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Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Streamed reside on Feb 3, 2022
So once more, take away your glasses, get in your meditation posture, no matter that is perhaps. I’ve gone over the posture a number of occasions intimately just lately so I’ll simply say get in your meditation posture, no matter that is perhaps. Be certain that it feels good for you proper now.
And, the very first thing we’re going to do tonight is I need you to simply test in with your self. So, I need you to simply merely, nearly like, take stock or kind of like do a climate report in your being. How’s your bodily physique really feel? How’s your thoughts really feel? How do your feelings really feel? You already know, how’s – how’s the being doing? And the one factor I need you to ensure you make part of this stock is that you simply simply settle for no matter you discover, proper? So that you’re not judging stuff, you’re not attempting to vary it; make it go away, make it greater, or no matter. No matter you discover I need you to easily settle for it and simply, , tune in. That is the climate report on your self and once more, it’s not spoken. It’s not like it’s important to be commenting to your self about it. I’m simply utilizing the climate report metaphor. Simply tune in to the way you’re doing and I’ll be quiet for a minute whilst you do this. That is only a self check-in – hey, what’s it wish to be me proper now?
Good. Doesn’t must be an extended apply however it’s an essential apply. Simply, , be the place you’re at proper now, be with what’s happening and simply let that be okay. So, subsequent I wish to tune right into a metaphor, a meditation metaphor. And typically, as , typically we meditate like house and typically we meditate like water. Tonight we’re gonna do one which we don’t do that usually, which is we’re gonna meditate like hearth, okay?
So I need you to be hearth proper now, okay? You’re meditating like an enormous bonfire or perhaps a star, proper? Like an enormous nuclear hearth. However no matter type of hearth; a bonfire, a star. Some type of blaze of pure hearth, there’s not even – in contrast to a star – there’s not even any gas. That is simply pure hearth itself. And the, , after we meditate like a mountain we tune right into a type of groundedness and rootedness and stability. And after we meditate like house, we tune into that openness and vastness, proper? Within the type of totality of acceptance of house, the truth that house accepts all the things. However after we meditate like hearth it’s actually primarily about, there’s a few issues, however the huge factor is simply that all the things is constantly altering, proper? And that complete change, steady change is admittedly nice, proper? The fireplace is just not caught, it’s not mounted, it’s constantly shifting, okay? So discover that ideas are constantly shifting and altering, going out and in. The cycle of the breath is constantly shifting and altering, it’s going out and in. The sounds of the world round you’re constantly altering. In order that’s a facet of meditating like fires; the continual impermanence, the change, the circulation of all the things. After which one other facet of meditating like hearth is, hearth is taken into account to be tremendously pure, proper? It’s, you possibly can’t get a, it’s like the fireplace isn’t soiled, the fireplace isn’t contaminated. It’s completely pure, the fireplace is completely pure. So there’s a type of beautiful, stunning purity on this hearth, okay? So we’re not solely constantly altering second by second, all the things’s constantly in flux, constantly flowing. It’s – you possibly can’t step in the identical river twice type of transfer – however on the similar time there’s a type of perfection, a type of purity on this hearth.
So these are two predominant qualities. One other high quality of fireside that’s actually essential is that it’s energized, proper? It’s not sleepy, it’s not flat, it’s not unconscious in a roundabout way. Hearth is energized, it’s awake. There’s great vitality there; great vitality, great life pressure. So we really feel plenty of juice, plenty of vitality, plenty of Shakti, proper? Lots of energy within the sense of vitality. And that’s a extremely stunning high quality of this fireplace, is that there’s sufficient vitality for all the things, proper? It may be very awake.
And regardless that the fireplace itself is pure, a fourth high quality is that in a method it burns away all impurity, burns away, eliminates all dross. And this particular type of hearth that we’re meditating as – has no the rest. When it burns one thing there’s no smoke, when it burns one thing there’s no ash. It simply is gone; completely, completely gone. In order that’s why the fireplace itself is so pure. So I need you to simply sit as a hearth for a couple of minutes right here, along with me.
So we’re tuning into the fireplace high quality, the fire-type meditation, proper? And so we’re tuning into this impermanence, this steady circulation and alter. We’re tuning into the purity and the truth that it could burn away all impurity. And we’re tuning into simply the pure vitality degree, the great vitality that’s accessible; the wakefulness of fireside.
After which I wish to add one other component as a result of, after all – or it’s nonetheless the component of fireside – however one other property of fireside, which is that, , that is only a metaphor for our personal awakeness, proper? Our personal awake consciousness, our personal rigpa, proper? Our personal naturally occurring, woke up thoughts, our personal Buddhahood. So let this fireplace that we’re meditating on – or meditating as, somewhat – be tremendously stunning and tremendously loving and simply infinitely highly effective. And simply really feel that stunning, highly effective, infinite ever-changing, completely pure and extremely energized hearth that you’re simply effortlessly burning, effortlessly burning.
Okay? Good. Now from right here we’re going to do one thing comparatively easy and but very profound. For the remainder of the guided meditation tonight I’m simply gonna, I need you to simply relaxation as open consciousness, altering nothing in any respect, okay? So we’re letting go of the fireplace metaphor, you don’t have to visualise that anymore in any respect. I need you to simply relaxation as open consciousness. We are able to say for now that the open consciousness is centered, in quotes, centered in your head. However, it’s simply effortlessly and spontaneously all the way in which extensive open. Tremendously huge with out you doing something to make it huge. Tremendously open with out you doing something to maintain it open, it simply is that method. And, as normal, if you end up gripping, grabbing, tensing up round something – simply discover that, let go, come again to simply being effortlessly extensive open, okay?
So we’re doing the dropping the ball apply though with a slight variation the place we’re imagining, and it’s simply creativeness – consciousness isn’t really centered wherever – however for now we’re imagining just a bit bit that it’s centered in our head. However, something that comes up, for those who begin getting concerned in a discursive thought, you’re following a prepare of thought, simply let go of that. Come again to simply resting as open consciousness. In the event you begin following a physique sensation just like the breath or no matter, yeah that’s okay, simply let it go. Come again to simply resting as open consciousness. Let’s do that collectively for some time right here.
If there’s any thought that you simply’re doing it improper and also you wish to attempt to do it higher, simply let go of that. If there’s any thought that you simply assume you ought to be doing one thing, simply drop that. Simply drop it. If there’s any thought that you simply don’t get it, simply drop the thought. As we’re resting within the thoughts right here, any considered any type that’s welcome to come back and go, however don’t entertain them in any respect. We’re simply completely dropping engagement with any thought. We’re not stopping pondering as a result of that may be a type of ‘grabbing up’, however neither are we participating with any of the ideas; they’re simply taking place, identical to respiration, identical to digesting. We’re not getting concerned, we’re simply dropping.
And for those who discover any destructive self-talk, “I’m doing it improper, I’m not good at this,” or something like that, “I’ve tried this for thus lengthy and that i can’t do it.” Simply drop all of that, proper? Once more, dropping on this case doesn’t imply eliminating, it simply means don’t interact. Reasonably relaxation as huge, spacious consciousness with out engagement with something.
Okay? Good, now we’ll make a change right here. We’re nonetheless going to relaxation as huge, spacious consciousness; effortlessly huge, effortlessly spacious, effortlessly conscious. However I need you to think about now that as a substitute of being centered within the head it’s centered within the coronary heart. Not on the entrance of your chest, however deep inside your coronary heart and truly off to the place you’re feeling, , that deep, deep sense of – let’s say your emotional heart. And so, the attention now’s coming from this, the emotional heart in your chest. And, though we’re nonetheless letting go of and never participating with ideas, I need you now to be just a bit bit extra conscious of letting go of and interesting, not participating with, any emotional content material. So once more, feelings are 100 per cent allowed to be there, we’re simply not notably digging into them, avoiding them, attempting to push them away or with different feelings attempting to get them, or savor them, or no matter. We’re merely permitting the emotional stream to do no matter it desires, with out us participating in any method. We’re coming again again and again to simply huge, spacious consciousness, centered within the coronary heart. So each time you end up getting engaged in any method, simply chill out and are available again to the current second of huge, spacious consciousness centered within the coronary heart. Really feel how good that feels.
So, on this huge, spacious sky of consciousness that’s centered within the coronary heart, feelings might come up within the consciousness, they might cross via the sky of consciousness and consciousness is okay with that. There’s complete freedom of emotion. Any emotion can come up on this huge, open sky of consciousness and do its factor after which cross away, and but the huge sky of consciousness is just not paying any consideration in any respect, particular consideration in any respect, to these feelings; it simply is resting in itself. It’s not engaged or being with, in a selected method, targeted by the feelings in any respect. It’s simply completely merely resting in itself, accepting all feelings. There’s no good feelings or dangerous feelings; there’s nothing to vary concerning the feelings. All feelings are nice. We’re simply resting as huge, spacious consciousness, unengaged, uninvolved with emotion.
Okay? Good. Now persevering with to relaxation as huge, spacious consciousness, effortlessly and constantly. Let’s transfer the felt heart of this consciousness – after all there isn’t any heart – however let’s transfer the imagined heart down into our stomach. So, slightly bit beneath your stomach button and deep inside, there’s a spot in there that feels type of specific, it feels type of particular. And, however , it’s slightly below your navel in the midst of your physique. And now the attention is coming from there, it’s coming from the soma. It’s 100 per cent embodied consciousness and now, not solely ideas are arising on this huge, spacious consciousness – and we’re not participating them – and feelings are arising on this huge, spacious consciousness – and we’re not participating them. However now additionally, all physique sensation; even the whole thing of the sense of the bodily physique is an look in consciousness. It’s not the attention is coming from the physique, it’s that the sensation of the physique is arising in consciousness. And we enable these emotions to come up, they is perhaps painful, they is perhaps nice, however we fully enable them to come up and do their factor and finally cross away or change. However we’re not participating with them in any method, we’re not meditating on the physique in any method. We’re merely resting our consciousness in its personal huge, spaciousness with out doing something with it in any respect. But when it begins to get entangled in physique sensation or thought or emotion; we stated we drop these and are available again to simply resting as huge, spacious consciousness centered within the stomach.
Discover how consciousness centered within the physique is excellent at dropping the ball, proper? We simply, the huge, spacious consciousness, simply permitting the physique, to the sensations of the physique, to come up and fall. Ideas to come up and fall, emotions to come up and fall, however unengaged with any of them. It’s excellent at this, proper? The centered within the stomach is sort of good at non-conceptuality, so let’s proceed with this.
Good. So we’ve rested as huge, spacious consciousness centered within the head, centered within the coronary heart and centered within the stomach. However every time I’ve stated it’s not likely centered wherever, so let’s embrace that now and let go fully of any sense of consciousness being centered wherever. It’s merely current consciousness, itself is the middle. Consciousness itself is the furthest rim, proper? The furthest edge. Consciousness itself is all the things in between. Consciousness has no heart, no edge and no center, proper? It’s simply what all the things else is arising in, so simply let consciousness pay attention to itself. Permit consciousness to pay attention to itself. That’s what is definitely resting in huge, spacious consciousness. Now spacious consciousness is resting in huge, spacious consciousness. And let anything that come up, arises simply be let go of instantly; simply not even seize all the way down to within the first place. Consciousness exhibiting itself to itself, consciousness conscious of itself, by itself. Consciousness effortlessly huge, effortlessly spacious, effortlessly with none boundary of any type. Conscious of itself, resting in itself, awake.
Nothing to vary, nothing to do, nothing to defend; all the things simply as it’s proper now.
Good. Now I’d such as you to simply discover a sensation of pleasure within the heart-center and permit that pleasure to radiate out to all beings in all places on the earth, all beings in all places within the universe, all beings in all places within the multiverse. And the identical factor with the sensation of affection radiating out to all beings in all places. Since consciousness is boundless it stretches to all multiverses, or each universe within the multiverse. All is inside consciousness, so we really feel this pleasure radiating out to all beings in all places. We really feel love radiating out to all beings in all places. We really feel this can be a optimistic sense of energy, a optimistic sense of vitality. That fiery energy that’s so energizing and life-affirming, radiating out to all beings in all places. Bringing all beings love, bringing all beings pleasure, bringing all beings well being and well-being. Radiating out, spreading in all places, beaming in all instructions. Okay? Good. Very, excellent. Now let’s deliver the meditation to a detailed.
Dharma Speak
So, though, after all consciousness stays huge and spacious all the time, there’s nothing completely different within the meditation that makes consciousness huge and spacious. So we’re simply letting go of the meditation posture and starting to do different issues and but discover that consciousness stays huge and spacious it doesn’t matter what.
So stretch your physique, transfer your physique and shake out your physique, no matter feels good. And have a drink of water or no matter as we finish the meditation course of and as a substitute change to Q&A. So, if in case you have any questions this night go forward and toss these within the chat window. I’ve received my particular ‘query studying’ glasses on, which mainly edit all of the questions. These glasses have an influence to edit all of the questions simply all the way down to their essence immediately, and I simply learn the belongings after which attempt to reply that. It is a Q&A so, , reside dharma Q&A. So I’m simply not doing something besides answering the questions mainly as greatest as I can. As greatest I can, or as I typically say, I’m simply parading my ignorance on the web. Creating my ignorance in recorded movies so individuals can see it forever! So, these aren’t essentially someway the fitting solutions, though they’re, to the very best of my means, the proper reply. However, they’re my solutions, so do my greatest. You, your mileage might differ, so if in case you have any questions or feedback please go forward and put that within the chat window.
Now, the essence of what we’re doing here’s a shamatha with out an object, proper? So, in shamatha with out an object we’re, we’re stabilizing consciousness. However as a substitute of stabilizing consciousness on an object just like the breath, or like a mantra, or possibly simply common physique sensations exterior of the breath, or possibly exterior sound. There’s all types of issues after we’re meditating that we relaxation consciousness on as a way to kind of impart or borrow the obvious stability of the item, proper? That’s what we’re doing after we do shamatha with an object. However after we do shamatha with out an object there isn’t any object to borrow obvious stability from, proper? There’s no object to borrow a way of a spot to focus from. Now, after all, our objects aren’t really steady in order that’s why I maintain saying ‘obvious stability’. However they’ll appear fairly steady in comparison with, let’s say, the, , wanderings of thought. So, in comparison with my thoughts leaping throughout to the previous, sooner or later and out and in of issues – simply watching a pen like this; ‘pen’ doesn’t appear to be altering very a lot till we glance very, very deeply. However, till that time which requires stability, the pen goes to appear comparatively steady and so we borrow a few of that stability after we do shamatha with an object. However we didn’t do any shamatha with an object this time, we did shamatha with out an object.
So, what does that imply? It means, I imply, I’ll state it incorrectly, however it will get you want 90 per cent of the way in which there. It means the main focus object is consciousness itself. Now that’s not true since you’re not focusing and consciousness isn’t an object. In order that’s why that assertion is deeply false and on the similar time you get the concept, which is consciousness is resting in itself. Consciousness is conscious of consciousness itself. And, that really is tremendously extra steady than any object that’s arising in consciousness, which is all the time, it doesn’t matter what, going to be inherently unstable. However consciousness itself – fairly steady. It won’t be infinitely steady, we will speak about its impermanence or its vacancy relying on custom and our personal expertise. However, on the whole, in comparison with every other object that’s arising in consciousness, consciousness itself could be very, very steady.
So, in a method of speaking about shamatha with out an object, like we simply did – dropping the ball apply – like we simply did. As an alternative of hanging out with objects; ideas are objects in consciousness, emotions are objects in consciousness, the physique is an object arising in consciousness. As an alternative of getting concerned with all that, we’re simply type of letting that stuff be and letting consciousness simply be conscious of itself, proper? And relaxation in itself. And that may be a actually, actually highly effective apply. In the event you can’t do it, it simply means you haven’t received the grasp of it but. Then as a substitute, do consciousness, , do shamatha with an object. Then, meditate in your respiration rhythm or meditate on a pen, , simply set it on the desk in entrance of you and frivolously stare upon it, and so forth. As a result of these apparently steady objects will assist to type of settle issues down within the thoughts till you possibly can simply let go of all that psychological kerfluffle and the emotional kerfluffle and all of the issues – and simply discover the attention that’s the foundation of all of them, proper? It’s the factor that’s doing all noticing anyway.
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