So we can now do a lovely bit of meditation.
So if you like to get yourself nice and comfy,
It's a little bit early,
It's 7.
29 on the big clock over there.
Just wait for everyone to come in.
Tomorrow I'm going over to Indonesia to teach a meditation retreat.
When I go anywhere,
It's not on a holiday,
It's really sort of tough teaching lots of people how to meditate in Indonesia.
I really have to work hard just because the retreat is being held in the Sheraton Hotel.
I keep all the best gigs to myself and give the hard ones to the other monks.
Now 300 people come in to do a meditation retreat.
So we take over the whole hotel.
And 300 people get very cheap rates and very good value for money.
So if any of you are ever interested,
Once a year we do this retreat.
Last time it was in Thailand,
In Kowlark.
This time in Jogjakarta.
So if any of you are interested in that,
A nice holiday come retreat,
It's a nice place to go.
Of course,
Jhana Grove is the best,
That's six star retreat center.
But these other places are still very good.
If you want to go on a bit of a holiday,
Have a nice little retreat,
Maybe just go off after the eight or nine days,
Go elsewhere.
It's a wonderful place to stay.
You can also bring your kids along with you because the people in the hotel look after the kids,
You see your kids at breakfast,
Then you're off meditating and see them at lunch and then they're off playing around with the hotel staff and see them in the evening.
But you can actually meditate all the time,
Have a bit of peace and quiet.
So anyway,
That's where I get up,
What I do next week.
So when it's very cold next week,
Just think of me meditating by the pool in the shower,
Not lounging,
Meditating.
So here we go.
I do actually work hard when I go overseas.
So now is the time to meditate by the five star meditation hall at Nollamara Dhammaloka Center.
So if you'd like to close your eyes.
Just start to bring all your attention to this body of yours,
This vehicle which you use throughout the day and sometimes do not pay enough attention to your poor old body.
Just don't use force,
Just let the attention rest on this body.
And get to know her.
What does it feel like?
After a few seconds or a minute or two,
You'll start to become aware of your bodily feelings and sensations.
You start being mindful of your body.
You start to feel some of the aches and the pains.
And especially if you haven't put your body in a comfortable position.
There's so many injuries,
Even sicknesses come because we're not aware of our body and we either sit down in an uncomfortable position or we move in a not helpful way because we're not aware of what we're doing.
So bringing up awareness or mindfulness of the body has huge benefits,
Not only in the meditation but in the rest of your day.
As you become more aware of your body,
If you need to move,
Please move.
Don't just be aware,
Do something about the problems.
It's called compassion.
If you want to move the body,
To adjust it,
Do so.
If you want to scratch,
To cough,
Please do so.
As I often say,
If there is an ache or a pain inside of your body,
In a place where you cannot reach with your hand,
You can always reach there with your awareness and your kindness.
There's an ache,
Say,
In your intestines.
Be aware of that feeling.
Be as fully aware as you can and then give it compassion.
The same way you give compassion to,
Say,
A little kitten who's been hurt or a child who's crying or a bird who's got a wounded wing.
Look with the same type of mind full of kindness to this part of your body inside which is wounded.
Just need your kindness to heal.
Your awareness should show that feeling,
Relaxing.
The intensity of the pain getting less.
Kindness is healing.
Your whole body is relaxing.
.
.
.
Relaxing the body as much as you can.
See if you can notice what it feels like to be relaxed.
That delightful sensation of a body at ease.
Not holding things tight.
Not having parts of your body stretched or compressed.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Once the body is as relaxed as you can make it,
Then turn your attention to your mental world.
See if you can relax that.
So the mind like your body being pulled this way and that way.
Being compressed by fear or anger.
Being pulled by desires and wanting.
Just loosen everything up.
See if you want just to be here.
Not lingering on anything from the past.
When you let go of the past,
You let go of guilt and anger and remorse.
When you let go of the future,
You let go of anxiety,
Fear,
Desires.
See if you can be here in this moment.
This amazing place called now.
The place where there is no anxiety or fear.
The place where there is no anger or guilt.
Because all those things live in the future or the past.
Just here,
Being here.
A human being,
Not a human past,
Not a human future.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
A human being.
In the present moment,
See if you can be silent.
No need to have a conversation inside your head.
If you find it difficult to be silent,
Use a little mantra,
Say the Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Put spaces between the words.
Aum,
Mani,
Padme,
Aum.
As you get more relaxed,
Lengthen the spaces between the words.
You can use another mantra if you like.
Have spaces between the words and lengthen them.
As the words come in,
Close down the spaces.
You can adjust the spaces to suit what you need to become aware in silence.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
Getting close to the end of the meditation again,
Just notice how you feel.
Notice where this meditation is taking you to,
What's it like now,
What does it feel like being peaceful,
Being relaxed.
Aum,
Mani Padme Hum.
