Awakening Courage

In this meditation, we will explore courage. The root word of courage is "cor-" which means heart (the seat of emotions). As we awaken our courage we will build the confidence to follow the manifestations of our hearts. This meditation will incorporate Tonglen (energy exchange) and Metta (loving-kindness) to inspire an expanded heart, a greater sense of love for yourself and others, and increased clarity about your passion.

Transcript

Hello,

This is davidji,

And welcome to today's meditation on the divine principle of inner fire.

In this meditation,

We will awaken our courage.

So let's find a comfortable place to settle in.

Let's gently feather our nest.

Remember comfort is queen.

And if you are to awaken your courage,

You need to come from a space of stillness and silence,

Allowing your native energies to shine forth effortlessly.

So let's close our eyes and take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in.

And gently let that go.

Let's do that one more time,

Long,

Slow,

Deep breath in.

And gently release.

And now just watch your breath as it enters you.

And witness it as it leaves.

Courage is your ability to do something that frightens you because you have found the strength to power through fear,

Pain,

Or grief.

The sacred power of your awakened heart is built on divine love and unconditional trust,

Which allows you to transcend fear in any moment.

Once you are firmly established in this state,

You've created the important foundation for you to awaken the sacred power of your passion,

Which is a force of nature.

When the divine light of your Manipura chakra,

Your solar plexus chakra,

Filled with light and shining brightly and fueled with the fortitude of laser focus,

Meets the miraculous love of your awakened heart,

Trusting completely in the unconditional support of the universe,

Courage arises naturally.

Courage is a virtue,

And like the virtues of patience and justice,

A person must be able to sustain courage in the face of difficulty or adversity.

You know how challenging it can be to maintain patience when someone is pressuring you,

Or to stand in your truth when others are pushing you to adopt a contrary belief?

These are virtues because they need to be cultivated,

Nourished,

And practiced,

No matter what the outside world is telling you.

Awakening the virtue of courage requires heart and fortitude,

The willingness to hold your feet to the fire because you trust that the universe will deliver you to exactly where you need to be.

Courage blossoms from the merging of your awakened heart and your passion because transcending your fear of the unknown requires a depth of unconditional trust.

Courage is based on the eighth state of love,

Known as surrender,

Which states,

The awakened heart in a state of surrender accepts that this moment is perfect,

No longer clings to any concerns of the past,

And fully embraces the present moment.

With no fear of the future and fully released from any past-laden grievances,

This state of love is pure and defenseless,

Willing to die to the past in every moment and released from all constrictions.

This is the highest state of love that can truly be attained by any of us.

Courage has three distinct expressions.

We can cultivate our sense of physical courage,

Fortifying our belief that our body is whole and strong and capable of doing more,

Trying more,

And getting more done.

We can cultivate our emotional courage by not taking things personally,

By feeling worthy,

And by fortifying our ability to reach outside of our comfort zone.

We can cultivate our sense of moral courage by not listening to all the contrary voices around us,

Going deeper into our shining light,

And standing up for what we know is right,

Fair,

And just.

Martin Luther King Jr.

,

A powerful archetype for the divine principle of inner fire,

Described his Manipura breakthrough moment with the words,

I move to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart.

He was able to harness,

Focus,

And channel his rage into transformational,

Nonviolent action.

Courage is awakened in that sliver of a moment where we decide to act,

Where the flame in you meets the eternal fire of the universe and you become grounded in your belief that you will take the fearless step in spite of everything around you telling you to fear.

The sacred power of passion is there to light your way as you step boldly into your power.

So let's see where that leads us right now.

Let's ask ourselves three sacred questions to awaken your passion.

First let's ask,

What is my deepest driving desire?

Right now,

What does my heart long for?

What is my deepest driving desire?

Just allow the answers to flow to you.

And next let's ask,

Why is this important to me?

Why do I care?

Why is this important to me?

And surrender,

Let your heart answer.

And next let's ask,

How much do I truly want it?

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is not at all and 10 is more than anything in life,

How much do I truly want it?

The answer to question 3 is the best determinant of your level of passion.

If you answered with a rating lower than 8,

Then your passion index is weak.

But do not despair.

That might be because you didn't go deep enough regarding your desire.

Or because you're trying to accomplish too many other things that are distracting you.

If your number was higher than 8,

Then you're ready to let your passion drive you.

Then you're ready to let courage take you to the next level of your life.

Now that you've connected to your heart,

Now that you've connected to your passion,

No matter where your number came up,

Or how badly you wanted it,

You are ready for the awakened heart meditation.

The awakened heart meditation uses your heart as a starting point for gradually radiating loving kindness outward into the world.

And then expands your circle of loving kindness.

The practice uses your breath as a vehicle to channel unconditional loving kindness,

Known in Sanskrit as metta,

To heal your heart,

And subsequently heal the hearts of others.

First place your hand on your heart and take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of unconditional loving kindness and feel it fill your heart and slowly flow it back out as you exhale.

And now take another long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of sweet metta and feel it fill your heart.

And gently release it back out as you exhale.

And now on your own,

Just slowly breathe it in and slowly let it go.

And now breathe in metta again even more deeply into your heart.

Feel it fill with love.

Feel it expand.

And slowly flow it back out to those you deeply respect,

Such as your most revered teachers or life guides.

Next take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of metta and feel it fill your heart.

Then as you exhale,

Radiate loving kindness to your loved ones,

Those near,

Far,

Those living,

And those who've left this earthly realm.

Again take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of metta and feel it fill your heart.

Feel your heart expanding with love.

And then as you exhale,

Radiate it out to all your friends,

Close and distant.

Your heart is so full right now of healing metta,

Healing expanse of love.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in.

Feel your heart expand.

You're just a love machine at this point.

And as you exhale,

Shower it onto someone you know who may be suffering,

Struggling,

Or in pain.

And stay in this space for a few moments,

Breathing in healing love and flowing it back out to someone you know who's suffering.

By this time your heart is overflowing with love,

Bursting with unconditional loving kindness.

You've got so much to give.

You are simply a channel of love.

So take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of metta and feel it fill your heart beyond its capacity.

It's overflowing with love.

And as you exhale,

Radiate it out to someone with whom you have agreements.

And let that flow for a bit.

And now take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of metta.

Feel it fill your heart.

As you exhale,

Radiate it out to all sentient beings on the planet.

See your love showering the whole earth and everything on it.

See your love creating a giant love bubble.

See your love creating a giant love bubble surrounding the planet.

And now take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in of metta.

Feel it fill your heart.

And as you exhale,

Radiate that love out into the universe,

Sending it to every corner of the galaxy.

Feel it flow into you infinitely.

And feel it flow back out infinitely.

Eternally,

You're just a conduit of love.

Infinity flows into you and flows back out.

And now breathe that metta in from every nook and cranny of the cosmos.

Feel it pour into your heart and then radiate that infinite flow back into every cell in your body.

Breathe it in,

Pull it from every nook and cranny of the cosmos,

Every corner of the galaxy,

And flow it back into every cell in your body.

And stay in this space for a few moments,

Allowing the openness of your heart to flow love,

Gratitude,

And self-compassion through every aspect of your being.

And when it feels comfortable,

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in and sigh as you exhale.

You've done a lot of heavy lifting right now.

Your heart's been expanded pretty wide.

Let's do that one more time.

Feel how much lighter your heart is.

A weight has been lifted.

An openness has been created.

Love is flowing.

In this space right now,

Love conquers all.

Love heals all wounds.

Love transcends fear.

You've got so much love right now,

There's nothing you can't do.

And throughout the day,

Allow this love,

This meta,

This sweet,

Healing,

Unconditional loving kindness to fuel your passion,

Giving you strength,

Giving you openness,

And giving you courage.

And now let's end with the sacred affirmation of the awakened heart.

Repeat out loud after me.

I am whole.

I am loved.

I am love.

I am peace.

And allow that affirmation,

I am whole.

I am loved.

I am love.

I am peace to ripple through you.

Throughout the day,

Say it out loud,

Then whisper it,

And then repeat it silently to yourself for approximately one minute.

As you move throughout the day,

Allow the divine principle of inner fire to be your guide,

To be your strength,

To be the wisdom that you breathe in and flow back into the world.

From the sweet spot of the universe,

This is David G.

Keep meditating,

Keep awakening your sacred powers,

And I'll see you in the gap.

Reviews

Clearly I’m still searching for my true purpose, desire but I do feel lighter and encouraged to seek it.

Thank you. That took me to unexpected yet very welcome places 💫

I’ve been using insight timer for many years now and have done a variety of meditations from different teachers however I find Davidji’s meditations so incredibly powerful and awakening. His voice speaks to my soul. I’m able to reach higher levels of consciousness thanks to these meditations. After this one in particular I am filled with loving-kindness. Forever grateful for Davidji! 🙏🙏 🫶

Courage, dear hearts! Thank you for the practice, Davidji.

Such a powerful effective meditation. My heart feels stronger yet lighter. Thank you 🙏🏻

What a beautiful and timely meditation. It was just what I needed in this moment. 🤗🙏💖✨

What a beautiful way to begin my day. Thank you 🙏

Love the background music. Very calming and grounding. Thank you 💜

I am a love machine. Love that phrase. Love the meditation. I feel very full and blessed. Thank you. My heart is full. ❤️🙏🏻✨

Took a while to get there. I definitely struggle with metta meditations. But with practice I’m getting better… it can be different day to day. I’ll return to this one and slowly build x namaste David !

so moving. amazing connection btw. love and courage. thank you, Davidji, for these insights. 🙏

Lovely meditation for a damp day, looking out into the countryside. Feeling inspired.

Always perfect 👌🏼 ⭐️💪🏼🙏🏼💚🇮🇪⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Namaste Sensai Ji 🙏🏼💪🏼⭐️💚⭐️🌎

Engenders a profound sense of peace in the face of adversity.

This was very powerful for me and Just the right time! Thank you

This is perfect for where I am right now, it made me aware that my true essence is love and to be loved. 💕

I love when I cross exactly with the meditation that I needed. As always, great guidance, love this one. Thanks for sharing your light to the world. 🩷

What a beautiful, loving and healing meditation.
Thank you 🙏🏼

I love this meditation- empowering my heart to get through this challenging time of my life. Thank you, Davidji!🙏❤️

Thanks so much 4 your lovely meditation. May the joy be with you. Nàmaste