Streamed reside on Sep 21, 2023
Nondual Meditation
Let’s start, as normal, by simply settling in and asking your self the query, what’s it wish to be me proper now? After which wanting. Checking in with your self, What’s it wish to be me proper now? Mainly, simply take your personal climate report, how are your ideas, how are your feelings, how’s your physique really feel, how’s stuff going, after which crucial half right here, apart from simply checking, is to fully settle for nevertheless it feels to be you proper now. No matter’s happening, whether or not it’s constructive or unfavourable, or some jumbled chaos in between these two issues, or actually enjoyable, or actually not enjoyable, or tremendous complicated, or perhaps somebody’s having a lower diamond readability second, who is aware of. No matter it’s like in there, simply let or not it’s that method, and resign, for now at the least, at the least for the time of this meditation, simply resign the type of elementary self-aggression that you could change it. As a substitute, let’s take the alternative stance: self-compassion. Nevertheless it’s, it’s precisely wonderful, precisely good, for now. Okay so, let’s simply sit with that for a couple of minutes.
Excellent. Now, simply entry no matter already current openness yow will discover. We’d name it openness of the sky, however a way of spaciousness, readability, freedom, openness. Simply no matter is already there, you don’t should make openness occur, simply no matter feels open, simply come from that place. Come from the place of openness. Actually tune into that, and from the very starting, let’s simply drop into no matter openness we may be with.
From there, let’s do some delicate pranayama. We’ll do some alternate nostril respiratory. If you know the way to try this, simply start. when you don’t know the way to do it, then I’ll present you. You’re going to start by closing your proper nostril along with your proper thumb, breathe in by means of your left nostril, and breathe out by means of the precise nostril whereas closing the left. Then, breathe in by means of that proper nostril, shut it off, breathe out by means of the left. So that you’re simply switching sides–breathe in a single, aspect breathe out the opposite. Shouldn’t be that audible. We’re not making an attempt to breathe onerous, we’re simply respiratory usually, however switching sides every time.
If you wish to, you are able to do a mantra with this: On the in-breath you’ll say “soham.”
You possibly can repeat it, soham, soham, soham , or simply soham, after which on the out-breath, hansa. So simply to make it clear, soham, there’s no third individual definition in Sanskrit, in order that could possibly be: I’m she, I’m he, or I’m it, which means on this case which means the last word consciousness. Then hansa is the reverse: he, she, it, is me. So we’re simply figuring out with the last word consciousness precept, with this mantra, a really very historical mantra. So on the in-breath soham soham, silently, in fact.
Let’s simply meditate on that for like 5 minutes, doing the alternate nostril respiratory, simply if it’s okay. Your arm may get drained. We’re not going to do it eternally, so simply preserve going and see how the alternate nostril respiratory, as a result of it’s bilateral by hemispheric stimulation, it actually begins to manage the system. That is actually, actually good, supposedly anyway, for vagus nerve stuff. It’s a vagal regulator, and also will begin that will help you to loosen up rather more deeply, whereas on the identical time remaining fairly alert.
We all the time wish to combine our leisure with alertness. More often than not individuals both get too alert, after which–there’s no such factor as too alert–however they get alert by means of rigidity, so that they’re alert however actually anxious. Otherwise you get so relaxed that you simply type of begin falling asleep, you lose all of the alertness. So, what we would like, is that this tough combination of actually, actually deeply relaxed, whereas on the identical time, fairly alert, fairly awake, and so this alternate nostril respiratory is designed that will help you get into that place, and doing it with the mantra makes it even stronger.
In the event you’re used to a number of the extra superior yogic bells and whistles that may go together with this, and you are feeling like doing these wonderful. Classically, the best way I used to be educated, you closed the precise nostril along with your proper thumb and the left nostril with the 2 center fingers. Different traditions do it in numerous methods, however that’s how I realized it. Attempt to sit up fairly straight when you do that. It’s crucial for the respiratory that you simply’re not slumped over, thanks.
Good. So, finish on a left nostril exhale, since we started on the left nostril inhale, after which merely tune in once more to how that feels. Tune into that sense of grounding stabilization, but additionally, the brightness, how the thoughts will get fairly a bit brighter after we do this. Moreover, there’s usually a way of actual pleasantness within the physique, or at the least the dimensions has moved, the balances have tipped, extra in favor of pleasantness.
So now, from the place of being this broad open sky of consciousness, this sense of actual openness that we’ve now type of enlivened with our pranayama, simply sit, and permit the wave of the breath to rise and fall. The wind of the breath, to rise and fall within the sky, the broad open sky of the minds. That is very, very, relaxed, very open, very mild. Not drilling down with our focus, and we’re not making an attempt to hammer our consideration onto some extent, we’re simply staying broad open, actually relaxed, actually comfy, feeling that regulated, relaxed alertness. Merely conscious of the breath wave rising and falling, rising and falling within the sky of the thoughts.
Let’s do this collectively now, and if you wish to work with it slightly bit extra on the in-breath you possibly can discover consciousness simply getting clearer and brighter, and on the out-breath, actually letting go of rigidity, letting go of tightness. Coming into extra openness on the in-breath, brightening, clarifying; on the out-breath, openness and leisure. So once more we’re type of balancing, we’re discovering the Goldilocks zone, we’re threading the needle between deep leisure and shiny clear broad awakeness. Merely sitting with broad awakeness, we’re not getting sleepy, we’re not getting drowsy. In case you are, be sure to sit up, open your eyes, come again to awakeness, it’s necessary to not drift off into dullness. Sitting with this awake, broad openness, simply staying with consciousness of the breath rising and falling, with out significantly concentrating on it, however simply consciousness of it. Permitting that in-breath to brighten the sense of readability and wakefulness, and the out-breath to will let you let go much more, drop much more weight, much more armoring, much more tightness, and discover pleasantness, openness, launch.
You possibly can now really feel into that breath extra with much more subtlety and sensitivity. Really feel, what we’d name, contained in the breath, deep throughout the breath, and see that the breath is powered by a type of wave of vitality. Moderately than the breath itself, see when you can really feel, and also you won’t be capable to, however see when you can start to note the vitality behind the breath. It’s very refined, however very highly effective, clean, wave of vitality that rises up and down within the physique and causes the lungs and muscle tissue and rib cage and blood vessels and so forth to maneuver with the in- and out- breath.
See if yow will discover that refined vitality behind the respiratory, that refined vitality behind the respiratory shall be shifting up and down within the core of the physique, however chances are you’ll discover you are feeling it additionally within the extremities, or on the pores and skin, or no matter, however type of the core of it’s within the core. It’s proper within the middle shifting up and down the central channel. As you are feeling that refined vitality shifting the breath, discover you may begin feeling it and also you may begin feeling type of emanations from that vitality, feeling your extremities lighting up with some tingling, some vitality. Your arms and toes lighting up, perhaps even your forearms and infrequently additionally lips and face. It’s no massive deal, simply really feel all that vitality within the physique and see that it is vitally nice, very very, maybe refined, and infrequently fairly nice vitality sensation. As we proceed to only enable the breath to rise and fall within the sky of consciousness, the broad open, simple, relaxed, easy sky of clear wakefulness that’s all the time current, that has all the time been current.
In the event you’re pretty delicate, chances are you’ll really feel vitality sensations all all through the physique because the breath rises and falls, very nice buzzy tingliness all all through your entire physique. Journey these waves, simply let the attention journey on these waves. It feels good, it’s very relaxed, you’re not doing something. It’s doing itself, however you possibly can start to actually tune into a way, a a lot deeper sense, a bone-deep sense of ease beginning to come into the physique. A bone-deep sense of actual openness, actual letting go, feeling free, and on the identical time, no muddiness, no slipping away into unconsciousness. That is shiny, that is clear, that is nice, pleasantly awake, awake.
Now, discover as you are feeling the physique like this, the physique will not be a static object. It’s not a pile of bones and meat and blood that’s simply sitting there. Each a part of it’s vibrating, each a part of it’s wave-like, each a part of it’s energetic. Each a part of it’s shifting and altering, each cubic millimeter of the physique is liquid, is alive, is awake, and is supple with vitality. It’s alive.
In the event you’re feeling drowsy, sit up, sit up, with the highest of your head going in direction of the ceiling, perhaps eyes broad open, get some vitality again into the system so that you’re not simply spilling over the sting into darkness. Again and again, staying awake, within the shiny clear sunshine.
Good, now, simply as we had been permitting the sky-like thoughts of consciousness to easily concentrate on the rising and falling of the breath wave, now let this awake openness concentrate on the center. You may, when you’re good at mindfulness, you may really feel it ping however you won’t simply concentrate on your coronary heart space. Discover, does it really feel tight and constricted and unhappy, or broad open and joyous and lightweight, or fearful or offended, what’s occurring there within the coronary heart area? Simply tune into that proper now, as a result of the physique is so alive and energized and awake from these breath waves. Now tune into the center area. Is it awake? Is it alive? Is it supple? Is it open? is it locked down, armored? Is it unfindable? What’s happening within the coronary heart area, and no matter is happening, that’s okay. Simply begin to really feel it, enable the attention of the center space to come up within the limitless awake openness of the thoughts.
We actually really feel the center area, really feel the feelings there, and no matter it appears like there, start to really feel as when you’re respiratory into the center by means of a gap within the entrance of your chest, and respiratory out of the center by means of that very same aperture. Because the breath enters the center house it brightens it up, clearer, brighter, extra gentle, extra vitality in a really nice method, and as you breathe out, all of the difficulties and sorrows and weights of the center begin to soften away into that out-breath. The guts turns into lighter, and extra open, lighter and extra comfy. Really feel how the breath is reworking the center, the breath is reworking the middle, opening it up, bringing a way of ease and suppleness to this area.
Give it time. It’ll take a short while to get this. Simply discover some house, discover some spaciousness, discover some gentleness there. The guts may be virtually infinitely mild, so let’s method our coronary heart with super subtlety, super sensitivity, achingly delicate gentleness. Inhaling by means of the chest, respiratory out by means of the chest, into the center middle. Letting the center middle soften like wax, soften like butter, grow to be tremendously extra liquid, and launched, and comfy, and open.
Starting to note, simply as we did with the breath itself, the vitality behind this opening of the center middle. The guts middle itself, with all its emotions, is just like the outer expression, however there’s an internal expression. There’s an vitality there which you’ll start to note because the breath goes out and in of the center middle. We’re not making an attempt to power something right here. We’re not making an attempt to pry it open or push. That is pure gentleness, simply permitting and permitting and permitting with openness and readability and ease and kindness.
Good. Now, feeling the vitality within the physique, feeling that nice, broad open gentleness of the center middle. With super talent and sensitivity and kindness, enable consciousness to note the forehead middle, the third eye middle. Breathe in by means of the third eye middle and breathe out by means of the third eye middle. Really feel the breath coming and going from simply barely above, in between your eyebrows. Instantly bringing a way of rather more wakefulness and readability to expertise. Feeling the vitality going out and in of the third eye. You possibly can even really feel it developing on the out-breath that strikes up from the stomach, by means of the center middle, out the third eye. The in-breath is available in by means of the third eye, into the center middle down into the stomach. Discover the vitality within the physique is sort of a bit bigger now. The guts is relaxed and sort and simple and open.
The thoughts is getting even brighter, much more awake, and the flexibility to be refined, delicate, mild, grows bigger and bigger. In-breath coming in by means of the third eye, lighting up the center middle, going into the stomach, filling with vitality. The out-breath developing from the stomach, by means of the center, stress-free, opening the center, and out by means of the third eye. The thoughts simply blows out by means of the third eye and dissolves into the house in entrance of you. All ideas, all ideas, all confabulations of the thoughts blow out the outlet, and the third eye into the house in entrance, and easily dissolve into the sky of consciousness, leaving no the rest. The thoughts, merely dissolving into house on every out-breath, leaving nothing however wakeful house, awake openness.
Excellent. Now we will stick with this. You possibly can preserve doing it, or simply let your self now
let go of all of the visualization stuff, and easily sit as awake, broad openness, with nothing to do in any respect, however simply be wakeful house. You possibly can’t make wakeful house occur, it’s all the time been there. However, we will simply sit with it, be it.
The best way to lose it, the best way out of it, is to attempt to do one thing. Then you definitely’ll simply collapse again into some type of non-space. So, when you collapse again, then merely let go of any doing of any type, and are available again to the awake, broad openness, which is all the time already.
All our meditation train till now’s to assist the thoughts launch its grip in order that we will simply relaxation now as awake quiet openness with out gripping onto something or placing ourselves in a field or making an attempt to determine one thing out or making an attempt to do one thing, we’re simply letting go of all that and sitting as broad awakeness itself. Huge openness itself, which has nothing to do. It already is what it’s.
Discover that this broad open broad awakeness doesn’t want to alter something, doesn’t must do something, doesn’t have to be totally different one way or the other. It doesn’t have to be higher, doesn’t must battle, doesn’t must attempt. It already is awake and broad open, and it simply rests as that. There’s no want for any rigidity in any respect, very relaxed, comfy, not striving or making an attempt, totally launched. The stomach is absolutely delicate, open and unguarded. By work and striving and defensiveness, and making an attempt to remain protected, and armoring up, our stomach can get actually stiff and tight. However right here, the stomach is totally delicate, totally open, totally undefended, unguarded. Supple, comfy. Really feel that undefended softness of the open stomach.
Similar factor within the coronary heart. The guts is broad open, undefended, disarmored, tremendously delicate, open to everybody and every thing. It’s not simply the entrance of the center, it’s the again, the higher again, behind is broad open, is relaxed, is launched, is undefended, is letting go, is comfy, at peace, at relaxation.
Any time our thoughts begins to place ourselves in some type of field, we simply let go. Come again to awake broad openness. It’s not an thought. As quickly because it’s an thought, that’s a field, so we simply let go of the field. In the event you’re making an attempt to do it proper, that’s only a field, and we simply loosen up and launch and let go of the field. Attempting to make something occur, making an attempt to be totally different, making an attempt to do it proper, making an attempt to determine it out, making an attempt to be good at it, making an attempt to evaluate your self as being dangerous at it. All of those are simply issues to drop, as we return to pure ease, pure openness, pure broad awakeness.
As quickly as you’re doing something, simply drop it. As quickly as you’re making an attempt to alter something, simply drop it. As quickly as you’re making an attempt to be any person totally different, simply drop that. As quickly as you need expertise, no matter you’re experiencing, to be totally different than what it’s, simply drop that. Each time you attempt to determine it out, simply drop it. Attempting to do it proper, simply drop it. Judging what’s happening, simply drop it.
Wishing you had been a special individual, a greater individual, a extra stunning individual, this individual or that individual, simply drop it. All the pieces could be so a lot better if life had executed this different factor in a different way or when you had executed one thing this or that method, simply drop it. Come again to the broad open, broad awakeness that isn’t even situated anyplace, that doesn’t have a floor, you possibly can’t discover the underside of it, you possibly can’t discover the boundary of it, you possibly can by no means decide the start of it. The broad awakeness that’s already fully conscious of itself in and of itself. It was already totally and eternally full.
Really feel the vitality of that awake, broad openness. How the vitality provides beginning to your thoughts and your physique and your emotions and your ideas, and provides beginning to the world round you in each second. Really feel the reference to all of the individuals in right here and really feel they’re connecting again with you. Let everybody in right here really feel your kindness and openness and broad awakeness, and really feel they’re beaming again at you. Then unfold that even additional out to everybody in all places, and really feel everybody in all places beaming again their awake, broad open, broad sensitivity, and readability, and sweetness, and the Aristocracy and enoughness, spontaneity, and playfulness.
Excellent. Simply tuning in with awake, broad openness, to precisely how that feels.
That’s the tip of the meditation there, for now, awake, broad conscious, that nothing as
really ending, nothing is definitely altering.
Q&A
Michael: Any stories or questions, elevate your hand. Something you wish to say about something, something developing, or precise questions. In any other case, simply relaxation in awake, broad openness.
Questionner 1: Hello Michael. I’ve a query. Is that this meditation the identical as dropping the ball? Also referred to as do nothing? A.okay.a. Shikantaza, as a result of it feels barely totally different.
Michael: The very finish of it was, the final quarter of it. We did some breath work and visualization to type of put together us, to have that be slightly extra steady, slightly extra awake, slightly simpler, however the final bit was, particularly after I was saying, drop that drop that drop.
Questioner 1: One other terminology query. The best way you describe going to wakeful house, is that the identical factor as prajna knowledge?
Michael: Wakeful house, or awake, broad openness, is how I’m selecting to speak about vacancy, however vacancy is type of a tough Buddhist idea. Whereas awake, broad openness is very easy to connect with. In customary principle, we might say that the definition of prajna knowledge is vacancy, so right here prajna knowledge is being expressed as awake, broad openness.
Questioner 1: So, is it additionally the identical factor as inconsiderate house?
Michael: Not essentially. Ideas may be awake, broad open.
Questioner 1: Thanks.
Michael: Only for the document, I don’t usually put onerous equal indicators between any of the belongings you simply mentioned, so we’ll put a wavy equal signal, or not. It’s not simply the identical as, we will speak about refined variations, okay? Thanks, what else?
What occurred, how are you? What do you wish to speak about?
Questioner 2: Thanks Michael. As normal, it’s superior. Thanks everybody for being right here, too. The vitality was superior within the room. Hopefully, for the YouTube individuals, the vitality got here by means of the video, so, all the time looking for you YouTube individuals! I had a report which was, the visualization of my coronary heart house, which was stunning as a result of I usually idiot myself. One of many methods I fooled myself is by considering I’m very related with my coronary heart middle and my feelings as a result of I’m feeling issues which might be very intense.
And so they’re perhaps exterior, no matter, I received’t speculate about that. On this case, after I checked in, I had this very distinct visualization of slightly cage round my coronary heart, and I didn’t comprehend it was there. No query, simply my report was that it was cool if you mentioned it melted. It was virtually like my thoughts was probing, how do I get on this cage, how do I break this cage open, how do I smash this cage open, as a result of I wish to free my coronary heart so I may be open and soften. Then it simply melted like wax, the entire thing melted so it’s actually actually cool.
Michael: Excellent. What else is occurring on the market on this huge sea of meditators?
Questioner 3: I used to be simply questioning if you’re making an attempt to drop the ball.
Michael: It’s already incorrect when you’re making an attempt to do it.
Questioner 3: Sorry, throughout that final quarter, I tended to note as a result of I saved my eyes open, so as to not go to sleep. I have a tendency to note plenty of bizarre visible patterns. Is that an lively factor, so I ought to drop it, or is it only a passive factor?
Michael: Solely you possibly can know, however when you preserve going oh, oh, oh!–Simply let or not it’s there, don’t go after it like that. Particularly in case your eyes are open, don’t fixate. As a result of in case your eyes are fixated, then your retinal cells are gonna simply cease with the ability to work proper, and your imaginative and prescient will get bizarre. So it’s like saying a abdomen ache is a few type of a religious expertise or one thing. It’s only a bizarre factor that occurs to your eyes in the event that they get too nonetheless, so let your so be sure to’re permitting your self to blink. Your eyes can transfer round–you’re not rigidly fixating.
Questioner 3: Thanks.
Michael: That’s to not say different bizarre shit can’t occur for different causes, however it doesn’t matter what, we’re not likely climbing onto that both. Something that’s glommed onto is de-glommed. Excellent. That’s the following spherical of the podcast.
Questioner 4: Thanks. My query is, I used to be with you with the awake house, after which after we moved into the dropping the ball part there was this sense that one of many issues I may drop was just like the creation of any house. I may one way or the other grow to be like 2D or like zero D as an alternative of getting like a 3D realm in my thoughts after which that was very nice, however then you definately saved on speaking in regards to the awake house, and I needed to not make it 3D. Does it imply 3D if you say house?
Michael: It means the awake house that’s already there. You’re not making it something. You’re not making an attempt to make it larger or make it 3D. If it’s zero D then that’s what’s there, if it’s 3D, if it’s 7D, if it’s 11D, that’s what’s there. We’re not making something occur. There could be a sense that we really feel like we have to develop house on objective, or develop consciousness. Don’t do any of that, simply let or not it’s what it’s like. No matter it means after I say broad openness, no matter’s there, that’s what we do. We don’t should make it into one thing. Over time, the dimensionality of it–is imaginary anyway–so the broad openness doesn’t essentially imply it’s already all the best way broad open. Any seeming non-wide openness in that may be a field we’re placing ourselves in; so simply drop it, okay?
Questioner 4: I saved noticing contractions in my physique that I acknowledge as ordinary, they’re acquainted to me, and I used to be torn between permitting my consideration to go to these locations, to softly see what needs to occur there, see if one thing needs to launch. It’s focusing and feeling round, versus not letting my consideration be pulled there.
Micheal: It simply will depend on which meditation you’re doing, or which a part of the meditation we’re in. There’s not one proper reply. Each of these issues are nice to do. Within the final quarter of this meditation we might be doing extra the B choice there, simply don’t actually become involved with it, simply let or not it’s how it’s. However in earlier components, and even in different meditations at different instances, go in. Getting in there and checking it out, feeling it, seeing what it needs to do, what it wants, and many others., and many others., is a superb follow. So it’s only a matter of what we’re as much as at any given second.
Questioner 4: Okay, cool thanks.
Michael: I feel what can occur actually usually is that there’s a way that there’s one proper approach to meditate, whereas, actually, there are a whole bunch of fascinating, cool methods to meditate. Every certainly one of them may be acceptable or inappropriate, relying on what we’re as much as. Thanks.
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