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Introduction
Hiya and welcome! I’m Michael Taft, and we’ll do a one-hour guided meditation tonight, adopted by speaking about stuff for some time, after which meditate some extra. Let’s start by simply performing some stretching. You are able to do what I’m doing, or do your individual model of what I’m doing, or do no matter you need—however make sure that it feels good to you.
You guys wish to do some little bit of mantra tonight? We’re on day eight or 9 of Navaratri, the nine-night pageant of the goddess, and so we’ll do the one I had written on the board earlier than that we by no means used. It’s the seed syllables we’re used to utilizing: Om, Goal, Hrim, Klim, Chamundaye, Vicce. Chandi is a extremely intense manifestation of Durga—tremendous lion-riding, weapon-wielding, hyper-enlightened mega-goddess referred to as Chandi, and so that is doing a bunch of goddess seed syllables: Om, Goal, Hrim, Klim, Chamundaye—to Chandi, Vicce—I bow. We’ll simply constantly repeat it for a couple of minutes, however we’re not simply going to intone it, the concept is first, to open up, to put aside the considering thoughts—you don’t want it in any respect to do that, it simply will get in the best way. Simply take the equipment of thought and simply set it over right here. Then, simply discover, as quickly as you try this, you’re in contact with every part—openness, wakeful, broad openness. As a result of, once you’re not trapped contained in the little field of thought, you’re simply broad open, with no boundaries in any respect, it’s massive, massive, massive. So, from that place, simply let the sound power of Om Goal Hrim Klim Chamundaye Vicce present itself, and once more you’ll get it as we repeat it.
Mantra: Om Goal Hrim Klim Chamundaye Vicce
Superb. Now, having set the equipment of the thoughts apart, and dwelt in broad open, wakeful house, and invoked this mega-enlightened power, simply permit your self to relaxation that means. Outdoors the thoughts, outdoors of any thought, merely wakeful, broad open, in touch with primarily every part, as a result of it’s not separate from something in any respect. Let’s simply breathe that means for a short while, in easy presence.
Every time you end up concerned with thought, for those who do, simply set it again down. It will possibly sit there and do its factor, however you’re simply probably not enjoying with it, not partaking it. As a substitute, we’re being broad open, wakeful, in easy, simple, presence.
Good. Now, after all, you’re welcome to simply proceed doing that, and that could possibly be the entire meditation. Simply keep in open presence, uninvolved with any thought. However if you wish to do the meditation equal of dressage horse coaching, we’re going to undergo some dressage horse coaching, some circus pony stuff, so let’s attempt that now. So, from this place of open awakeness, start to note the rising and falling of the breath—as for those who’re going to do meditation on the breath, sensations within the physique—however, once more, from a really open place, not tightly targeted on anybody spot, however simply from openness feeling the breath, like we regularly do. Vast open, awake house is simply noticing this physique sensation of respiratory as if it’s the wind transferring within the sky. Disengage from any considering. Pondering is welcome to occur, we’re simply not partaking.
Good. Now, I’m going to ask you a query, and also you’re not allowed to reply the query by selecting up your thoughts and utilizing it to suppose. You must simply search for the reply. It’s the sort of query the place, if I stated, do you see an oak tree over there? You simply look, and both see it or not. You don’t suppose an excessive amount of about it. So, that is that sort of query, the sort of query the place you simply look, or simply really feel, or no matter. So, right here’s the query, what’s noticing the breath? Similar to you’d go searching for one thing, go searching, or really feel round, or conscious round, or no matter. Discover what’s noticing the breath.
In the event you begin making an attempt to determine it out and give it some thought, simply put that outdated considering factor again down, and simply come again to wanting. What’s noticing this rising and falling breath in all this awake house? In the event you’re significantly intelligent, and also you decide up your thoughts—you’re not supposed to do that—however for those who decide up your thoughts, you would possibly go, properly, I do know Michael says, or individuals say, you’re not capable of finding it, so I simply know I’m not capable of finding it. I’ll simply return to respiratory. No. You’ve bought to maintain wanting and never discovering. It’s not the sort of factor that it helps very a lot to know as an thought. You’ve simply bought to expertise, many times and once more, that you would be able to’t actually discover it.
What’s it that’s noticing this breath? In the event you can, do it when you’re constantly noticing the breath, so it’s like, what’s it that’s conscious of that? Can you discover it? A lot of the solutions that folks will give come from the little considering field—like, me, or my mind, or one thing like that. That’s that’s an thought. You’ve bought to seek out it in expertise, not an thought.
Good. Now, let go of that one, and are available into merely feeling emotional sensations in your physique. In the event you’re not having any emotional sensations, then simply really feel common sensations. However, for many of us, there might be some hint of one thing in there—some taste of pleasure, concern, disappointment, anger, disgust, love, satisfaction, disgrace, embarrassment, and so on., some little taste of a few of these. So you discover these flavors in your physique sensations—once more, not interested by them—however simply feeling them within the physique. Feeling them within the meat, so to talk, the assorted flavors of expertise within the physique that come about from feelings. We’re doing the identical factor we had been doing with the breath—there’s this huge, broad open, wakeful house, and there are these actions of emotional sensations inside that. Now, once more, for those who’re not having any feelings in any respect—that’s impossible, nevertheless it’s potential—then you definately simply really feel common sensations transferring via consciousness—like respiratory or the sensation of the air in your pores and skin, or the sensation of your backbone—no matter sensations come up. Simply discover these transferring via awake house. Fairly often there’s only a bunch of little tiny, low-grade feelings taking place—perhaps very transient, perhaps very background-y feelings.
It’s a really highly effective meditation to simply sit with what your emotional physique sensations are. In the event you did an hour of {that a} day, it could change your life inside a month, like endlessly. It’s actually highly effective to take a seat with what you’re feeling, not making an attempt to vary it, simply being with it. Not making an attempt to determine it out, both. No concepts about it—bear in mind, the field of thought is put aside—we’re simply feeling now. You’ll be able to hold doing that, after all, however I promised circus pony coaching.
So, now, what’s conscious of these emotional sensations? Look. What’s it that’s feeling them? What’s it that is aware of it’s feeling them? Don’t attempt to determine it out, simply attempt to discover it—Look. Look. What feels the feelings? What’s conscious of the emotional sensations? Discover it. Maintain wanting, and once more, each time you suppose you’re figuring it out, cease doing that. Come again to feeling and looking.
It’s an attention-grabbing factor. Discover that you already know the feelings are being felt. One thing is conscious of the feelings. So, it’s not like there’s no consciousness there, however you additionally can not discover precisely what it’s. In the event you suppose you’ve pinpointed it, then attempt to discover what’s pinpointed it.
Superb. Now, you possibly can follow that, if you need. Or, as broad open, wakeful house, hearken to the sounds of the world round you. Discover that this boundaryless, openness—this boundaryless, awake, openness, experiences a sound merely passing via. Virtually as if it’s utterly clear, and sound simply strikes via with none impedance of any form—and there’s plenty of sound. No second of sound is identical, it’s constantly altering. So simply tune into that. Enable awake house to concentrate on the soundscape.
Bear in mind to not interact with thought, simply be awakeness, listening in easy presence. Vast open awake house listening, or we might even say, merely listening to. After which, you guessed it, now ask your self, What hears? What’s it that hears? As typical, don’t attain for the bag of potato chips. Don’t attain for the considering thoughts—that ordinary factor. Simply look. What’s listening? What’s listening to? What’s awake to sound? Discover it. Discover what’s listening to. Clearly, listening to is occurring, so one thing’s listening to, however once you attempt to discover it, it’s oddly elusive. What’s it that hears, that’s conscious of sound? Can you discover it? Maintain wanting.
Good. Once more, you possibly can hold working with that if you want. In any other case, open your eyes, and you’ll both have a look at the bottom in entrance of you, or the entire room directly, or no matter, do that with a delicate gaze. So that you’re not arduous watching something, your eyes are relaxed awake house, conscious of sight. On this case, it helps to concentrate on sight in type of a colors-and-shapes-and-highlights-and-shadows-and-textures sort of means, quite than actually tuning into objects. Extra like tuning into patterns of sunshine. So, as a substitute of your eyes reaching out and grabbing stuff, you’re letting all of the sight, sort of paint itself on the again of the cave of your cranium. It’s only a feeling—so, wakeful, broad openness, conscious of imaginative and prescient.
Then once more, What’s conscious of sight? What is aware of sight? Discover it. Don’t give it some thought, don’t determine it out. Search for what’s seeing. Discover the seer. Isn’t it that you would be able to’t—regardless that seeing is occurring, you possibly can’t discover a seer. Maintain wanting and searching. It’s not sufficient to listen to me say that you would be able to’t discover one, as a result of that’s simply an thought. You’ve gotta look till you actually discover you possibly can’t really discover one.
Good. Be at liberty to shut your eyes once more, if you need, or to depart them open, if you want. And, you are able to do any of these ones we’ve been working with, however now we’ll do one thing a bit of tougher. Enable your self to note what’s taking place in thought—not partaking with it—however conscious of it. Conscious of the thought exercise. See for those who could be broad open house, awake to this thought exercise that’s simply occurring—blah blah blah—however not engaged in it. That’s a bit of bit tougher. If you are able to do it efficiently, sit as open house, with simply this stream of unfixed thought sensation passing via consciousness, like wind within the sky. That’s a really good meditation.
Good. Now, ask your self, what’s conscious of thought? What is aware of thought?—After which, look. Look comprehensively. Attempt to discover what is aware of thought. It’s attention-grabbing, that for those who’re actually searching for what is aware of thought, it’s very arduous for any ideas to come up. It’s sort of fascinating. If you end up caught up in thought, the minute you discover, attempt to discover what it’s that is aware of thought—and simply hold wanting. Each thought that arises, what’s it that is aware of that thought? What’s it that is aware of that subsequent thought? Discover it. What is aware of that subsequent thought? Discover it.
Good. Now, do it suddenly. What is aware of expertise—any expertise–considering, respiratory, feelings, physique sensations, sounds, sights—all of it. What is aware of? What’s having this expertise proper now? Attempt to discover it. If you wish to, you possibly can even do a complete physique scan. Look in each spot in your physique, from the highest of your head, suggestions of ears, suggestions of your fingers, suggestions of your toes. Each spot, each joint, each muscle, each bone, each organ. Discover what is aware of. Discover what’s experiencing, what’s conscious of this? What even is that this proper now? Look.
Even higher, search for what’s even doing it. What’s wanting? What’s looking for all these things? What’s doing the meditation? Discover the doer of this meditation. Someplace on this huge awake house, there’s some sense of doing occurring. What’s that? Discover it. What’s conscious of that doing?
Okay, so I hold speaking about being awake house. Can you discover awake house? Does it have a middle or a boundary? Is it a factor you possibly can find? In that case, what’s finding it? Maintain wanting—don’t give it some thought. Can you discover the middle of awake house? Can you discover the place awake house is coming from? What was the start of awake house? How lengthy has awake house been right here?
Superb. Now, let awake house chant the goddess Cundi Mantra, and ask, who’s chanting? What’s chanting? Can you discover the chanter?
Om, Goal, Hrim, Klim, Chamundaye, Vicce
Superb, we are able to finish the guided meditation there—or we might hold going—however let’s finish it there. Be at liberty to maintain doing the inquiry constantly, endlessly, for the remainder of your life. What’s really having this expertise proper now? Simply hold wanting. It’s a extremely attention-grabbing search, as a result of it retains pointing to one thing very particular. Clearly, you’re conscious of respiratory, that’s a simple factor to concentrate on—it’s not as for those who’re a rock or a bit of plastic, which presumably has no consciousness of respiratory in any respect. There’s consciousness of respiratory, however for those who search for what’s conscious, you possibly can’t discover it.
Did anybody discover what’s conscious of respiratory? Significantly, did anyone discover it? In the event you do, you already know, oh, there it’s. It’s like a factor in the course of my head, then simply attempt to discover the factor in the course of your head—and also you received’t have the ability to discover it, as a result of what’s taking a look at that? You by no means can find it. What’s conscious of the respiratory? So, that’s attention-grabbing. There’s consciousness of respiratory, clearly. There’s expertise of respiratory—that’s actually taking place. It’s not nothing, however you possibly can’t discover it.
In one other means, you possibly can’t discover what’s conscious of it. You’ll be able to’t discover to whom that have is occurring. So, it’s weirdly each an expertise, and sort of, not one on the identical time. It’s simply odd. Who’s on the heart of all expertise? You’ll be able to’t discover them. We checked out respiratory, we checked out feelings. Presumably, most of us really feel like our feelings are a reasonably essential factor about us. My emotions about this, my opinions about that, my emotions matter—and, after all, they do, and there’s an expertise of emotion there. It’s apparent, however what’s conscious of them? What’s it that’s having these feelings? That’s the humorous factor—you possibly can’t discover it. There’s all this expertise taking place, what’s it taking place to? And, once more, you can provide a psychological thought reply—it’s taking place in my physique, or my mind—however these are concepts. You’ll be able to’t discover it in your individual expertise, proper now.
Similar factor—we checked out ideas. Presumably, if, perhaps I’m not my feelings, however I’m positively my ideas, proper? That’s me, that’s considering that stuff, that dialogue, is who I’m. And so they’re taking place, proper? Verbal ideas, visible ideas—I’ve tons of visible ideas on a regular basis. Some individuals weigh extra verbal ideas, some individuals weigh extra visible thought, some individuals each. I’ve plenty of each taking place, and it’s like, what’s conscious of that? What’s having ideas? It’s simple to go, properly that’s your mind, however is it? I imply, can you’re feeling your mind having ideas? Your mind, in that means, is simply an thought.
So, right here’s all these ideas taking place, with nothing having them—no less than nothing you will discover. Similar factor with the sounds of the world round you. [Recording abruptly ends]
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