Good morning everybody,
Welcome to this meditation.
So we'll just come into our meditation posture,
Having a straight back.
Close our eyes.
Take a nice long deep breath in through our nose.
On the out breath we're just going to relax into that out breath.
We're going to do that again.
Nice long in breath through our nose.
On the out breath we're just going to relax into that out breath.
We're going to do that one more time,
A nice long in breath through our nose.
On the out breath we're going to relax fully into that out breath.
Really notice what releases for you on that second and that last out breath.
Just allow yourself to relax into this sense of being,
This sense of being present.
Being here,
Knowing that you're here.
Just forget any of your cares and worries.
Let go of any attention on your thinking or any striving to be present.
You don't need to strive to be present.
There's no effort in being present.
There's no effort to be in the present moment.
Everything you do is in the present moment.
When you're thinking about the past that happens in the present moment.
Thinking about the future that also happens in the present moment.
Present moment is the only thing that's going on so you don't need to do anything to be present.
Often a question is how do I be more present?
You can't be more present than you are.
Present moment is who you are.
It's part of your being.
All that happens is that we identify with our thinking.
We take our sense of self into the past and the future by identifying with our thoughts.
We create an experience around that.
We start to fill that experience.
We have the identification with our thinking.
Being present,
Being here,
Being in the moment has nothing to do with not thinking about the past or the future.
Has nothing to do with planning or not planning.
It's just a simple recognition.
Simple recognition of knowing that everything is happening right now.
This moment is inevitable.
And every moment up until this moment has been inevitable.
The only way it can be.
The acceptance of that,
The acceptance of this moment is inevitable.
It brings you freedom and liberation.
It can't be any other way.
The next moment is pure potential,
Pure limitless potential opportunity.
At this moment right now,
It's inevitable.
I mean,
You see that,
But it can't be any other way.
This moment is only happening the way it can happen.
It makes no sense to resist the moment,
Not be present in it,
Not want it to be any different.
We can accept this moment and everything that it brings with a sense of openness and total acceptance for what's going on right now.
Just be open to your experiences happening right now.
Just look inside and look at everything that's going on,
Whatever emotions you have,
Whatever feelings that are happening,
Whatever thinking that you have,
Whatever sensations or the sounds in your environment.
Just see the inevitability of all of that.
Resist any part of it,
Push any of it away,
Want it to be any different than it is.
This is the only way it can be.
It's all just happening.
Life is unfolding exactly as the way it should.
In that acceptance,
In that total acceptance and the inevitability of this moment,
That's where you find peace,
Understanding,
Compassion and love.
This is what we mean by unconditional love,
Unconditional acceptance for things as they are.
I can be in love and still be angry.
I can be in love and still be frustrated.
They're just passing energies,
Passing emotions,
Passing thoughts that go through me.
I can accept them all as I would accept an old friend.
I don't need to go out into the world of things to find a reason for these experiences.
They just happen.
It's in that acceptance I see that I'm totally responsible.
Have the ability to respond rather than to react.
We're just going to sit for a few moments with our experience and just allow it all to unfold.
Allowing anything to come up that needs to come up.
Allowing thinking to be as it is.
Allowing everything to come up.
Allowing everything to come up.
Just rest in this peace of acceptance.
It's only when I accept everything as it is.
So just accepting this sense of separation,
This sense of separate self,
That I see that there's no self to accept.
There's nobody here that needs to do the accepting.
Acceptance just happens.
Acceptance is part of perception.
You don't need to struggle to perceive anything.
Perception just happens.
Experience just happens.
When I create this sense of separate self,
This sense of self that doesn't want to have an experience,
Do I suffer?
Acceptance is inevitable.
Just as this moment is inevitable.
Acceptance has nothing to do with rolling over or giving up.
Has nothing to do with just putting up with an experience or accepting a life of misery and suffering.
Acceptance is just acceptance of this moment,
The inevitability of the moment.
The next moment is completely free.
The next moment you have complete opportunity to respond.
The next moment you have all opportunities available to you.
This moment,
This moment is inevitable.
Acceptance just means acceptance of this moment.
Let's just sit and accept this moment with complete openness,
Unconditional love and compassion and just allow the moment to be as it is.
Let's just sit and accept this moment.
Let's just sit and accept this moment.
Notice if there is any sense of resistance,
Any sense of not wanting this experience or this thought.
Then just soften around that resistance.
Soften open.
This moment is inevitable.
Will happen as it needs to happen.
Let's just sit and accept this moment.
Let's just sit and accept this moment.
Let's just sit and accept this moment.
There is no where you need to be,
No one you need to become,
Nothing you need to do,
Never anything to strive for.
Everything you need is right here.
Acceptance of love,
Compassion,
Openness,
Acceptance and understanding.
It's all within.
It's not outside in the world of objects,
In the world of things.
You can't find it in your relationships.
You can't find it in your jobs,
In your role,
In your idea of yourself,
In this self-image that you create.
It's all right here.
Just look within to find it,
Not outside in the world of things.
In a moment we're going to come back to this body-mind,
To this particular body-mind's experience of life.
I'm just going to bring with us this sense of inevitability of the moment,
Accepting this moment as it is,
Knowing that's the only way it can be,
Also knowing that the next moment is limitless.
All possibilities exist in the next moment.
And all we have to do is find acceptance in this moment.
Whenever you're ready,
Take one deep breath in through your nose,
A nice long out-breath through your mouth.
And blink open your eyes and come back to the room.
