Introduction
Hi there 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 personal model of what I’m doing, or do no matter you need—however be sure it feels good to you.
You guys need to perform a little 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, Purpose, 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, Purpose, Hrim, Klim, Chamundaye—to Chandi, Vicce—I bow. We’ll simply repeatedly 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 way in which. Simply take the equipment of thought and simply set it over right here. Then, simply discover, as quickly as you do this, you’re in contact with all the things—openness, awake, large openness. As a result of, once you’re not trapped contained in the little field of thought, you’re simply large open, with no boundaries in any respect, it’s huge, huge, huge. So, from that place, simply let the sound vitality of Om Purpose Hrim Klim Chamundaye Vicce present itself, and once more you’ll get it as we repeat it.
Mantra: Om Purpose Hrim Klim Chamundaye Vicce
Excellent. Now, having set the equipment of the thoughts apart, and dwelt in large open, awake house, and invoked this mega-enlightened vitality, simply enable your self to relaxation that approach. Exterior the thoughts, outdoors of any thought, merely awake, large open, in touch with primarily all the things, as a result of it’s not separate from something in any respect. Let’s simply breathe that approach for a short while, in easy presence.
Every time you end up concerned with thought, if you happen to do, simply set it again down. It may well sit there and do its factor, however you’re simply probably not taking part in with it, not participating it. As an alternative, we’re being large open, awake, in easy, simple, presence.
Good. Now, after all, you’re welcome to only 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 strive that now. So, from this place of open awakeness, start to note the rising and falling of the breath—as if you happen to’re going to do meditation on the breath, sensations within the physique—however, once more, from a really open place, not tightly targeted on anyone spot, however simply from openness feeling the breath, like we regularly do. Huge open, awake house is simply noticing this physique sensation of respiratory as if it’s the wind shifting within the sky. Disengage from any considering. Pondering is welcome to occur, we’re simply not participating.
Good. Now, I’m going to ask you a query, and also you’re not allowed to reply the query by choosing up your thoughts and utilizing it to suppose. It’s a must to simply search for the reply. It’s the sort of query the place, if I mentioned, 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? Identical 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 attempting to determine it out and give it some thought, simply put that previous 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 choose up your thoughts—you’re not supposed to do that—however if you happen to choose up your thoughts, you would possibly go, nicely, 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, time and again and once more, you could’t actually discover it.
What’s it that’s noticing this breath? In the event you can, do it whilst you’re repeatedly noticing the breath, so it’s like, what’s it that’s conscious of that? Can you discover it? Many of the solutions that individuals 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 search 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 will likely be some hint of one thing in there—some taste of pleasure, worry, unhappiness, anger, disgust, love, delight, disgrace, embarrassment, and many others., some little taste of a few of these. So you discover these flavors in your physique sensations—once more, not fascinated with them—however simply feeling them within the physique. Feeling them within the meat, so to talk, the varied flavors of expertise within the physique that come about from feelings. We’re doing the identical factor we have been doing with the breath—there’s this huge, large open, awake house, and there are these actions of emotional sensations inside that. Now, once more, if you happen to’re not having any feelings in any respect—that’s most unlikely, nevertheless it’s attainable—then you definately simply really feel common sensations shifting by 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 shifting by awake house. Fairly often there’s only a bunch of little tiny, low-grade feelings occurring—possibly very transient, possibly very background-y feelings.
It’s a really highly effective meditation to only 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 perpetually. It’s actually highly effective to sit down with what you’re feeling, not attempting to vary it, simply being with it. Not attempting 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 may 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. Hold 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 fascinating factor. Discover that you recognize 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.
Excellent. Now, you may follow that, if you’d like. Or, as large open, awake house, hearken to the sounds of the world round you. Discover that this boundaryless, openness—this boundaryless, awake, openness, experiences a sound merely passing by. Virtually as if it’s fully clear, and sound simply strikes by with none impedance of any form—and there’s loads of sound. No second of sound is similar, it’s repeatedly altering. So simply tune into that. Enable awake house to pay attention to the soundscape.
Keep in mind to not interact with thought, simply be awakeness, listening in easy presence. Huge open awake house listening, or we may even say, merely listening to. After which, you guessed it, now ask your self, What hears? What’s it that hears? As traditional, 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? Hold wanting.
Good. Once more, you may hold working with that if you want. In any other case, open your eyes, and you’ll both take a look at the bottom in entrance of you, or the entire room without delay, or no matter, do that with a tender gaze. So that you’re not exhausting gazing something, your eyes are relaxed awake house, conscious of sight. On this case, it helps to pay attention to sight in type of a colors-and-shapes-and-highlights-and-shadows-and-textures sort of approach, somewhat than actually tuning into objects. Extra like tuning into patterns of sunshine. So, as an alternative 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, awake, large 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 you could’t—regardless that seeing is occurring, you may’t discover a seer. Hold wanting and searching. It’s not sufficient to listen to me say you could’t discover one, as a result of that’s simply an thought. You’ve gotta look till you actually discover you may’t really discover one.
Good. Be happy to shut your eyes once more, if you’d like, 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 little bit tougher. Enable your self to note what’s occurring in thought—not participating with it—however conscious of it. Conscious of the thought exercise. See if you happen to will be large open house, awake to this thought exercise that’s simply occurring—blah blah blah—however not engaged in it. That’s a little bit bit more durable. If you are able to do it efficiently, sit as open house, with simply this stream of unfixed thought sensation passing by 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 fascinating, that if you happen to’re actually in search of what is aware of thought, it’s very exhausting 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 may 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 items? What’s doing the meditation? Discover the doer of this meditation. Someplace on this huge awake house, there’s some sense of doing happening. 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 may find? If that’s the case, what’s finding it? Hold 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?
Excellent. Now, let awake house chant the goddess Cundi Mantra, and ask, who’s chanting? What’s chanting? Can you discover the chanter?
Om, Purpose, Hrim, Klim, Chamundaye, Vicce
Excellent, we are able to finish the guided meditation there—or we may hold going—however let’s finish it there. Be happy to maintain doing the inquiry repeatedly, perpetually, for the remainder of your life. What’s really having this expertise proper now? Simply hold wanting. It’s a extremely fascinating search, as a result of it retains pointing to one thing very particular. Clearly, you’re conscious of respiratory, that’s a straightforward factor to pay attention to—it’s not as if you happen to’re a rock or a chunk of plastic, which presumably has no consciousness of respiratory in any respect. There’s consciousness of respiratory, however if you happen to search for what’s conscious, you may’t discover it.
Did anybody discover what’s conscious of respiratory? Critically, did anyone discover it? In the event you do, you recognize, 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 that? You by no means can find it. What’s conscious of the respiratory? So, that’s fascinating. There’s consciousness of respiratory, clearly. There’s expertise of respiratory—that’s actually occurring. It’s not nothing, however you may’t discover it.
In one other approach, you may’t discover what’s conscious of it. You may’t discover to whom that have is occurring. So, it’s weirdly each an expertise, and sort of, not one on the similar time. It’s simply odd. Who’s on the heart of all expertise? You may’t discover them. We checked out respiratory, we checked out feelings. Presumably, most of us really feel like our feelings are a reasonably vital 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 may’t discover it. There’s all this expertise occurring, what’s it occurring to? And, once more, you can provide a psychological thought reply—it’s occurring in my physique, or my mind—however these are concepts. You may’t discover it in your personal expertise, proper now.
Similar factor—we checked out ideas. Presumably, if, possibly I’m not my feelings, however I’m undoubtedly my ideas, proper? That’s me, that’s considering that stuff, that dialogue, is who I’m. They usually’re occurring, 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 loads of each occurring, and it’s like, what’s conscious of that? What’s having ideas? It’s simple to go, nicely that’s your mind, however is it? I imply, can you’re feeling your mind having ideas? Your mind, in that approach, is simply an thought.
So, right here’s all these ideas occurring, with nothing having them—not less than nothing yow will discover. Similar factor with the sounds of the world round you. [Recording abruptly ends]
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