Welcome,
And thank you for joining me.
This meditation is titled,
Be Here Now.
It's the fourth meditation in the Zen for Everyday Life series.
In the Gateless Gate,
There's a koan that says,
At this moment,
You will know your original face before your parents were born.
Your original face is your true nature.
It's who you are before the stories,
Before the labels,
Before the roles you've been given.
It's the you that exists when you stop reaching for the next thing.
Today,
We'll practice resting in that raw presence,
Just as you are,
Without needing to fix or change anything.
Let's begin.
Find a position where you feel supported and comfortable.
This could be seated or lying down.
As your body begins to relax,
Feel your shoulders begin to soften.
Relax your face.
Relax your jaw.
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes.
Let's begin to move our awareness toward the breath to settle the body and mind.
I'd like you to inhale for four seconds,
Hold that breath for four seconds,
And then exhale for four seconds.
Let's do three rounds together.
Go ahead and inhale,
Hold,
Now exhale,
Now inhale,
And exhale.
And one final inhale,
And exhale.
Go ahead and let your breath return now to its own natural rhythm.
There's a part of you untouched by names or roles,
Before me,
Before you,
Before the stories of your life.
Zen calls this your original face.
It does not fix,
Does not chase,
Does not judge.
It just is.
For the next few minutes,
We'll practice just being here in our original faces.
We'll let go of any tasks that need to be done today,
Letting go of good,
Bad,
Past,
Future.
We'll just sit and focus on the rhythm of our breath and practice being present with ourselves as we are,
With nothing else needed.
If it helps,
Focus on the body presence,
The breath in and out of your body,
The soft rhythm in your chest.
As we practice,
Thoughts may drift in our minds,
And that's okay.
When a thought appears,
Don't name it.
Just notice it,
And then let it pass,
Like a ripple fading on a still pond.
Take a moment to notice the simple fact that you are here,
Breathing,
Existing,
Aware.
We'll spend the next few minutes in quiet,
Simply breathing and being.
There's nothing you need to add to this moment,
And nothing to remove.
Notice how each moment feels fresh when you meet it without labels.
As we come toward the end of this practice,
Begin to return your attention to your surroundings,
The scents in the air,
Any sounds nearby,
Any gentle shifts of light.
When you're ready,
Go ahead and open your eyes.
Notice how different the world feels when you meet it from this place.
Even the simplest things,
A breath,
A heartbeat,
They feel complete when met from this new perspective.
As Zen teacher Kone Yamada said,
The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.
I invite you to carry with you the spirit of those words as you step into the rest of your day,
Hopefully with a renewed sense of connection to your breath,
To this moment,
And to the life unfolding all around you.
Thank you for practicing with me.
You are always welcome here.
Namaste.
