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Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Meditation
Now we’ll be sitting actually, actually nonetheless for an hour. I will probably be transferring to generally have a drink as a result of I’ve to speak, however apart from that I’ll attempt to be as nonetheless as potential. So make it possible for if potential, your hips are sort of rolled simply ever so barely ahead. We normally 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 high of your head the topmost high level ought to really feel prefer it’s simply being nearly like pulled upward with an invisible thread to the ceiling.
And you’ll transfer round just a bit bit together with your backbone however you’ll discover there’s simply this one excellent spot the place the completely least quantity of effort is required to maintain the again upright. In truth, it nearly simply feels prefer it’s floating upright and appears like all of you might have your chin tucked which is nice. We don’t need to get right into a state of affairs the place our chin’s mentioning like that and even too tucked. Just a bit bit in order that it retains that backbone feeling good. After which your fingers both like this or like this or this. All good.
Now as ordinary I’d such as you to only verify 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. Nevertheless it’s crucial that as you do that that it doesn’t matter what the climate is, it’s excellent. Okay, even if you happen to’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 excellent. 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 area 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 need to give attention to it, we’re simply conscious of it.
We’re being completely nonetheless. And simply discover how consciousness is already conscious. We don’t need to 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 while.
Very gently, simply staying with the breath. Once more, not focusing laborious, not attempting 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 present simple open free consciousness.
Now I would like you to just remember to’re conscious of each second of that breath. Once more, not specializing in it laborious, however merely conscious of it all through its complete cycle. Discover the arising of the in-breath and the motion of the in-breath, after which the top of the in-breath. After which generally there’s a pause there. After which discover the start of the out-breath and right through every second of the out-breath, after which the top of the out-breath. After which typically, there’s a pause there as effectively. 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 typically in right here, we do numerous sorts of visualizations. Often, I go away it slightly open. You may get sort of artistic with your personal 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, in a position to 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’re feeling that profound sense of each knowledge, the knowledge of vacancy, the knowledge of readability, and naturally additionally the super coronary heart of kindness, of caring, of pleasure and compassion.
What’s compassion? Compassion is that feeling that you just truly care and need 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 about. Compassion is about wanting to assist. Caring deeply and wanting to assist. So really feel that super sense of being considered 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 really, see a beam of pure compassion coming from the guts 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 personal coronary heart the place the picture plugs in and begins to radiate powerfully from your personal coronary heart. In order that the vitality 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 vitality 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 after they really feel pleasure and love and being cared for and peace. Actually really feel that vitality radiating out powerfully, powerfully in all instructions, and see it clearly affecting all beings. Producing infinite pleasure, infinite compassion, infinite kindness, and caring. There isn’t a restrict. It simply retains pouring via.
Remaining completely nonetheless.
Good, now we’re going to flip it round and as an alternative of bringing pleasure and kindness and caring and compassion, I would like you to absorb 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 overwhelmed and abused little one, each mistreated animal. All of the struggling of all of the beings all over the place, not simply on earth, however all over the place. Carry it into your self. Take it on in order that they don’t need to 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 vast open. If it’s not breaking your coronary heart, think about slightly extra clearly what’s actually happening on the market.
With every in-breath we absorb an increasing number of 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 swap again. We’ve taken in all of the ache, taken in all of the struggling. Now having burned that every one away solely with none the rest however knowledge, gentle, 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 all over the place.
Everybody’s scared and unhappy and trapped and alone and with none assist feels immediately 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 enable the picture of Avalokiteshvara within the coronary heart to only dissolve into area. Let all ideas dissolve into area. Let all sense of the physique dissolve into area. Let emotion dissolve into area. Let all conceptual fabrication dissolve into area 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 enable consciousness to be itself.
In case you discover your self getting caught up in thought, simply let go and fall again into open consciousness. In case 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 area a thousand and one.
Letting go of all sense of doing. Letting go of any want to vary something. Letting go of any arising thought simply permitting it to turn into area. 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, enable 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 guts of all beings all over the 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 accessible.
Dharma Discuss, Q&A
In different languages, Avalokiteshvara is also referred to as Guanyin or Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chenrezig.
I speak rather a lot about vacancy, we discover the vacancy of issues. We discover an enormous area, any explicit look, any spontaneous look of something tends to or can have a tendency to only dissolve into area, or be seen as area. And that is–this understanding of vacancy and the flexibility to essentially discover it–is the knowledge part of your personal already present 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 signifies 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 individuals are likely to lean into simply that, like that’s it and there might be this sense that consciousness itself, huge spacious consciousness, this clear consciousness is someway 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 present buddha nature, has that knowledge part of vacancy, but it surely additionally has the compassion part which is simply as deep and simply as essential. It’s completely not impartial. It’s completely variety and completely caring and heat. Now that doesn’t imply it all the time appears like overwhelming gushy–it may be, you recognize, sturdy or weak or have completely different flavors, however it’s primarily caring. It’s primarily variety 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 rapid kindness, that rapid caring, and rapid compassion completely pure. It’s not one thing now we have to generate, it’s simply immediately there.
And in the identical means the compassion because it arises if 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 brief 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 rapid and intimate and direct caring for others is the moment outcome.
That doesn’t need to 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 and so they simply need to drink. Your compassion doesn’t trigger you to provide them one other bottle of whiskey to alleviate their want for extra. That’s fool compassion, that’s not serving to anyone. We’d name that enabling so we are able to nonetheless be sensible. It’s not someway essential to nearly injure ourselves or others to attempt to assist. That’s nearly 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 as a way 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 seem like, you recognize, “it’s good to be good” it will probably 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 area and that’s the top of the story as a result of it’s not the top of the story. Every thing that seems is itself radiant, awake area.
Even conceptual fabrication, the alternative of vacancy is empty and is simply radiant awake area. It may possibly look like after we’re letting go of thought or letting thought dissolve again into awakeness, that we’re someway towards 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 need to acknowledge that, somewhat than solely type of being misplaced within the jumble of thought.
So what we did tonight is type of a gradual tonglen. Usually if you happen to do the apply known as giving and receiving tonglen you do it on the in-breath and the out-breath every time, however we simply did a very gradual 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 apply gradual tonglen. It simply provides you extra time to sort of get into every a part of it.
However once more, it’s humorous as a result of individuals will are likely to suppose {that a} apply like tonglen is someway lower than, you recognize, this tremendous intense focus apply or this tremendous sturdy sharp vacancy apply. However that’s completely not the case as a result of once more, bodhicitta has each the knowledge of vacancy and the ability 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 apply.
And if you wish to verify how your compassion and vacancy are doing simply discover the resistance to taking up the struggling. You actually begin doing that apply if there’s you recognize, “oh I need to cowl it and conceal it, I don’t really 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 ability 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 you must say, you mentioned that everybody has a compassionate nature. I’m simply questioning what about individuals who do a number of unhealthy issues, how do we all know in addition they have that?
Michael: How do we all know that unhealthy individuals have a compassionate nature? Even Putin has his kids and takes care of them, his personal kids. There’s slightly tiny ember seen of that compassionate nature. Individuals do get misplaced in delusion, get misplaced of their hatred, their greed, their concern, 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 if you happen to think about this million-year-old diamond statue of a buddha that’s lit up from inside, but it surely’s simply on the backside of a thousand-mile-deep sewer, but it surely’s nonetheless excellent in there. And if we carry it up and rinse it off, it’s completely untouched. And in order that’s the concept. Each human being is basically sane, basically variety, basically lovely, basically sensible, however that may get actually misplaced and lined up, particularly after a lifetime of simply piling on the delusion.
However at a sure level, you simply begin seeing that about individuals. You see their very own buddha nature even when they don’t see it and that’s the weirdest factor is that generally you’ll be able to see it and so they don’t. Nevertheless 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 if you see it and so they 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 might have a narrative or an anecdote or a time wherein you noticed it and so they didn’t? I feel that might be a very fascinating problem to drag 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, effectively clearly you perceive this, that, and the opposite. And or act as if they need to comprehend it. And the humorous factor is, and that is an odd technique to speak, however their buddha nature does comprehend it.
However via all of the layers of ignorance, it’s not reaching sort of their regular thoughts and so there was a good friend of mine that I labored with, and I might see this, and he was very depressed. And we have 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 happening with him and work it out. So I labored actually actually laborious for years to sort of immediately try this and I lastly bought it. It took a very long time for me to understand 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 discuss it he thinks I’m insane. And so I discovered which you could’t power that on someone and you may’t count on them to see that. Not a really satisfying story, however after some time, it turns into the story of every single 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 and so they can’t see it about themselves and it’s very unhappy. And so that you need to assist. Alternatively, you’ll be able to’t power that serving to on anyone so that you simply silently really feel compassion. That might sound boastful or paternal or one thing, but it surely’s extra like having your coronary heart damaged constantly. Does it sound like enjoyable to have your coronary heart damaged constantly? Most individuals suppose that seems 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 personal deepest knowledge, your personal most elementary 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 vivid, clear wakefulness.
What else? Different questions or feedback? You bought one other query? Certain.
Questioner 1: The opposite query is if you mentioned think about all of the beings being touched by this gentle of compassion and feeling pleasure.
Micheal: Sure.
Questioner 1: And on the retreat final weekend you mentioned a tougher model of that which is like think about all of the beings which can 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 components 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 all over the place seeing pleasure, even for many who are struggling, I discovered it laborious to think about that.
Michael: Hold attempting. It’s not about whether or not you’ll be able to actually make that occur on this planet. I imply, after all, we attempt to actually make it occur on this planet, but it surely’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. In case 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 if you happen to have been within the room with that particular person being tortured you’ll need to assist them really feel higher. You’d need to do one thing and also you need them to really feel that and you’ll do something you might. That’s what you’re beaming out to them.
Questioner 1: So is it okay to think about particular issues that I might do after which…
Michael: Completely. Completely.
Questioner 3: Sure, possibly I comply with up on that, if you give these directions which have concerned making contact indirectly 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 considered one of them is type of..
Michael: Which one makes you’re feeling probably the most compassion?
Questioner 3: I really feel like I can begin to get there both means. I’m undecided. Yeah, I’m undecided I can fairly get I feel I fairly really feel utterly open… Do I begin with a fowl’s eye view, attempting to type of have a look at the whole lot directly 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 far more highly effective as a result of you’ll be able to relate. Yeah, that’s normally, you recognize, one million individuals is a statistic proper, however one particular person you’ll be able to actually relate to. So we need to hold it on the relational degree and hold it in a means that we truly 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 very traumatic factor and I simply went right into a shock state. And two of my mates right here held a very nice area for me. I used to be like slightly little one. I used to be like I’m unhealthy, I’m unhealthy, I’m gonna die, I need 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 bought a number of aid, significantly with the spaciousness after which the tonglen apply was, wow, that basically 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 individuals and the way a lot worse they’ve bought it. I actually felt with struggling every single day and it’s rather a lot simpler for me to have compassion for individuals than to love choose, or to love attempt to survive or no matter it was. Additionally having the guts of Guanyin, receiving that first, after which receiving that once more, and being it. I felt prefer it helped carry 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 now we have a number of useful resource accessible. And so, even when we’re, you recognize, 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 individuals. That someway 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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