Welcome to this meditation,
Where we'll invite curiosity to gently embrace the profound wisdom of the don't know mind,
That expensive field beyond right and wrong.
As humans we long for a solid ground beneath our feet.
We crave the knowing that things will unfold just so,
That we'll be safe,
Secure.
This yearning for certainty isn't a flaw,
It's woven into our very being.
And being right feels so good,
So comforting,
Which is why sometimes without even realizing it,
We shout out new ideas or those with different views.
Yet certainty is an illusion.
We can't truly know anything for sure.
We can't know how today will unfold,
Or if our deepest held convictions might eventually soften and shift.
This isn't bad news.
Imagine how rigid and dull our life would be if we knew everything.
There would be no room for learning,
Growth,
Or delightful surprises.
The thing is it can be quite painful to admit we might be wrong or that we don't hold all the answers.
It can feel truly daunting to step into the unknown.
Yet this tender opening,
This vulnerability,
It's exactly here where the richness of practice begins.
It's an invitation to new experiences and adventures.
It's where we can genuinely meet others,
Even if their whole way of seeing the world feels utterly foreign to our own.
So in this practice we'll invite curiosity into the unknown,
Noticing where we cling to ideas,
Beliefs,
Or the need to be right.
We're noticing with this curiosity how that feels,
And then how it feels to soften that grip a little and rest in the space of not knowing,
Seeing if we can lean into that discomfort just a little.
So to begin,
Simply find a comfortable position,
Maybe seated or lying down,
Just settling into a place where you can be present and alert,
Not holding any unnecessary stiffness or tension,
Maybe just taking a moment to scan through your body,
Noticing any spots you might be holding on,
And offering them a gentle invitation to relax,
To soften just a little.
And then dropping into an awareness of your breath,
Noticing the breath coming and going.
There's no need to make it do anything,
Just simply being aware of the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
Whenever you find your mind has wandered,
And it will,
That's just what our minds do,
Simply acknowledge it without judgment,
And then with patience and kindness,
Bringing your attention back to the breath and starting fresh again and again.
And knowing that as we move through the practice,
If anything becomes too difficult,
You can always come back to the breath,
Or you could sense into the places in your body that are in contact with the ground,
Or you could do anything else you need to take care of yourself.
So letting go of the breath,
And starting to imagine this vast earth spinning through endless space.
Right now,
This very day,
Hundreds of thousands of people are being born,
And hundreds of thousands are passing away.
Can any of us truly know where life comes from,
Where it goes?
Can we know if there's life on other planets,
Or even something as simple as why elephants exist?
As we rest here,
Can we really be certain of what's happening on the other side of the world right now,
Or even what's happening just down the road from where you are?
There are so,
So many things we simply don't know for certain.
And seeing if it's possible to feel this not knowing,
And simply relax with it,
Not needing to figure anything out,
Not needing to grasp for answers,
Just resting in this expanse of,
I don't know.
Maybe it feels very freeing to be here,
Or maybe you notice some resistance.
If there's a resistance,
A tightening,
A desire to know,
Maybe offering a silent whisper of soften,
Soften.
Maybe just breathing gently into any place where you feel tight.
And next,
Bring to mind a moment five years into the future.
Just acknowledge you can't truly know what will happen then.
You can't know for sure how anything will be in your life.
Can't be certain what you'll be doing with your time,
How your body will feel,
What state your mind will be in,
Where you'll be living,
Who will be around you.
It might be exactly how you think.
Or it may unfold in ways you can scarcely imagine right now.
So seeing if it's possible to feel this personal not knowing about your own future,
And simply relax with it.
Seeing if you can loosen your grip on needing things to go a particular way,
Needing to know how your story goes.
And again,
If resistance arises,
If there's a longing for certainty,
Seeing if you can meet it with kindness,
If you can soften any tightness,
Maybe whispering soften,
Soften,
Or breathing gently into wherever you feel that holding.
And now turning our attention to a situation where you feel quite certain that you are right.
This could be a disagreement with someone,
Or an issue where your view is different from others.
Doesn't have to be a big dramatic thing,
Just somewhere you feel truly solid in your conviction that you're right and others are wrong.
So take a moment to bring this situation gently to mind.
And then get curious about how it feels in your body when you think about this situation,
When you think about being right.
Maybe there's some tightening somewhere,
Maybe in your face,
Or clenching in your hands,
Hardening in your belly.
Maybe your breath changes.
Or maybe there's a feeling of heaviness,
Of solidity.
Just notice with curiosity how it is.
Where are you experiencing this certainty most in your body?
And then being curious if just for a moment you can actually exaggerate this sensation.
Make it bigger,
Amplify it.
So if your body's tensing somewhere,
Perhaps you can hold that just a little tighter,
Really allowing yourself to feel the raw physical sensation of this being right energy.
Really noticing how this certainty manifests in your body.
And then seeing if it's possible to lighten up on the whole thing.
It's not about giving up your opinion.
It's simply inviting curiosity into the experience.
And to help us consider these questions.
Why do I believe this so strongly?
What's behind this conviction?
What would happen if the opposite were true?
Would I rather be right?
Or would I rather understand?
Is it possible there could be a pleasant surprise in being mistaken,
Of learning something new?
What might I learn from those I genuinely don't understand?
And just being curious what you notice now.
How does it feel in your body to be with this curiosity,
To be with this uncertainty,
This space of not knowing?
Being curious if anything shifted,
Even at a very subtle level,
When you invite in the I don't know,
The not sure,
The maybe,
The no absolute certainty.
Notice how it feels in your body,
Just to let go a little.
Is it possible to be with the not knowing and simply relax with it?
In our lives we'll be right about many things and we'll be wrong about many things too.
As we start to move back into the day,
Consider how it would be to approach yourself,
All the people in your life with this don't know mind,
This boundless curiosity,
This deep openness.
Keeping this openness,
This presence,
This curiosity as best you can,
Slowly coming back to the day,
Starting to become aware of your breath,
And becoming aware of your body too,
The places it's in contact with the ground,
Just allowing yourself to feel held.
Maybe taking a few deeper,
More conscious breaths,
And then moving your fingers,
Your toes,
And stretching your body however you need.
This practice is now complete.
