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Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Meditation
Now we’ll be sitting actually, actually nonetheless for an hour. I will likely be shifting to typically have a drink as a result of I’ve to speak, however aside from that I’ll attempt to be as nonetheless as attainable. So ensure that if attainable, your hips are sort of rolled simply ever so barely ahead. We often try this by having our hip joints simply above our knee joints slightly bit, in order that our pelvis rotates ahead only a tiny bit. It will get that good curve in your decrease again and that’ll simply make your backbone simply carry upward. The very, very tip prime of your head the topmost prime level ought to really feel prefer it’s simply being virtually like pulled upward with an invisible thread to the ceiling.
And you may transfer round just a bit bit along with your backbone however you’ll discover there’s simply this one good spot the place the completely least quantity of effort is required to maintain the again upright. Actually, it virtually simply feels prefer it’s floating upright and appears like all of you’ve gotten your chin tucked which is nice. We don’t wish to get right into a scenario the place our chin’s mentioning like that and even too tucked. Just a bit bit in order that it retains that backbone feeling excellent. After which your palms both like this or like this or this. All good.
Now as ordinary I’d such as you to only examine in with your self. How’s it going or as I say, what’s it wish to be me proper now? The ideas, the feelings, your common, simply how’s your physique really feel? How’s your life going? Simply the entire thing. Simply check-in. Take the temperature or the climate report. However it’s essential that as you do that that it doesn’t matter what the climate is, it’s good. Okay, even in the event you’re upset and in a bunch of ache and all that for now, for the meditation, that’s simply the best way it’s and that’s good. Okay so we’re not judging our state, we’re simply checking in with how we’re doing. So let’s simply try this for some time. How is it going? What’s it wish to be you proper now?
Good, and subsequent I’d such as you to only tune into a way of spaciousness, a way of openness, a way of ease. And from that house of open ease, simply start to note the rising and falling breath. So we’re not specializing in it, we’re not narrowing consideration. Consideration could be very broad, it’s huge and open, however into that consciousness, we’re noticing that the sense of the breath seems rising after which seems falling with none effort. We don’t must deal with it, we’re simply conscious of it.
We’re being completely nonetheless. And simply discover how consciousness is already conscious. We don’t must do something to make ourselves conscious. We’re not flipping on some particular consciousness button, we’re not additional efforting or if we’re, it’s not serving to. That doesn’t do something. Consciousness is already there. It’s already there. And into that consciousness, we’re noticing that the sense of the breath rising and falling is simply occurring. So let’s try this collectively now for a short time.
Very gently, simply staying with the breath. Once more, not focusing laborious, not making an attempt too laborious, simply very gently noticing the physique sensations of respiratory seem in consciousness and staying with that. Primarily merely resting as spacious consciousness, already current straightforward open free consciousness.
Now I would like you to just be sure you’re conscious of each second of that breath. Once more, not specializing in it laborious, however merely conscious of it all through its total cycle. Discover the arising of the in-breath and the motion of the in-breath, after which the tip of the in-breath. After which typically there’s a pause there. After which discover the start of the out-breath and all through every second of the out-breath, after which the tip of the out-breath. After which usually, there’s a pause there as properly. So although we’re not narrowly specializing in it, we’re simply conscious of each second of it with out lacking even a millisecond.
Good. Now usually in right here, we do numerous sorts of visualizations. Normally, I go away it slightly open. You will get sort of inventive with your individual course of, however tonight we’re going to do a really particular visualization of the bodhisattva named Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Avalokitesvara has a thousand arms and every of those arms is symbolic of reaching out to assist relieve the struggling of some beings. So the bodhisattva has metaphorically infinite arms performing infinite acts of compassion for infinite beings. And the mantra of this bodhisattva is the very well-known mantra om mani padme hum.
So I would like you to image the bodhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara. Image a meditating buddha-like determine, however with a thousand arms in a circle round them, capable of take infinite motion on behalf of all beings. And if you wish to you’ll be able to even silently, in your thoughts recite the mantra om mani padme hum if that appeals to you. Both means, I would like you to see the eyes of Avalokiteshvara opening. Together with the third eye opening and gazing into your being. And because the eyes of Avalokiteshvara open and gaze into you, you are feeling that profound sense of each knowledge, the knowledge of vacancy, the knowledge of readability, and naturally additionally the great coronary heart of kindness, of caring, of pleasure and compassion.
What’s compassion? Compassion is that feeling that you just really care and wish to do one thing to assist. It’s motivational. It’s not merely a sense. It’s a lot deeper than that. Typically we combine it up with empathy. It’s completely different than empathy. Empathy means you’re having the identical feeling because the particular person you’re fascinated with. Compassion is about wanting to assist. Caring deeply and wanting to assist. So really feel that great sense of being thought to be a being who issues. Feeling cherished, feeling cared for, feeling kindness, feeling pleasure, feeling actually met in all of your sorrows and all of your difficulties by this loving radiant bodhisattva. And truly, see a beam of pure compassion coming from the center of Avalokiteshvara into your coronary heart and really feel it filling up your being. And I’ll simply recite the mantra right here slightly bit. You’ll be able to simply do it silently if you want, only a few occasions.
om mani padme hum
om mani padme hum
om mani padme hum
om mani padme hum
om mani padme hum
om mani padme hum
om mani padme hum
Persevering with to really feel that radiant compassion flowing into your being. Filling your being. Loving and therapeutic your being.
Good. Now inhaling, take the picture of Avalokiteshvara into your coronary heart. Breathe Avalokiteshvara immediately into your individual coronary heart the place the picture plugs in and begins to radiate powerfully from your individual coronary heart. In order that the power and knowledge and compassion of Avalokiteshvara, which interprets because the one who hears the cries of the world, begins beaming out out of your being.
I would like you to image this power radiating out. And I would like you to very clearly image it serving to everybody it touches, bringing kindness, bringing gentleness, bringing caring, bringing pleasure, therapeutic, love, connection to each being it touches. See and really feel that very clearly. See the happiness, the love, the enjoyment on the faces of all of the beings it touches, or if it’s non-human beings see their tails wagging or them leaping round or no matter they do once they really feel pleasure and love and being cared for and peace. Actually really feel that power radiating out powerfully, powerfully in all instructions, and see it clearly affecting all beings. Producing countless pleasure, countless compassion, countless kindness, and caring. There isn’t any restrict. It simply retains pouring via.
Remaining completely nonetheless.
Good, now we’re going to flip it round and as a substitute of bringing pleasure and kindness and caring and compassion, I would like you to soak up all of the sufferings into ourselves. We’re taking in all of the ache, all of the sorrow, all of the struggling of each being within the universe. And we’re feeling it. Each crushed and abused baby, each mistreated animal. All of the struggling of all of the beings in every single place, not simply on earth, however in every single place. Convey it into your self. Take it on in order that they don’t must really feel it. We take their ache, we take their struggling into ourselves and really feel it deeply.
Seeing it as empty, seeing it as handleable due to our huge spacious consciousness. There’s greater than sufficient room to take it on with out it turning into an issue. However neither can we attempt to keep away from it, we absolutely really feel it. Let it break your coronary heart. Let it break your coronary heart large open. If it’s not breaking your coronary heart, think about slightly extra clearly what’s actually occurring on the market.
With every in-breath we soak up increasingly and extra of the sorrows of the world. Burns it away, burns it away with no the rest, burns it away with no ashes. We really feel it deeply. Don’t maintain again, let your self actually really feel it. The love and knowledge of Avalokiteshvara in our personal coronary heart burning all of it away.
Good. Now let’s change again. We’ve taken in all of the ache, taken in all of the struggling. Now having burned that every one away completely with none the rest however knowledge, mild, the compassion, the compassionate heat of Avalokiteshvara beams out with pleasure and kindness and caring bringing aid to the sorrow. Bringing kindness, the kindest most useful contact, heat, caring, compassion to all beings in every single place.
Everybody’s scared and unhappy and trapped and alone and with none assist feels all of the sudden this contact of kindness, this ray of heat and caring. The caring that comes from a really damaged open coronary heart that feels so deeply. Radiating out in all instructions. Actually really feel it, pleasure kindness, caring, knowledge, compassion, love.
Good, now permit the picture of Avalokiteshvara within the coronary heart to only dissolve into house. Let all ideas dissolve into house. Let all sense of the physique dissolve into house. Let emotion dissolve into house. Let all conceptual fabrication dissolve into house and easily relaxation within the open consciousness of the good perfection.
Free from all doing. Free from all distraction. Free from all ideas. Merely resting as the attention that’s all the time current. It’s all the time there. There’s nothing to do besides permit consciousness to be itself.
Should you discover your self getting caught up in thought, simply let go and fall again into open consciousness. Should you get caught up in thought, once more, simply loosen up once more. Let it go. Drop again into easy consciousness, spacious open consciousness.
Even when the thoughts kickstarts into thought a thousand occasions, simply let return into open house a thousand and one.
Letting go of all sense of doing. Letting go of any want to alter something. Letting go of any arising thought simply permitting it to change into house. Not hanging on to it. So we come again to our personal huge, spacious consciousness which is already current, which is primordially current. It’s all the time been there. Simply come again to that and relaxation. Wakeful, crisp, clear, unfabricated, completely pristine, open, full, awake.
Good. Now once more, permit inside this huge spacious consciousness, the imaginative and prescient of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara to come up with thousand arms of compassionate helpfulness and as soon as once more radiate out this love and pleasure and kindness and caring in all instructions. And really feel it for your self too. You’re a being too. Don’t skimp, don’t go away your self out. Avalokiteshvara has knowledge and kindness for all. Pleasure and kindness and love and caring filling you up and radiating out in all instructions, touching the center of all beings in every single place.
Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum.
Good. Let’s finish the meditation there. Be happy to maneuver and stretch. Be happy to maintain feeling the compassionate coronary heart of bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara for so long as you need. That’s all the time out there.
Dharma Discuss, Q&A
In different languages, Avalokiteshvara is also referred to as Guanyin or Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chenrezig.
I speak so much about vacancy, we discover the vacancy of issues. We discover an unlimited house, any specific look, any spontaneous look of something tends to or can have a tendency to only dissolve into house, or be seen as house. And that is–this understanding of vacancy and the flexibility to essentially discover it–is the knowledge part of your individual already current bodhisattva nature.
All of us have a bodhisattva nature that’s already there. It’s already full. It’s already absolutely awake in its personal proper. And its knowledge part is that it sees the vacancy of all issues. That doesn’t imply they’re not there. That doesn’t imply they’re nothing. It implies that they haven’t any inherent nature of their look within the fullest sense of that time period, however they don’t have a floor. And in order that’s the knowledge a part of our knowledge nature. That’s our deepest knowledge, this understanding of vacancy.
However what’s humorous is folks are likely to lean into simply that, like that’s it and there will be this sense that consciousness itself, huge spacious consciousness, this clear consciousness is in some way sort of impartial or type of sterile or type of chilly. Or after we say it’s empty, that may really feel prefer it’s sort of vacuous in type of an uncaring means. And that it has some sort of supreme neutrality to it. However that’s not the case. Bodhichitta, the woke up thoughts of your already current buddha nature, has that knowledge part of vacancy, nevertheless it additionally has the compassion part which is simply as deep and simply as essential. It’s completely not impartial. It’s completely form and completely caring and heat. Now that doesn’t imply it all the time looks like overwhelming gushy–it may be, you already know, robust or weak or have completely different flavors, however it’s basically caring. It’s basically form and heat and the 2 issues come collectively. They go collectively. You’ll be able to’t have one with out the opposite.
So for instance, as a result of vacancy reveals us the nonduality of self and different, there’s no actual boundary between self and different. That’s the knowledge of vacancy exhibiting the nonduality of this obvious boundary as a result of that boundary is empty, everybody else is us and we’re them. And in order that makes that fast kindness, that fast caring, and fast compassion completely pure. It’s not one thing we now have to generate, it’s simply immediately there.
And in the identical means the compassion because it arises once you actually see the struggling of others and it breaks your coronary heart open. That damaged coronary heart will present you the vacancy, will present you the nondual nature of the whole lot. The truth that there’s no actual boundary and that any sense of a boundary is a sort of a short lived and contingent fiction that we’re utilizing to only transfer via the world extra simply. However that shattered open coronary heart of complete compassion will simply reveal the vacancy of that instantly. And the type of fast and intimate and direct caring for others is the moment outcome.
That doesn’t must make us silly. There’s such a factor as fool compassion, proper, the place I suppose within the west we might name it one thing like enabling the place somebody is killing themselves with whiskey they usually simply wish to drink. Your compassion doesn’t trigger you to present them one other bottle of whiskey to alleviate their want for extra. That’s fool compassion, that’s not serving to anyone. We might name that enabling so we are able to nonetheless be clever. It’s not in some way essential to virtually injure ourselves or others to attempt to assist. That’s virtually an oxymoron. So there’s nonetheless a knowledge part in there.
There’s additionally the concept of fierce compassion that might be extra just like the anti-enabling. Like with the intention to assist somebody you may need to have a stern speak with them or an intervention or one thing. Typically the kindest factor you are able to do is be very sharp
so it doesn’t all the time appear to be, you already know, “it’s good to be good” it may possibly have some extra nuance than that, much more nuance than that. And in the identical means, vacancy is nuanced. It’s not merely that issues aren’t there or one thing. Every thing dissolves into house and that’s the tip of the story as a result of it’s not the tip of the story. Every thing that seems is itself radiant, awake house.
Even conceptual fabrication, the other of vacancy is empty and is simply radiant awake house. It could look like after we’re letting go of thought or letting thought dissolve again into awakeness, that we’re in some way in opposition to thought or anti-thought, which we’re not as a result of once more the core of every thought is itself radiant awakeness. It’s, itself, completely enlightened. We simply wish to acknowledge that, fairly than solely type of being misplaced within the jumble of thought.
So what we did tonight is type of a sluggish tonglen. Usually in the event you do the follow known as giving and receiving tonglen you do it on the in-breath and the out-breath every time, however we simply did a extremely sluggish model of it. There’s a very long time of giving compassion to the world and a very long time of taking within the sorrows. So we might name this follow sluggish tonglen. It simply offers you extra time to sort of get into every a part of it.
However once more, it’s humorous as a result of folks will are likely to suppose {that a} follow like tonglen is in some way lower than, you already know, this tremendous intense focus follow or this tremendous robust sharp vacancy follow. However that’s completely not the case as a result of once more, bodhicitta has each the knowledge of vacancy and the facility of compassion. And getting that actual sense of compassion going can drop us into awake consciousness simply as powerfully or much more powerfully than some sort of sharp vacancy follow.
And if you wish to examine how your compassion and vacancy are doing simply discover the resistance to taking over the struggling. You actually begin doing that follow if there’s you already know, “oh I wish to cowl it and conceal it, I don’t actually need it to the touch me,” and that sort of factor. There’s your edge. To that extent, we are able to look extra deeply into vacancy. Whereas, when it simply breaks you open and also you don’t maintain again, then we’re beginning to actually really feel the depth of it, the facility of it.
Questions or feedback or experiences. Sure, please converse up.
Questioner 1: Okay, I’ve two questions. I’ll simply do one first. I’m sorry if it’s annoying. I’m simply actually curious what it’s important to say, you mentioned that everybody has a compassionate nature. I’m simply questioning what about individuals who do a whole lot of unhealthy issues, how do we all know additionally they have that?
Michael: How do we all know that unhealthy folks have a compassionate nature? Even Putin has his youngsters and takes care of them, his personal youngsters. There’s slightly tiny ember seen of that compassionate nature. Individuals do get misplaced in delusion, get misplaced of their hatred, their greed, their worry, their disgust, their unhappiness. They get misplaced in that, but when we might dig out all that muck, beneath there’s a pure radiant bodhisattva of compassion.
That’s similar to in the event you think about this million-year-old diamond statue of a buddha that’s lit up from inside, nevertheless it’s simply on the backside of a thousand-mile-deep sewer, nevertheless it’s nonetheless good in there. And if we deliver it up and rinse it off, it’s completely untouched. And in order that’s the concept. Each human being is essentially sane, essentially form, essentially stunning, essentially clever, however that may get actually misplaced and coated up, particularly after a lifetime of simply piling on the delusion.
However at a sure level, you simply begin seeing that about folks. You see their very own buddha nature even when they don’t see it and that’s the weirdest factor is that typically you’ll be able to see it they usually don’t. However it’s there. And so little by little via our personal work, via our personal meditation, via our personal serving to of others and all that, that helps to disclose that in others. Or helps them to see it about themselves. However it may be humorous once you see it they usually don’t. It may be sort of a humorous second–odd humorous, not ha ha humorous. Does that make sense? Good thanks on your query.
Questioner 2: Do you’ve gotten a narrative or an anecdote or a time through which you noticed it they usually didn’t? I feel that might be a extremely fascinating problem to tug that out.
Michael: Yeah, it’s not a really satisfying story, however I keep in mind once I first actually began seeing that clearly, I might simply speak to somebody’s buddha nature. Like okay, properly clearly you perceive this, that, and the opposite. And or act as if they have to realize it. And the humorous factor is, and that is an odd option to speak, however their buddha nature does realize it.
However via all of the layers of ignorance, it’s not reaching sort of their regular thoughts and so there was a pal of mine that I labored with, and I might see this, and he was very depressed. And we had been tremendous good mates and he was fairly depressed and at first, I used to essentially speak to his buddha nature and thought that between me and speaking to his buddha nature he might simply sort of see what was occurring with him and work it out. So I labored actually actually laborious for years to sort of immediately try this and I lastly acquired it. It took a very long time for me to comprehend he doesn’t see that a part of himself. That’s why this isn’t working. He doesn’t see it in any respect and if I speak about it he thinks I’m insane. And so I realized which you could’t power that on someone and you’ll’t anticipate them to see that. Not a really satisfying story, however after some time, it turns into the story of day-after-day.
And that is one other place the place you’ll discover the compassion arising. You’ll be able to see everybody’s buddha nature they usually can’t see it about themselves and it’s very unhappy. And so that you wish to assist. However, you’ll be able to’t power that serving to on anyone so that you simply silently really feel compassion. That might sound conceited or paternal or one thing, nevertheless it’s extra like having your coronary heart damaged repeatedly. Does it sound like enjoyable to have your coronary heart damaged repeatedly? Most individuals suppose that appears like hell, however keep in mind, the buddha nature is pure compassion and in order your coronary heart is damaged it drops you again into your individual deepest knowledge, your individual most basic okayness. So we don’t resist that damaged coronary heart. We let it break additional and additional as a result of on the very furthest final brokenness, we see its completely pure awakening, pure shiny, clear wakefulness.
What else? Different questions or feedback? You bought one other query? Certain.
Questioner 1: The opposite query is once you mentioned think about all of the beings being touched by this mild of compassion and feeling pleasure.
Micheal: Sure.
Questioner 1: And on the retreat final weekend you mentioned a more durable model of that which is like think about all of the beings which might be struggling and tortured additionally obtain this pleasure. I discovered that extraordinarily laborious, particularly compared to later you mentioned think about all of the struggling, I discovered that half very easy. Simply yeah, there are such a lot of instances and the primary half is admittedly laborious. I think about others really feel the identical.
Michael: Sure, sure elements of it are actually laborious, and once I say actually laborious, I imply heartbreaking. Proper, it’s so unhappy.
Questioner 1: I discovered the unhappy half extra actual however in every single place seeing pleasure, even for individuals who are struggling, I discovered it laborious to think about that.
Michael: Hold making an attempt. It’s not about whether or not you’ll be able to actually make that occur on the earth. I imply, after all, we attempt to actually make it occur on the earth, nevertheless it’s not about some logical rational mechanism, it’s about seeing it anyway, imagining it anyway. So it’s heart-based. We’re coming again to our coronary heart, not seeing how we are able to probably make that occur in all instances. Should you’re going there you’re misplaced in ideas. And in order that’s we simply let go of the idea and are available again to that pure want that in the event you had been within the room with that particular person being tortured you’ll wish to assist them really feel higher. You’d wish to do one thing and also you need them to really feel that and you’ll do something you would. That’s what you’re beaming out to them.
Questioner 1: So is it alright to think about particular issues that I might do after which…
Michael: Completely. Completely.
Questioner 3: Sure, possibly I comply with up on that, once you give these directions which have concerned making contact ultimately with all beings, of giving one thing and receiving from all beings, I type of really feel like I can see two methods of approaching this and I’m questioning if one in every of them is type of..
Michael: Which one makes you are feeling probably the most compassion?
Questioner 3: I really feel like I can begin to get there both means. I’m unsure. Yeah, I’m unsure I can fairly get I feel I fairly really feel fully open… Do I begin with a chicken’s eye view, making an attempt to type of have a look at the whole lot without delay after which make that really feel extra concrete or type of visualizing type of faces one after the other beginning…?
Michael: Most individuals discover particular person, beginning particular person is rather more highly effective as a result of you’ll be able to relate. Yeah, that’s often, you already know, 1,000,000 folks is a statistic proper, however one particular person you’ll be able to actually relate to. So we wish to hold it on the relational degree and hold it in a means that we really really feel the compassion arising.
Sure
Questioner 4: I’ve a report. Yeah, thanks a lot
Michael: Thanks.
Two hours in the past I had a extremely traumatic factor and I simply went right into a shock state. And two of my mates right here held a extremely nice house for me. I used to be like slightly baby. I used to be like I’m unhealthy, I’m unhealthy, I’m gonna die, I wish to die. And yeah, I felt such a, like a giant weight that I needed to only not face it.
Michael: Sure.
Questioner 4: Coming right here I felt like I acquired a whole lot of aid, notably with the spaciousness after which the tonglen follow was, wow, that actually broke my coronary heart open, particularly since I used to be feeling my very own struggling after which imagining the struggling of all of those completely different folks and the way a lot worse they’ve acquired it. I actually felt with struggling day-after-day and it’s so much simpler for me to have compassion for folks than to love choose, or to love attempt to survive or no matter it was. Additionally having the center of Guanyin, receiving that first, after which receiving that once more, and being it. I felt prefer it helped deliver me out of my collapsed state… into extra of an okay, yeah, compassion I can obtain and provides.
Michael: That’s proper, that’s what that sort of visualization does. It’s a useful resource, proper? We notice we now have a whole lot of useful resource out there. And so, even when we’re, you already know, all crushed from feeling all of the struggling of the world and even simply our personal struggling we faucet into that useful resource, and guess what? It’s proper there. Proper, you think about it and it’ll begin instantly serving to.
Questioner 4: And the fascinating factor about it was that, what began serving to me, was imagining the struggling of all the opposite folks. That in some way took it out of that took me out of my very own spiral.
Michael: That’s proper, that’s proper completely.
Thanks. Good.
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