Hello again and welcome.
This meditation is one of the first meditations that I was taught.
As a young monk.
And it's a candle,
You can use a candle or a flower.
The idea of this meditation is to slowly train the mind,
To be absolutely focused on one thing only.
And in this case,
I have a candle here.
Some of you may also have candles,
Or as I said,
A flower is fine.
The idea is that we begin the meditation.
Firstly,
We just come to our breath.
So we come into a place of steadiness and stillness.
And then we light the candle and then we just simply gaze at the flame.
And I will then guide you.
Through the exercise.
And then at the end of this experience,
What this meditation does teach us.
Is that regardless of where we are in the outer world.
With our eyes,
We're seeing,
We're experiencing.
And it helps us develop a sense of purpose.
Deep connection.
And more intimate awareness.
Whatever it is that we're engaging with.
Rather than what perhaps would be.
Very judgmental or critical.
Assessment on the surface.
That given by mind.
So we learn to see from a deeper perspective.
From a perspective of.
Compassion and discernment.
And a more open appreciation for what we're engaging with.
And that means that wherever we go.
.
.
We can be in the presence.
And the readiness of a meditation.
So we're not actually engaging the world.
From a judgemental point of view.
We're experiencing the world from a deeper,
Quieter perspective.
More spacious.
Compassionate.
Expanded awareness.
All right so To begin with,
Just close your eyes.
Breathing in and out through our cervix,
Close your eyes and mouth.
Breathing in through our nose.
Bring your focus,
Your attention to simply following the path of your breath.
Breathing in quietly and calmly.
Everything is relaxed,
Everything is slowing down.
We're coming back into the natural rhythm of the body.
Back into a calm,
Relaxed,
Still state.
Awareness of simply following the gentle movements of the flow.
Aware breath.
And spend a few moments here just coming into that.
Mind free.
Quiet presence.
Of spacious awareness,
Then you can move your candle flame or your flower to a point where it is directly in front of your eyes,
And you can do the same.
I'll light this candle flame now.
Here we go.
Now.
Just gently with your eyes,
Just sort of half close them.
Let them rest.
You're not really staring with open eyes.
You're not squinting.
But you're just allowing your eyes to.
.
.
Very quietly and naturally relax.
And gaze,
Put all of your attention on following.
Absorbing the qualities,
Internalizing,
Being the witness.
Of this object and in this case It is the candle flame.
With an open heart.
What are you seeing?
What are you experiencing?
All simply is,
The mind is focused.
Our full attention is on this flame.
You may have a sense of its colour.
Its shape its gentle soft movements.
It's warm.
It's radiance.
Its simplicity.
Now as you breathe in,
Begin to internalize.
What you are.
Witnessing externally.
As you breathe in,
Bring that tiny flame into the centre of your chest.
Into the center of your being.
And see you Feel it,
Experience it.
Burning brightly within.
Illumining spreading its radiance,
Its warmth.
You're making the connection.
At the same time externally and internally.
Nothing is separate.
One experience.
One moment of awareness.
Undivided.
Not separated in any way.
What you see is what you feel.
One expression.
And be fully present.
And as you breathe in each incoming breath allows that tiny flame to expand.
Become brighter and brighter.
Its radiance,
Its light,
Filling entirely.
The space within the timelessness of your inner being.
It's radiance.
Fills all part of the physical body.
And then beyond,
Moving out from the body.
Out through the walls of the body,
Out into the atmosphere,
Around into the room where you are.
And still it grows with each incoming breath.
Until finally it's moves into the very essence of the conscious.
Expansive awareness of the cosmos itself.
One tiny flame now.
The luminous essence.
Within the timelessness of being.
Now close your eyes.
Now be fully present.
In the stillness of it.
Ones are luminous.
Timeless awareness.
Originating in the body.
For now,
Timelessly,
Eternally.
Experience.
Within the beyond.
One open field.
On open.
Timeless presence.
Of inseparable awareness.
Remain absolutely still.
And if the mind begins to wander,
Just come back,
Open your eyes again and come back and gaze at the flame.
Internalize.
What you are seeing,
What you are witnessing.
All is calm,
All is still.
Close your eyes again.
And there is no sense of a physical body.
This is pure radiance.
The radiance of one's being.
Be here.
Each breath.
Allows this.
A luminous presence.
To just simply keep going.
Expanding.
Into the silence.
Into the stillness.
And this luminous Radiance.
Is the essence of Oneness.
True being.
One's essential nature.
Where all is one.
Light radiance.
Oh,
Love.
Inseparable.
Eternal.
Unborn.
Now when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes again.
Come back into the awareness.
Of this flame,
This radiance within your being.
Come back into the body.
So this wonderfully simple exercise is powerful in the way that it completely focuses the mind to be aware of one thing.
And in that space of no thinking.
We open ourselves.
To that which is the timeless stillness presence.
The illuminous radiance of our being.
And even though now the candle flame is not in front of us.
We are still fully present in its radiance.
Which is the very core.
The unmoving background.
Within all experiencing and all points of view.
Our timeless nature.
That never leaves us.
And as we go into the world,
With open eyes as we interreact.
We are seeing all.
Through their deeper,
Quieter spaces.
Luminosity which doesn't see difference.
Which doesn't.
Experience separation.
All is one field.
On open spaces.
Conscious awareness.
We're free of a mind that constantly wants to label and judge.
And analyse and criticise.
And see separateness and division.
Were able to witness the world in a much softer light.
More conscious.
More open way.
One of empathy.
Kindness,
Joy.
Self-giving love.
So this exercise is a wonderful one to return to.
If in your practice you are struggling a little bit with that sense of oneness presence,
Just come back to this simple yet very,
Very powerful exercise.
To the candle meditation.
Blessings to you all.
