So good to have you here today.
So,
Yes,
Let's today focus on the heart of the practice,
Which is doing nothing.
There are so many ways,
And we've looked at this a bit,
Of how we don't do nothing during a practice.
There's so many ways we interfere with this moment.
We get in the way of this moment by trying to do something.
And part of trying to do something in meditation practice is often trying to achieve a certain result,
Trying to reach a certain expectation,
Trying to be something.
So the invitation today is to let all that go and literally do nothing,
To add nothing to this moment.
So whatever's going on,
Whatever you experience as we go through this practice,
That's the practice.
Don't add to it by trying to stop something from happening,
By interfering with it,
By resisting.
Don't add to it by trying to achieve a certain state or experience.
Just this,
Just this.
Right now it's like this.
So let's get started.
Now a good way to settle in is to find a nice awake posture on your cushion or chair or whatever it is you're sitting on.
Move around a little perhaps,
Just until you find yourself aligned with gravity.
And then to settle in,
You may wish to take a couple of deep breaths,
Just to really settle into your center and center in and settle into this space right now.
You may wish to have your eyes closed or a soft downward gaze.
Just allow your breathing to flow freely,
As free as it wants to be right now.
No freer and no less free.
You may notice your belly rising and falling with each breath.
That's a good indication that your breath is relaxed and that your body is relaxing.
And without doing anything to make it happen,
Just allowing relaxation to take place right throughout this practice.
There'll be times when your body just,
And a part of your body often,
Just says,
I want to relax.
And don't get in the way of that.
The question may arise,
What should I be doing if I'm doing nothing?
Well,
Nothing.
And that may look like noticing what is happening.
Receptivity,
An open receptivity to this moment.
There will be thoughts,
They arise.
And just notice,
Notice how you interact with those thoughts.
Because the moment that you are interacting with a thought,
You're doing something.
The thoughts arise,
That's not doing anything.
That's just thoughts arising.
Engaging with that thought,
Or resisting that thought,
Trying to stop that thought,
Are all ways of interacting,
Of doing something.
Seeing thoughts as they arise,
Is just seeing.
You don't have to do anything to see,
To notice.
So just notice.
Notice where you just see and notice where you interact in some way with your thoughts.
And this is where it gets interesting.
Don't stop yourself from interacting with the thoughts,
Because that would be doing something.
Just see yourself interacting with the thoughts and see what happens.
You may notice something similar with sensations in the body.
Sometimes you may notice tension,
Or some form of bodily resistance,
Discomfort.
Again,
Don't resist the resistance.
Don't try to make it better.
Don't try to fix it.
Don't try to fix the discomfort.
Don't try to fix the tension.
Don't even try to release the tension.
Just notice the tension.
Just see it.
And as your mind and body continue to relax into this moment,
Notice what changes by itself,
Without your engagement,
Without your interference.
Relaxing into this moment,
Settling into this moment,
Surrendering to this moment as it is.
No embellishment.
Noticing what would stand between me and this moment as it is.
The answer is in the way that you interact with this moment,
The way you interfere with this moment.
The answer is me.
This is what would stand between me and this moment.
Just me.
Basking in the utter perfection of this moment.
The perfection of discomfort,
The perfection of busyness of mind,
The perfection of noise,
Whatever this moment offers.
All complete,
Perfect.
Noticing the mind's desire to define,
To make meaning,
To explain.
That's all.
Just notice that it does that.
Don't try to stop it.
Don't engage.
Don't get involved with that thought stream.
Just see it arising.
Noticing the myriad ways we attempt to control this moment.
We attempt to try and make it something other than what it is.
Just seeing that,
Seeing that arise.
Noticing judgments as they arise.
This is good.
This is bad.
This is right.
This is wrong.
Even this is as it should be.
And allowing them to be without engaging.
Just seeing.
Just seeing.
Noticing naming as it occurs.
Naming a particular experience or a particular sound.
And noticing how with every name comes a story.
How every story is a series of thoughts.
So when you notice naming arising,
Just notice it.
Don't try to stop it.
Don't pursue it.
Just see it.
And notice the juxtaposition of naming and not naming.
How the two are notably different.
Doing nothing.
Just sitting here.
Being.
Noticing.
Surrendering to this moment.
Just this.
All of it.
All of it.
Just this.
Sensing falling into body now.
All body.
Tip of the toes to the top of the head.
Grounded.
Solid.
All.
Sensing into body as an entity.
Born.
Sensing into the you-ness of this moment.
This is you now.
All body.
Mind.
Senses.
Thank you for your practice.
