Stay Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Streamed reside on Feb 10, 2022
Introduction
Hello sentient beings, you realize, usually I make a listing of beings you may be like; hi there people or non-humans or alien beings. Tonight, as a substitute of constructing the checklist, though I suppose I simply sort of have made the checklist, tonight I’m going to simply say hi there sentient beings, beings with sentience, beings who’re aware, we may additionally say samsarins however I’m not going to imagine that you’re not bodhisattvas. I’m not going to imagine that you just’re trapped in samsara. So I gained’t name you samsarin however I’ll say sentient beings. Whats up, hi there my earthly identify, they name this earthly vessel Michael Taft, not less than on this planet which is a technique of decoding the time period earthly. And I’m right here with you this night or everytime you’re watching this to do some guided meditation.
Meditation
We’re going to do one thing actually enjoyable tonight so let’s bounce proper in. What I’d wish to have you ever do is take your seat, your meditation seat and prepare to do the factor. In order ordinary I need you to–in the event you’re sitting in a chair–scooch away from the again of the chair, enable your again to carry up your again as a substitute of the chair to carry up your again. However hopefully, you’re sitting on a meditation cushion, one which has your knees decrease than your hips and that makes sitting up straight very easy so that you just’re not doing it with a lot effort. However you may also lay down. You may also stand. Simply be comfy and alert. And usually we do sort of a protracted part of useful resource gathering and generally, as you realize, in the event you’ve been doing these meditations, I like doing those the place we’ve got a picture for sitting. Typically we sit like a mountain. Typically we sit like an ocean, that sort of factor. Tonight we’re going to do a complete sequence of these so let’s simply–we’re going to skip the useful resource gathering as a result of in a means the entire meditation is useful resource gathering, okay? Or not less than three-quarters of it. So we’re going to actually be specializing in that half tonight.
So simply settle in and I need you to recollect and produce up for your self; why are you meditating? Why did you make the time to come back right here and meditate? What’s your purpose for meditating? Get that clear. That helps to convey somewhat extra vitality, somewhat extra intention to the sit. So simply state that aloud to your self except you’re within the room with different folks then silently state it to your self.
After which what I’d such as you to do is; let’s simply spend perhaps a couple of minutes simply meditating on respiratory. So we’re simply going to do easy shamatha with the breath. Simply to all be part of collectively right here and to start permitting the system to settle collectively, to sort of come collectively, to combine. So what I need you to start doing is just inhaling and respiratory in and out a really light mild simple means following that physique sensation of inhaling and respiratory out we’re going to do that for about 5 minutes after which we’ll get going with sort of the primary meat of the meditation right here if you wish to and provided that it’s comfy I’d such as you to do deep stomach respiratory throughout this half, not like pranayama, however simply deep stomach respiratory. And with lengthy out-breaths, even in the event you don’t do the deep stomach respiratory, see in case your out-breaths might be longer than your in-breaths. These are often completed via the nostril, inhaling and respiratory out via the nostril however you breathe in after which lengthy out-breath and one solution to make this simpler is to do the ujjayi breath, the Darth Vader breath. So on that out-breath, you do the factor that makes your voice try this–however in fact, you’re not talking but it surely’s the factor that makes your voice try this and also you’re simply respiratory that means and that lets you regulate the velocity of the out-breath and you may make it good and lengthy. And naturally, this goes with out saying, don’t do it in any means that’s uncomfortable, you realize don’t make your self get out of breath or one thing like that. Do it in a means that’s simple, a means that’s wholesome, a means that doesn’t pressure the system.
Okay, so lengthy and quick in-breath or common in-breath after which lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy out-breath. And also you’re simply staying with that. If you need you should utilize a label that can assist you stick with it so inhaling, inhaling after which respiratory out, respiratory out, respiratory out, respiratory out. And actually really feel that in-breath and really feel that out-breath. So let’s do that for a short while collectively. And simply stick with that feeling of the in-breath and stick with the sensation of the out-breath actually permitting it to settle every part and permitting you to really feel built-in and picked up and grounded.
Okay. Good, and now only for a second, like one minute, I need you to simply confide in the already present naturally current huge spaciousness of your personal consciousness. So simply loosen up as open consciousness, not forcing it to be open however permitting your self to simply discover that consciousness itself is of course boundless huge open comfortable vibrant clear, and so forth. And simply discover that for just a bit whereas right here.
Okay. Good. Now we’re going to undergo a five-element meditation right here. That’s going to be the beginning we’ll perform a little bit after the tip however we’ll begin out with a five-element meditation so we’re going to start and I need you to take a seat like a mountain. So that is in fact the earth component and the earth component on this mind-set about components. Once more, these are the standard components, so there’s simply 5: earth, air, fireplace, water, house. And so we start with earth. Sit like a mountain and so I need you to really feel–tune into the sense of super groundedness, super stability, to a way of integration and cohesion, proper? So sit like a mountain there’s this sort of immovability. And so with this earth vitality, we really feel our scattered thoughts changing into unscattered and picked up. We really feel our sort of like perhaps energies which can be all over coming into cohesion. The earth component has that sense of gravity, issues coming collectively and clumping and stabilizing and changing into built-in and strong. So sitting like a mountain additionally has this sense of permanence and stability and even the Aristocracy, proper? So start by sitting like a mountain–no matter meaning to you. And let’s work with that component first this earth vitality, this sitting like a mountain is nice, as I mentioned in the event you really feel scattered otherwise you really feel off steadiness simply tuning in to the pull of gravity and the solidity and stability of the earth component. Remembering the physique has quite a lot of earth component and it’s very soothing and stabilizing, very gathering and connecting. So simply discover how good it feels to take a seat like a mountain; the earth vitality.
Okay. Excellent. That’s sitting like a mountain; the earth component. Now we’ll go to the subsequent component so as and that’s the water component. And so the picture right here is to take a seat like an ocean, a peaceful ocean. And once we sit with the water component, we really feel the sense of calmness, we really feel the sense of fluidity and we really feel a deep sense of peace and luxury and ease. Water is easy.
Okay? And naturally, it’s an enormous ocean of water, and naturally, your physique itself is especially water, proper? It’s largely water and the blood transferring in your veins might be thought of water, there’s the lymph, there’s all the varied fluids however even our thoughts has a water component of this sense of deep fluidity and peace and ease and luxury and effortlessness. So now sit like an ocean tuning into these qualities. So simply discover the soothing comforting qualities of this water, the fluid ease-full effortlessness of it, and, in fact, the vastness of the ocean of water.
Okay. Good. So we sat like a mountain with the earth component after which we sat like an ocean with the water component. The following component is fireplace. Bear in mind final week we sat as fireplace and the picture right here often I’d use is the solar. If you need you should utilize the solar like a ball of fireside or you should utilize one thing nice like a campfire or a fireplace in a fire. No matter works for you as a picture of fireside. And fireplace is a superb component to meditate as. It’s the essence of pleasure and creativity and inspiration and naturally, fireplace could be very purifying, and it’s very cell, proper? So it has this actual sense of artistic pleasure, artistic inspiration but in addition a way of purification. So sit as a fireplace and likewise really feel that heat and the consolation of fireside, proper? It’s very great. So benefit from the fireplace component both as like a campfire and even one thing just like the solar.
Within the historical past of meditation apply, fireplace has been a extremely vital component, a extremely vital picture, once more for purification but in addition the entire thought of meditation is usually in comparison with a fireplace. It’s the hearth by which we burn off the impurities or burn off the dross leaving this super vitality of fireside, the enjoyment of fireside, and the heat and luxury of fireside. So sitting as a fireplace could be very highly effective.
Feeling the enjoyment of that fireside meditation we now transfer to a good lighter so to talk component which is air. So with air, I need you to think about being wind, a delicate breeze, or perhaps a robust wind, and the air component is all about motion. It’s about flexibility. Once more, if we think about this sort of boundless wind with a type of vitality of motion, vitality of change that is very highly effective–particularly in the event you really feel caught otherwise you really feel depressed otherwise you really feel down–this vitality of air could be very uplifting. It’s very–it will get issues transferring once more. And naturally in tantrism, in yoga, and so forth that is the component that we’d name prana, proper? The component that we’d name chi or lung it’s the actually vital component for lots of religious apply, quite a lot of meditation apply. So sitting just like the wind and feeling that motion and alter and suppleness could be very impermanent. Similar to the hearth–actually impermanent feeling component and this provides you the power to alter. It provides you the power to maneuver and likewise energizes the entire physique in a extremely nice means. So let’s discover this vitality of air. So meditating just like the wind. After we tune into the vitality of air, once we meditate just like the wind, this brings quite a lot of equanimity as a result of we’re versatile. We are able to deal with no matter is developing as a result of we’ve got flexibility and the power to alter and transfer. So the wind component can–and meditating just like the wind or the air component–it may convey an incredible sense of equanimity, even with all of the motion, all of the change, there’s this sense of like, “yeah, we will roll with that.”
Okay. Good, that’s the air component, meditating just like the wind and now let’s do my favourite meditating like house, like infinite unbounded house, the fifth component on this custom. And once we meditate like house we’re noticing that there’s boundlessness there’s room and there’s an actual sense of openness and acceptance of every part. We are able to discover that house is particular, proper? All the opposite components exist in house, and come up in house, and cross in house. And house is the closest component to simply pure consciousness itself. So meditate like huge boundless house and spot that there’s simply room, there’s simply sufficient room for every part, and we will deal with no matter’s arising as a result of there’s simply a lot openness. House is accommodating, proper? The whole lot on this planet, whether or not it’s good or dangerous, or massive or small, or scorching or chilly, or no matter it’s all given house, proper? It has sufficient house to be. So house has this super high quality of lodging and openness and a sort of–once more, only a sort of a way of room for every part. So now, simply sit like house, like huge spaciousness. Discover how peaceable and the way a lot ease it brings to take a seat as this huge house, simply permitting every part, being with every part, completely open, completely free huge house.
Okay. Good, now let’s transfer from the 5 components straight into consciousness itself, which bear in mind could be very very like house. I at all times say huge spacious consciousness, proper? So in different phrases we let go of those elemental concepts, we let go of any visualization or any creativeness and simply relaxation in our nature as huge spacious consciousness. Now, what’s the distinction between house and consciousness? House is non-conscious however consciousness, in fact, is what consciousness is. It’s aware, however in each different means it’s very very like house, so it’s huge spacious however awake. It’s awake. It’s conscious. It’s experiencing.
So now I need you to simply sit as consciousness itself, not partaking with something, not grabbing on to something, merely resting as your deep nature, which is consciousness itself; conscious, fairly conscious, vibrant and clear. Bear in mind, the thought right here is to not get entangled with something. Consciousness itself permits for every part, permits all the weather, permits for ideas, permits for emotions, permits the world to come up however it’s not concerned with something. So if you end up getting concerned simply drop that, come again to simply resting in your nature as huge spacious consciousness. Consciousness itself is sort of a mirror, every part is mirrored in it, however not one of the reflection, not one of the issues mirrored truly disturb the mirror or change the mirror in any means. There might be each sort of scene going by. There might be a nighttime scene, a daytime scene, a lot of folks, no folks, forest animals, cityscapes with skyscrapers, all that. All mirrored within the mirror and the mirror is uninvolved with any of them, unchanged by any of them, and but completely reflecting, completely clear. So sit as huge spacious consciousness with this sense of unaffectedness, this sense of uninvolvement.
Okay. Good, now inside this consciousness discover that house is there. House is arising. The component of house is there. There’s room, there’s spaciousness, there may be lodging, proper? So we’ve got house there and likewise discover that the component of air is there, the motion, the change, the wind, the sense of the power to unstick. That impermanence is there and likewise, in fact, the vitality of wind, super vitality. So inside consciousness, there’s the house, there’s the air, after which there’s the hearth component–that sort of pleasure and inspiration and creativity, the heat and the purification of fireside, okay?
We are able to really feel the air that we’re respiratory with our physique. We are able to really feel the heat of our physique, proper? We are able to really feel the house in our physique that permits the heat and the air that we’re respiratory to be there. After which we really feel the water component, proper? We really feel our blood and we really feel the fluidity of our physique and likewise this sense of consolation and ease and that actual sense of effortlessness of the water. After which there may be the earth component, the steadiness, our bones, and our weight, and that sense of cohesion and groundedness and connectedness and stability and solidity that’s so attribute of the earth component. So inside consciousness, all these 5 components are current and simply sit with that now. Feeling them combine, feeling them work together in a perfect method. They’re simply flowing into one another and turning into each other and balancing in order that we’ve got, simply up inside ourselves, an ideal concord of those components.
Good. Now let’s let all of those components come along with a way of pleasure and inspiration and a way of freedom and openness and motion and a way of connectedness and a way of ease and openness and beam out love and pleasure to the entire world, beaming out, radiating out a way of inspiration and creativity and aliveness to the world, beaming out a way of therapeutic and power to the world, and beaming out a way of equanimity and openness and lodging to the world. So actually, actually simply feeling how all of those 5 components arising inside consciousness are simply streaming out to your entire universe, to the multiverse, to each sentient being within the multiverse, to whom all these meditations are freely given, we beam out this pleasure, this therapeutic, this sense of peace and ease, creativity, inspiration, groundedness, openness, the power to alter, the power to purify. We’re wishing the entire universe and each being within the universe, the entire multiverse, and each being within the multiverse, we’re wishing them nicely, together with ourselves. I need you to simply radiate out, beam out, circulation with that vitality now.
Okay. Good, let’s finish the meditation now.
Dharma Discuss
That was a pleasant meditation, proper? It’s good to attach with these components. So enable your physique to get comfortable and transfer and stretch and really feel your self transferring. The physique loves to maneuver, regardless that in meditation, once we’re doing this sort of meditation, I’d such as you to stay very, very, very nonetheless, once we’re completed meditating then we get into the enjoyment of motion, not less than somewhat bit. Really feel, enable your physique to simply do what it must do, don’t get in the way in which, don’t prescribe what you suppose it ought to do, however really feel into what it needs to do. And perhaps have a drink of water. The white one is water, so we can have some water right here. There’s somewhat little bit of lemon in it too. That’s very good.
And so let’s discuss this for a minute. So, in fact, regardless that I’m calling these the weather in fashionable English these will not be components, proper? Components are issues like beryllium and cobalt, however within the historical means of talking, these are the component’s historical that means of the time period. And naturally, these phrases change over time, like, for instance, the time period planet, proper? Now it has a really particular that means, not the solar or the moon, a planet is a really outlined factor. However initially planet comes from the Greek phrase planetos which simply means one thing that’s transferring within the sky. As a result of planetos means wanderer, one thing that’s transferring within the sky, and particularly it meant stuff that’s transferring towards the background, the supposedly mounted background of these stars. So initially the that means was far more open identical to the phrase vitality, proper? Now it’s received a really particular definition, extremely exact, mathematical, blah blah, however in fact, in years and centuries passed by we may use the phrase vitality in a way more open means. The definition is loads looser, and the identical with components. So I’m utilizing an earlier, looser definition that has–it’s somewhat bit extra like what we’d now name states of matter, proper? So there’s strong and liquid and gasoline and that may be earth and water and air, proper? After which there’d be fireplace, the vitality, proper? And house remains to be the room for it to occur. It’s like house, space-time.
In order that’s sort of a enjoyable semi-translation of how we may take into consideration what we imply by these components now, however in fact, it’s extra of a mind-set about some totally different states of thoughts, some totally different states of our personal inside house, and perhaps even the exterior house. Once more, with these states of matter, you realize the issue is now there’s new states of matter like plasma and superionic ice, all types of stuff that don’t actually…you realize, folks maintain discovering these states of matter so it doesn’t actually match the 5 component scheme both. So we’re simply going to say the five-element scheme is its personal factor, proper? It’s its personal imaginary means of contemplating the world and it’s truly fairly a pleasing means and a helpful means and sort of a artistic and fascinating means to consider issues. After we do–you realize every time once we begin a meditation, fairly often we solely do certainly one of these, so I needed to have a meditation tonight the place we do all of them collectively and really feel how they combine and likewise really feel how they exist inside consciousness itself. And that’s a robust factor.
If we have been doing conventional practices like tantric model practices, we use the weather in very particular methods. If we’re doing–even additional again, like shamanic practices, we use the weather another way. If we’re doing non-dual-like meditation traditions, we will even use the weather in a 3rd means, proper? And we did a few of that tonight the place–discover once we went to consciousness the weather are there however now we’re not utilizing them as sort of states of thoughts, we’re saying there are issues which can be arising inside consciousness itself. And so there’s sort of other ways to–or lets say totally different ranges at which we’re partaking this concept of the traditional components, or this extra open mind-set about components.
And naturally, there’s even utilizing them psychologically like–oh, I really feel depressed so I’m going to meditate on air as a result of that provides me freedom and motion and you realize it sort of loosens issues up as a result of melancholy can really feel like a sort of stuckness. Or–I’m feeling type of flat and boring and uninspired so let’s herald some fireplace component as a result of that’s inspiration and creativity and it’s received vitality. Or–I’m feeling all scattered and my mind is in 600 locations, oh hey, let’s convey that earth component that has that cohesion and collectedness and stability, you realize. Or–I really feel like I’m working too laborious and every part is tough and so let’s herald water. The water component, which is easy and has that sense of ease and luxury. Or–every part’s simply too up in my face, I’m anxious as a result of there’s simply an excessive amount of happening and there’s no time to reply and every part’s too…and so let’s convey within the house as a result of within the house there’s simply greater than sufficient room for every part to occur. In order that’s sort of a psychological solution to work with these. There’s you realize there’s simply so many ranges and so many methods and so many ways in which we will play, creatively play, with this concept of those 5 components.
So I’m not suggesting that that is the one true means of viewing the world or one thing, however it’s a great solution to work, and it’s excellent for meditation, excellent additionally psychologically, you realize, too as a metaphor. But in addition as type of like properties to tackle. We are able to see the place we’re imbalanced and tackle these elemental properties not less than as an creativeness train.
So there you will have it; some five-element meditation and in the event you go means again, I haven’t completed this for some time, however in the event you go means again to the mandala meditation that we’ve got completed previously on these YouTube movies we will make these work collectively too. That turns into very fascinating the place the–bear in mind we’ve got the mandala with the 5 quadrants, nicely there’s a purpose it’s 5 quadrants as a result of these quadrants match components and we will tackle these properties as nicely. So it will get actually fascinating. It’s sort of a factor to assist set up our apply, but in addition only a enjoyable solution to play with life and to play with expertise, proper? So there you will have it.
I believe the purpose I used to be making whereas we have been meditating that I wish to come again to is that house is sort of the tremendous component. All the opposite components come up in house after which consciousness is exterior of the weather but it surely’s most like house. However in fact, it is usually aware. So we will say all these 5 components, regardless that the 4 components come up in house, all 5 of them come up in consciousness and we will–identical to every part–expertise itself is arising in consciousness. The sense of our character, the sense of our physique arises in consciousness. The sense of stuff taking place exterior; arising in consciousness. So all of that comes again to every part arising in consciousness and if we go far more deeply we will say even all of the issues arising in consciousness will not be separate or totally different from consciousness, proper? So there’s a a lot deeper educating accessible there as we begin to study to contact consciousness.
It’s humorous after I say contact consciousness as a result of what’s it? My query, that is my koan for you; what’s it that contacts consciousness? I usually use that phrase, hey we’re contacting consciousness or we’re stabilizing our contact with consciousness, but when you consider it deeply, who or what’s contacting consciousness? And while you try this, and naturally the sort of typical reply the simple reply is; nicely I’m. However what do you imply while you say I? Due to course, the educating right here, not less than a part of the educating, is that you realize sometimes once we say “I” we imply my ideas and emotions and perhaps my physique, however actually deeply my feelings and my ideas, that’s me. Since you may, for instance, lose an arm in an accident and that may be tragic, so a part of your physique’s eliminated however actually your ideas and emotions are nonetheless you, proper? You’re not–you wouldn’t consider that as altering the essence of your being regardless of how a lot it modified your life. So regardless that we do have a tendency to consider the physique as us, much more deeply we consider the ideas and feelings as us. However this is likely one of the first stuff you study in meditation; the ideas are simply altering and transferring on a regular basis, these can’t be you, the feelings are simply altering and transferring on a regular basis, that’s not you. So who’s you? Proper? Who is you? If something it’s the attention by which the ideas and emotions are arising, and naturally we–there’s issues if we attempt to choose consciousness as a strong factor however the place, the truth is, it’s empty. However nonetheless there’s a giant transfer to see oh after I say, “I’m connecting with consciousness,” we sort of need to get it but it surely’s consciousness that’s connecting with consciousness. And consciousness was by no means separate from itself.
So once we quote join with consciousness all we’re actually doing is enjoyable into what’s already there. That’s why I stored saying our pure, already present being as consciousness, proper? That’s at all times there, all we do is loosen up into that. You don’t make that joyful. You don’t actually join with it. You don’t by some means develop into conscious of consciousness, you’re already conscious. That’s the essence of your being. If there may be an essence, it’s consciousness itself. Humorous as a result of essence is one other means of speaking about components however I imply another way, proper?
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