the identical approach, what if we simply let our thoughts suppose no matter it desires to suppose? Simply let or not it’s what it’s, the best way it’s proper now, or simply briefly. It’s not a everlasting factor we’re attempting to do. We’re briefly not partaking with pondering, however we’re letting the pondering thoughts be the best way it’s and do what it desires to do. We’re not preventing it in any respect. And also you have been by no means controlling it within the first place. So that is simply see what’s happening.
Good. So, letting our physique be precisely the best way it’s, and letting our feelings be precisely the best way it’s. Letting our thoughts be precisely what it’s proper now. Are you able to discover any sense of a bit little bit of leisure? A tiny little bit of letting go of resistance. After we let go of that resistance, there’s just a bit bit much less rigidity and problem in being. And this factor I used to be speaking about earlier—our pure presence, our skill to be right here on this expertise—what’s really occurring proper now—will increase as a result of we’re not partaking with what could possibly be. We’re simply what’s. Simply sitting in easy pure presence, letting the physique, the feelings, the thoughts be the best way they’re.
Sitting on this openness, this pure presence, not specializing in something explicit. Are you able to discover the approaching and going of the breath wave? Not attempting to meditate on respiratory, however merely noticing that the breath wave is coming and going, rising and falling.
I’m feeling how good that feels. And you already know, letting issues be the best way they’re is paradoxical. Or not less than we have to be ready for issues to current in a seemingly contradictory method. Chances are you’ll discover that there are very nice emotions within the physique, however you may additionally discover some actual difficulties, some disagreeable emotions, or ache or discomfort, to go together with nice emotions. They usually’re each there—you form of can’t have one with out the opposite.
In our pondering thoughts, we divide this stuff in two and say one among them’s good and one among them’s dangerous. What if you happen to solely have the great emotions? However that’s a fantasy. And so if you happen to discover your self attempting to solely get good physique sensations, grabbing onto these and pushing away tough disagreeable physique sensations and imaging that you’ll find a solution to win that recreation, noticing that’s attention-grabbing as a result of the extra you discover your self doing it, the extra you acknowledge each are all the time going to be there, and you’ll simply loosen up. It’s nondual. They’re each vital. They’re by no means really completely different. Or I ought to say, separate, they’re completely different however not separate.
So, what if you happen to, excellent now, as a part of letting the physique be the best way it’s, don’t seize on to the great emotions or push away from physique sensations. Simply allow them to be simply the best way they’re. It might probably really feel virtually weirdly boring or nothing at first as a result of there’s nothing to do. There’s nothing to do. You’re simply sitting right here. However you then’ll begin to tune into, oh, that is known as being. What if I gave myself a break from doing for a short while and simply be?
The identical factor with the feelings. For many of us, all day lengthy is simply attempting to do issues that we expect are going to deliver a very good emotion, and never do issues that we expect are going to deliver a nasty emotion. And that’s regular and pure. Nothing fallacious with that. However you discover the sentiments are continuously altering. You can’t win that recreation. That’s pushing the rock up the hill endlessly. That’s attempting to carry the wind in your fist. You may’t do it.
And recognition of which means that we will merely loosen up. And spot that dangerous emotions are going to come back and go, and good emotions are going to come back and go. You may’t have one with out the opposite. They’re nondual. They’re by no means really separate. You could have each if you happen to’re going to have both. It’s solely the thoughts that divides them up and says they’re one way or the other separate. They’re by no means really separate.
In order that factor that’s attempting to get one and push away the opposite, get the good things and push away the dangerous stuff. Simply loosen up. Simply loosen up. You don’t must play that recreation proper now.
And naturally, identical factor with the pondering. You need to have good ideas, not have dangerous ideas. I need to not suppose dangerous ideas. It’s not X. However you possibly can’t have one with out the opposite. They’re by no means really separate. What if we merely let ideas be ideas—not less than for now, not less than within the meditation—we don’t attempt to push away some and get to others, however quite simply let it do no matter it’s going to do.
Now, what in regards to the so-called exterior world? It’s not separate in any approach from the interior world. That’s one other false dichotomy, false dualism. However only for the sake of talking in a pure approach, I’ll say, What in regards to the exterior world? There’s loads of good issues occurring, and loads of dangerous issues occurring. And possibly it all the time appears like there’s extra dangerous issues occurring than good issues.
Only for the second, whereas we’re seated in meditation—though we would need that solely good and exquisite issues occur—only for the second, we permit no matter is definitely occurring to only occur. Only for a second.
Acknowledge that all of it is the best way it’s proper now. Doesn’t imply it might’t change in a second, however proper now, it’s the approach it’s. It’s not sufficient to easily settle for that. Identical to we now have gratitude for the physique, or we will really feel gratitude for our feelings, or we will really feel gratitude for our pondering thoughts, you possibly can really feel gratitude for the world. Even the best way it’s. Simply the best way it’s proper now.
Noticing what number of issues we actually need to change, and what number of outcomes we want to be completely different, and but recognizing what number of issues we really can’t change. Can we simply let go of not less than the half we will’t change, and acknowledge, and really feel it being simply the best way it’s.
Now, usually I ask you to note the stillness and silence and spaciousness in expertise. So discover that now in your expertise. Discover the half that’s nonetheless. As a substitute of half, we’d even say the background of stillness, or this body of stillness, or the saturation of stillness. The half that’s nonetheless the all-pervasive stillness. The half that’s silent, however saturated in silence that’s surrounded by silence, that’s coming from silence, and going to silence. That’s by no means separate from silence.
The half that’s spacious. It’s boundless. It has no borders. That’s coming from spaciousness, and surrounded by spaciousness, and saturated in spaciousness. Simply discover the nonetheless, silent, spaciousness. It’s attainable to only relaxation there with out altering something. Huge spacious stillness and silence. You’re not imagining it. You’re not conjuring it up. You’re not one way or the other setting up it. It’s all the time there if you happen to merely discover it. Discover that and relaxation there. And really feel the aid there, and the useful resource there, and the nurturing that’s accessible there.
And the best way that that stillness, silence, and spaciousness will not be one thing that you simply’re . It’s one thing that you’re. The factor that pretends it’s that’s really additionally saturated with stillness, silence, and spaciousness, surrounded by stillness, silence, and spaciousness. By no means separate from it.
Now, being spacious, silent, stillness, discover that the sentiments of physique usually are not separate from physique sensations, the sensation of respiratory, feeling in your muscle mass, feeling in your face, feeling your arms—all these emotions in your guts and in all places else, your eyes, all these physique sensations—usually are not separate from that stillness and silence. Each are concurrently current. The one is saturated with the opposite. Our thoughts desires to make them separate.
There’s the stillness. There’s the physique sensations. However actually, they come up collectively, all the time collectively. Each physique sensation, whether or not it’s nice or disagreeable, it’s simply infused with stillness, silence, and spaciousness, is expressing itself in its motion.
Every emotion that we’re feeling, whether or not it’s a tough, disagreeable emotion, a joyous, ecstatic emotion, or simply form of the conventional blah blah blah of little feelings right here and there. All of that isn’t separate from the stillness and silence and spaciousness. It’s not over there. It’s not solely suffused and surrounded by this stillness and silence and spacious consciousness, however it’s expressing it. It’s the joyous artistic outflow of that stillness. A present of that spacious awakeness.
Each physique sensation, each emotion is a playful, spontaneous, reward of awake house. That is the exact same purpose why I’m saying though we’re speaking about setting the pondering thoughts apart, we’re actually not ever really doing that, as a result of it’s not separate.
The pondering thoughts will not be separate from the nonetheless silent spaciousness – they co-arise. It’s solely skillful means to briefly fake that we will separate them. However in a deeper approach, we discover they’re by no means separate. The nonetheless silent spacious thoughts provides rise to the pondering thoughts. The pondering thoughts is simply the co-creative pleasure of the silent awakeness. They’re by no means separate. Discover that now.
In the identical approach, the sounds of the world round you, and the sights of the world round you, and all of the exercise of the complete world, is the expression of the nonetheless silent house. It’s the spontaneous, joyous, artistic, playful silence, spacious stillness, and awakeness. By no means separate.
Are you able to discover the spacious awakeness inside each expertise? The conscious, large openness, stillness and perfection of all physique sensation, regardless of how intense, regardless of how kinetic, regardless of how shifting, it’s concurrently the expression of silence and stillness and spaciousness and awakeness. It’s nothing however that.
Are you able to discover that about every emotion? Regardless of how tiny, regardless of how gigantic, regardless of how tough or nice, is expressing this basic openness on the core of all being. All experiences within the thoughts, all thought building, is nothing apart from the embroidered brocade of stillness and silence itself. And the complete world, effervescent up out of this deep pool of darkish silent water, but manufactured from that water.
That is what we try to specific after we use the seed syllable OM, which is a sound that expresses silence, and the vibration that expresses stillness, and a form of exuberant expression of spacious awakeness.
So let’s chant that collectively for a short while, a couple of minutes. Straight from the void. Remembering that the expression itself is expressing this stillness and silence.
[chanting Om]
Good. Now simply relaxation because the expression of this openness. In each second,
Okay, good. Let’s finish that right here.
I bear in mind when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I did a variety of tarot studying. In truth, I went around the globe doing that, often whereas drunk. Folks like readings in bars. It’s a good way to get free drinks. One of many symbols—really the 4 symbols in tarot, you’ve bought wands and cups and discs and swords, which in a traditional deck of tarot playing cards flip into golf equipment and hearts and diamonds and spades. And people, in fact, symbolize the weather, however in addition they symbolize issues about our expertise. For instance, cups or hearts symbolizing our emotional expertise; diamonds or discs symbolizing our our bodies, our embodied expertise—stuff like that. However what’s an emblem used for the thoughts, for the pondering thoughts? Mind is the sword, proper? It’s a sword, or, on an everyday deck of playing cards, spades. Spade is an outdated phrase for a sword. However why is the pondering thoughts a sword? In a technique, it emphasizes the actually optimistic features of cognition—notably mental cognition—of being very sharp, and really nice, and really exact. The entire concept of a super-sharp polished, clear, easy sword is a extremely good picture for a well-used mind.
However the image could be very applicable as a result of it additionally emphasizes that every one mental cognition is inherently about reducing issues in two. It’s inherently dualistic. It’s divisive. This isn’t that. That is the entire motion of the pondering thoughts: This isn’t that. This isn’t that. [cutting motion] And that’s the way it works. And that’s the way it ought to work. And a very good a kind of is does it very well? Clear, sharp, exact, correct. However you see that it might’t do the rest.
And so after we come to our expertise of life, if we’re utilizing that operate on a regular basis, we will do nothing however lower—lower issues in two. If that’s the one operate we’re utilizing—and most of us are solely skilled to make use of that one—we’re restricted. We are able to’t deliver something collectively. We are able to’t develop something. We are able to’t heal something. We are able to simply divide issues. It’s, in fact, the essence of dualistic separation. We’re separating issues. This isn’t that.
And so it has its good facet, but it surely additionally has an inherent limitation, that it might’t see nonseparation, and it might’t see how issues are joined. And so it’s a part of why originally we set that individual operate apart though, discover, that’s an act of separation. So in the long term we’re going to deliver it again collectively, however—simply briefly—we set that apart so we will put aside division, and put aside separation, and put aside reducing all the pieces and begin to get a way of the underlying wholeness and unity. And, as I mentioned, non-separation of expertise, as a result of it’s solely within the pondering thoughts that issues are separate.
They’re by no means really separate. You may by no means have this with out that. It simply doesn’t work that approach. And the extra that we expect we will have this with out that, the extra Sisyphean the entire grand tragedy comedy is, proper? It’s simply inherently not possible to have this with out that. However as a result of our thoughts thinks like that, oh, that is this and that’s that. I might have one and never the opposite. We’re simply rolling a boulder uphill endlessly.
Nevertheless it’s not static. You’re working laborious to roll that boulder, and also you get your toes bruised on a regular basis, and scraped up and drained. And generally it rolls down the hill—a great distance to return and get it once more. It’s laborious work attempting to separate this from that and to do it on a regular basis endlessly and by no means recognizing the plain impossibility of that.
After all, numerous issues are price doing, and holding your self alive quite than lifeless not less than for you already know seven or eight many years or one thing. That’s price doing. It’s not that nothing’s price doing. It’s simply recognizing you can’t have this with out that. And resisting that truth repeatedly is simply steady ache for nothing. It’s actually easy. And letting go and resisting that truth is aid from that ache instantly.
The common ache will nonetheless be there. Your joints will nonetheless harm as you grow old and so forth. However the friction and warmth and scraping ache of the resistance, the resistance, the resistance simply can vanish instantly simply by letting go of resistance. We simply suppose that all the pieces will crumble if we cease resisting. And you already know what? It’d briefly, however it is going to discover its personal far more secure, far more grounded, far more essentially built-in complete new approach—not primarily based on holding up a home of playing cards repeatedly.
And never solely is it simply aid from that individual ache, simply that which most individuals would give something for. Not solely is it simply that, but it surely’s intensely stunning. As a result of all of that is an beautiful expression of that wholeness and purity and completion and perfection—proper there, proper there—simply on the opposite facet of that division. However in fact, together with that division as a result of nothing’s really separate.
Okay. When you’ve got one thing you’d prefer to say or ask, please recall that it’s good to be aware of our speech, and likewise that that is being broadcast stay to the Web.
Q: Thanks. Proper originally, you talked about devotion, which I haven’t actually thought of earlier than in my meditation apply. I questioned if you happen to might say a couple of phrases in regards to the function that devotion performs.
MT: Effectively, as I hinted at, everybody’s dedicated to one thing. You may’t get away with out devotion. And so, if you happen to suppose you’re not devoted, or that you simply don’t have one, meaning you’re simply unconsciously dedicated to one thing—or many issues, proper? Human beings are devotional creatures, and we’re all the time dedicated to one thing. So, it’s a worthy query to ask your self, what are you dedicated to? What are you dedicated to?
And if, when you see what you’re dedicated to, is that what you really need to be dedicated to? Am I actually dedicated to, you already know, watching Murderbot? Is that what I need my life to be about or what? You recognize, possibly I’m. It’s simply in regards to the exhibits, our weekly exhibits, is the devotion? Who is aware of? However not less than you get to ask your self the query.
And once more, once I use that phrase, not less than some proportion of individuals have an anaphylactic response. You recognize, they go into some form of deep begin quivering and stuff. And I’m not saying you need to be devoted to love, you already know, the love of Jesus or one thing. You may be dedicated to no matter you need or whoever you need or some precept, you already know, love one thing. However I might recommend that devoting your self to one thing extra stunning or more true or higher is an effective solution to go. Maintaining that in your thoughts is vital.
And so one thing I actually discover is the resistance to devotion. And I’m like, that simply means you’re not listening to what you’re really devoting to. And so please discover out after which determine if that’s what you need to be dedicated to, proper? It’s vital. And simply by way of our apply, particularly meditation apply, you possibly can’t get anyplace with out it.
You recognize, simply to make use of the language of getting someplace after which understand all of the problematic craziness blah blah blah, so what. You may’t get anyplace with out it. In any other case, you’re simply utilizing your thoughts and that’s not sufficient. You may’t suppose your approach there. Your coronary heart have to be concerned, and devotions all about your coronary heart. Nothing sadder than a room stuffed with mental meditators. It’s unhappy—what really makes your coronary heart go? What makes your heartbeat? Discover it. Commit your self to it. It makes all of the distinction.
Anyone else? The one query form of evening?
All proper, then we’ll do only a 5 minute quiet non-guided sitting. Thanks a lot. I admire it. However provided that we now have a bit further time, I’m going to do a 90 minute quiet sit. So if you happen to don’t really feel like meditating extra, run now.
As normal, it might be good to only maintain going, however we’ll finish it there for tonight. Come on again subsequent week. I’ll be right here. We’ll meditate some extra collectively. Okay. Thanks all people.
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