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 instances intimately not too long ago so I’ll simply say get in your meditation posture, no matter that is perhaps. Make sure that it feels good for you proper now.
And, the very first thing we’re going to do tonight is I would like you to only verify in with your self. So, I would like you to only merely, nearly like, take stock or type 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 would like 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 making an attempt to alter it; make it go away, make it greater, or no matter. No matter you discover I would like you to easily settle for it and simply, you realize, tune in. That is the climate report on your self and once more, it’s not spoken. It’s not like you need 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 when you do this. That is only a self check-in – hey, what’s it wish to be me proper now?
Good. Doesn’t need to be an extended observe nevertheless it’s an vital observe. Simply, you realize, be the place you’re at proper now, be with what’s happening and simply let that be okay. So, subsequent I need to tune right into a metaphor, a meditation metaphor. And typically, as you realize, typically we meditate like house and typically we meditate like water. Tonight we’re gonna do one which we don’t do that always, which is we’re gonna meditate like fireplace, okay?
So I would like you to be fireplace proper now, okay? You’re meditating like an enormous bonfire or perhaps a star, proper? Like an enormous nuclear fireplace. However no matter sort of fireplace; a bonfire, a star. Some sort of blaze of pure fireplace, there’s not even – not like a star – there’s not even any gas. That is simply pure fireplace itself. And the, you realize, after we meditate like a mountain we tune right into a sort of groundedness and rootedness and stability. And after we meditate like house, we tune into that openness and vastness, proper? Within the sort of totality of acceptance of house, the truth that house accepts every part. However after we meditate like fireplace it’s actually primarily about, there’s a few issues, however the large factor is simply that every part is repeatedly altering, proper? And that whole change, steady change is admittedly nice, proper? The fireplace just isn’t caught, it’s not fastened, it’s repeatedly shifting, okay? So discover that ideas are repeatedly shifting and altering, going out and in. The cycle of the breath is repeatedly shifting and altering, it’s going out and in. The sounds of the world round you might be repeatedly altering. In order that’s a facet of meditating like fires; the continual impermanence, the change, the circulation of every part. After which one other side of meditating like fireplace is, fireplace is taken into account to be tremendously pure, proper? It’s, you may’t get a, it’s like the hearth isn’t soiled, the hearth isn’t contaminated. It’s completely pure, the hearth is completely pure. So there’s a sort of beautiful, stunning purity on this fireplace, okay? So we’re not solely repeatedly altering second by second, every part’s repeatedly in flux, repeatedly flowing. It’s – you may’t step in the identical river twice sort of transfer – however on the identical time there’s a sort of perfection, a sort of purity on this fireplace.
So these are two fundamental qualities. One other high quality of fireplace that’s actually vital is that it’s energized, proper? It’s not sleepy, it’s not flat, it’s not unconscious not directly. Fireplace is energized, it’s awake. There’s super vitality there; super vitality, super life pressure. So we really feel a variety of juice, a variety of vitality, a variety of Shakti, proper? Quite a lot of energy within the sense of vitality. And that’s a very stunning high quality of this hearth, is that there’s sufficient vitality for every part, proper? It may be very conscious.
And regardless that the hearth itself is pure, a fourth high quality is that in a approach it burns away all impurity, burns away, eliminates all dross. And this particular sort of fireplace 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 hearth itself is so pure. So I would like you to only sit as a fireplace for a couple of minutes right here, along with me.
So we’re tuning into the hearth 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 may burn away all impurity. And we’re tuning into simply the pure vitality stage, the super vitality that’s out there; the wakefulness of fireplace.
After which I need to add one other aspect as a result of, after all – or it’s nonetheless the aspect of fireplace – however one other property of fireplace, which is that, you realize, 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 hearth 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 fireplace 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 would like you to only relaxation as open consciousness, altering nothing in any respect, okay? So we’re letting go of the hearth metaphor, you don’t have to visualise that anymore in any respect. I would like you to only relaxation as open consciousness. We will 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 huge 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 approach. And, as ordinary, if you end up gripping, grabbing, tensing up round something – simply discover that, let go, come again to only being effortlessly huge open, okay?
So we’re doing the dropping the ball observe 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, in the event you begin getting concerned in a discursive thought, you realize you’re following a prepare of thought, simply let go of that. Come again to only resting as open consciousness. Should you begin following a physique sensation just like the breath or no matter, yeah that’s okay, simply let it go. Come again to only 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 incorrect and also you need to attempt to do it higher, simply let go of that. If there’s any thought that you simply suppose 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 form 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 sort of ‘grabbing up’, however neither are we participating with any of the ideas; they’re simply occurring, identical to respiration, identical to digesting. We’re not getting concerned, we’re simply dropping.
And in the event you discover any detrimental self-talk, “I’m doing it incorrect, 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. Relatively 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 would like you to think about now that as an alternative 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 really off to the place you are feeling, you realize, that deep, deep sense of – let’s say your emotional heart. And so, the notice now could be coming from this, the emotional heart in your chest. And, though we’re nonetheless letting go of and never participating with ideas, I would like you now to be just a bit bit extra conscious of letting go of and fascinating, not participating with, any emotional content material. So once more, feelings are 100 per cent allowed to be there, we’re simply not significantly digging into them, avoiding them, making an attempt to push them away or with different feelings making an attempt 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 approach. We’re coming again over and over to only huge, spacious consciousness, centered within the coronary heart. So each time you end up getting engaged in any approach, 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 could come up within the consciousness, they might go by means of the sky of consciousness and consciousness is ok with that. There’s whole freedom of emotion. Any emotion can come up on this huge, open sky of consciousness and do its factor after which go away, and but the huge sky of consciousness just isn’t 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 particular approach, 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 alter concerning the feelings. All feelings are superb. 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 repeatedly. 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, somewhat bit beneath your stomach button and deep inside, there’s a spot in there that feels sort of explicit, it feels sort of particular. And, however you realize, it’s slightly below your navel in the midst of your physique. And now the notice 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 everything of the sense of the bodily physique is an look in consciousness. It’s not the notice 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 go away or change. However we’re not participating with them in any approach, we’re not meditating on the physique in any approach. 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 only resting as huge, spacious consciousness centered within the stomach.
Discover how consciousness centered within the physique is superb 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 probably not 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 every part in between. Consciousness has no heart, no edge and no center, proper? It’s simply what every part else is arising in, so simply let consciousness concentrate on itself. Enable 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 form. Conscious of itself, resting in itself, conscious.
Nothing to alter, nothing to do, nothing to defend; every part simply as it’s proper now.
Good. Now I’d such as you to only discover a sensation of pleasure within the heart-center and permit that pleasure to radiate out to all beings all over the place on this planet, all beings all over the place within the universe, all beings all over the place within the multiverse. And the identical factor with the sensation of affection radiating out to all beings all over the place. 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 all over the place. We really feel love radiating out to all beings all over the place. We really feel this can be a constructive sense of energy, a constructive sense of vitality. That fiery energy that’s so energizing and life-affirming, radiating out to all beings all over the place. Bringing all beings love, bringing all beings pleasure, bringing all beings well being and well-being. Radiating out, spreading all over the place, beaming in all instructions. Okay? Good. Very, excellent. Now let’s carry the meditation to an in depth.
Dharma Discuss
So, though, after all consciousness stays huge and spacious at all times, there’s nothing totally 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 an alternative change to Q&A. So, when you’ve got any questions this night go forward and toss these within the chat window. I’ve received my particular ‘query studying’ glasses on, which principally 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, you realize, reside dharma Q&A. So I’m simply not doing something besides answering the questions principally 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 folks can see it all the time! So, these usually are not essentially someway the fitting solutions, though they’re, to one of the best of my potential, the proper reply. However, they’re my solutions, so do my greatest. You, your mileage could fluctuate, so when you’ve got 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 an alternative of stabilizing consciousness on an object just like the breath, or like a mantra, or perhaps simply common physique sensations exterior of the breath, or perhaps exterior sound. There’s all types of issues after we’re meditating that we relaxation consciousness on as a way to type 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 hold saying ‘obvious stability’. However they’ll appear fairly steady in comparison with, let’s say, the, you realize, 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 look 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, nevertheless 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 identical time you get the concept, which is consciousness is resting in itself. Consciousness is conscious of consciousness itself. And, that truly is tremendously extra steady than any object that’s arising in consciousness, which is at all times, it doesn’t matter what, going to be inherently unstable. However consciousness itself – fairly steady. It won’t be infinitely steady, we will discuss its impermanence or its vacancy relying on custom and our personal expertise. However, basically, in comparison with some 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 observe – like we simply did. As a substitute of hanging out with objects; ideas are objects in consciousness, emotions are objects in consciousness, the physique is an object arising in consciousness. As a substitute of getting concerned with all that, we’re simply sort of letting that stuff be and letting consciousness simply be conscious of itself, proper? And relaxation in itself. And that could be a actually, actually highly effective observe. Should you can’t do it, it simply means you haven’t received the grasp of it but. Then as an alternative, do consciousness, you realize, do shamatha with an object. Then, meditate in your respiration rhythm or meditate on a pen, you realize, simply set it on the desk in entrance of you and evenly stare upon it, and so forth. As a result of these apparently steady objects will assist to sort of settle issues down within the thoughts till you may simply let go of all that psychological kerfluffle and the emotional kerfluffle and all of the issues – and simply discover the notice that’s the foundation of all of them, proper? It’s the factor that’s doing all noticing anyway.
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