Breathing & Brahma Viharas for Life's Difficulties

A set of practices for developing contentment in response to life's challenges. Recorded live with some background noise.

Transcript

Go now to the slow breath in and out through your nose with all the relaxation that wants to arise.

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And drenched in your breath,

Move to a normal speed in and out through your nose.

Let it relax your heart and your body and your mind.

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And now staying relaxed,

A fast breath.

Rest in this energy and finish with a slow breath and really rest.

And now a body scan the small heavenly circuit.

I'll talk you through.

Put your attention on the top of your head and just notice any holding,

Any knitting that naturally has arisen from all the busyness of life.

And see what rest wants to arise.

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Put your attention on your brow.

There too,

See if there's any knitting that's holding any worry.

Natural worry,

It's fine,

It's supposed to come up now so that we can relieve it.

And send that worry kindness in the form of physical relaxation.

Turn to your upper palate and let it rest.

Let it get soft.

And feel all that soft energy there.

And put your attention on your throat.

This is one real seat of emotion.

Just see what's there.

Whatever it is,

It's fine.

And again send kindness in the form of good wishes and relaxation.

Do the same to your heart center,

Especially if there are worries and heartaches.

Send kindness and let that come to the foreground of your mind.

Because we're able to experience this,

Particularly in times of difficulty,

Pain,

Fear.

This kindness really can come to the foreground,

Can really support us.

So explore that possibility.

Put your attention just below your navel.

Let that spot rest and let energy that's there,

Again let it be there.

And let that sustain you.

And rest your body on your chair.

And right at the bottom of your torso as your body rests.

Just let everything be relaxed and soft.

Rest in the face of any natural weariness.

Feel your tailbone and all the little muscles all around there.

These two let them rest and release.

And the same with the two spots just above your waist on either side of your spine.

And just feel any warmth or energy in your sacrum from your tailbone to above your waist.

And as you sit,

Let the rest that you're sending to this spot,

Let it radiate any energy that's there and let yourself enjoy it.

Feel the spot,

The big bone right at the base of your neck that connects all the muscles,

All the connective tissues for your shoulders.

So that your shoulders and your wing bones and your arms can really rest.

And again just notice if any energy does arise.

And whatever's true,

That's the best thing.

Put your attention on the base of your skull and those two little points of bone either side of the top of your neck.

Release and relax.

And then go back to the top of your head.

And now to help us with our relationship with the suffering caused by the difficulties of the unavoidable things in life,

The suffering caused by the pain of sickness,

Old age,

And death.

We can't stop the pain of these things.

But the practices that we're going to do builds our relationship with ourselves around it and really eases the suffering.

So these practices again,

They're called the Brahma Viharas or divine abodes,

The divine abodes of the heart and the mind.

The Dalai Lama refers to them as the four immeasurables because of the immeasurable contentment that they bring as we practice them and as we rest in these places.

The first one we're going to do right now is called Upeka,

Which can be translated as equanimity.

But the sense of equanimity,

The connotation,

Is really that of heart's ease.

And we start with this because of the heart's ease that it brings.

And then it helps us to do the other practices of kindness,

Goodwill,

And compassion.

So think of a situation that's not as you would like,

But that's bearable to practice with just now to strengthen your heart's ease.

It's an experiment.

So the situation and the person,

It's your choice.

And if it's too much or not challenging enough,

You get to change.

That's just meditative skill.

See what comes to mind.

And we'll start with these wishes.

And if you have a variant in your heart of these wishes that I'll say,

Let those arise in your mind and heart as well.

So in spite of all my best intentions,

Things are as they are.

I know this.

And it may not feel good the way things are.

But feel your best intentions.

And let your relationship with your best intentions,

Let that support you and rest in that in the face of what is.

Rest in the support of your best intentions.

And again,

In spite of my best intentions and all my good actions,

I can't control others' actions,

Words,

Or thoughts.

And again,

That may be very frustrating,

But rest in the support of your best intentions in the face of that.

And let your heart and mind be supported.

And may any difficult or recalcitrant person that's in your mind right now,

Send two wishes.

The first is may your heart be at ease in the face of that.

The second is may their heart be at ease.

Not may they continue to be difficult,

But may they find some heart's ease,

Which their current actions may not reflect.

Send a wish for heart's ease for you and for them and rest in that.

Take a look at this wish for heart's ease and just check that it's really a pure wish for their heart's ease.

Not may they stop pestering me,

But may they have some freedom to find a way to heart's ease.

So that everybody can rest from the disentanglement.

Heart's ease for you,

Heart's ease for them.

And rest in this disentanglement that frees us from pain and causes contentment to arise.

Rest in that heart's ease and bring it forward.

And we'll do karuna,

The compassion practice.

And I'll send the wishes out for you.

You just drop them into your heart.

Let them have their effect.

See who you want to direct this compassion to.

Again,

It's an experiment.

What would be doable and most helpful?

For yourself,

For some dear one,

For someone difficult.

This practice trusts your intelligence and your good sense.

And the first wish,

May your suffering end.

May happiness return.

May safety and contentment return.

May heart's ease return.

Feel that wish at the end of suffering and for the return of contentment.

Drop it into your heart and send it out.

And again,

What these wishes do is support your relationship with what's true and difficult.

So it can't magically cure,

But it can bring kind interaction to the foreground.

And think about how sustaining that is,

How wonderful that may feel,

And just rest in that.

Rest in the truth of the support of this kind interaction in the face of life's difficulties.

And we'll do the compassion wishes again.

And just remember,

It's the wishes that are going to sustain us right now,

So it's not that you have to find a way to solve the problem.

You just get to benefit from these good wishes and rest in that as I send them to you.

May your difficulties end.

May your suffering end.

And may your contentment,

Happiness,

And heart's ease return.

And just very gently choose to put that in the foreground.

The difficulty may be great,

And if so,

A strong way to bring this to the foreground is to see how these difficulties affect your breath and your physical body,

And see how to make that as comfortable as possible.

Kind wishes by easing your breath and your body.

Rest in that powerful antidote.

And for a little bit of further cheer,

We'll do Mudita.

This is empathetic joy.

And when things are really difficult,

This can be a really powerful way to address it.

Now,

When we say the wishes for us,

Think of someone who is dear to you and see them in some happy state.

Your example works right now.

And send this dear one the wish,

May your happiness continue.

Feel the truth of their happiness,

It's an accurate perception of reality in the midst of all the other things.

May your happiness continue.

May your happiness grow.

Really take them in.

May your happiness affect you,

Because it's a true happiness.

I am happy that you are happy.

May your happiness grow.

May your happiness continue.

I am happy that you are happy.

Every time we practice Mudita,

What we're doing is we're growing our ability to see all of reality.

And to take in all of reality.

Along with the truth of all of the suffering that can hit us so hard in the face and the body.

There's the truth of this happiness.

And we're allowed to enjoy it because it's really accurate.

And it really sustains and it helps us deal with all the other things.

So rest in that knowledge that what our practice does is that it grows a wider,

Fuller,

Accurate version of reality.

And helps us foreground the things that are sustaining.

So that more and more we can be with that as well.

And we can be peaceful and helpful to ourselves and others throughout our lives.

And listen to the sound of the bell.

And take in your feelings.

And then without any hurry,

Open your eyes when you're ready.

When you've let yourself rest in anything good that has arisen.

Reviews

This is very helpful. Gentle but profound approach to uncontrollable difficulties I’m experiencing. Thank you.

Dear Beth,
Thank you , this is very helpful.
I needed this one.
🙏

A heartful and grounded journey into the Brahma Viharas Thankyou

I really needed this beautiful teaching today. It is so helpful in calming my anxious mind that tends to focus on areas I’ve been hurt. I need to apply these thoughts to my life each day. Thank you.