So today,
I thought we might explore a different way to approach what we tend to approach these Saturday mornings.
And this one's inspired by Mooji,
Who some of you may be familiar with.
Like so many gurus,
He's definitely flawed.
There are some concerns around Mooji,
But he does need a good meditation and a good satsang.
So yes,
This is inspired by him,
At least to begin with.
So I invite you to all settle in in whatever way works best for you.
It may involve moving around a little on your cushion or chair or whatever you're sitting on.
It may involve taking some deep breaths.
It may involve a little bit of stretching or twisting.
Feel free to settle in.
What we're looking for is an awake posture,
One that aligns with gravity,
And a relaxed posture,
And a relaxed attitude,
A relaxed approach.
Just recognizing that with tension comes a lot of interference with just the way things are.
And with meditation,
With this kind of meditation in particular,
We're really trying to open to the way things are.
So to begin this practice,
The beginning of this practice,
The invitation is just to get started.
And I'm not going to be asking you to do this for a long period of time.
To get started,
To drop all thoughts of the past,
All thoughts of the future,
And all thoughts of the present.
Just for a few moments,
See if that's possible.
Just as they arise,
Just,
I don't need this right now.
I don't need this right now.
I don't need this thought of the past or this thought of the future or this thought of the present.
If you're familiar with thoughts,
You'll know that they come back.
So you're not going to lose it just by dropping it.
And as we drop these thoughts,
The invitation is to explore what remains,
The space that remains.
It's not nothing,
Is it?
It's not a void.
It's not an abyss.
It's something here.
What is it?
And I don't need an explanation.
I don't need a description.
I need it.
I'm inviting an exploration,
An experiential exploration.
Noticing that any kind of description is another thought,
That that may be a thought of the present.
So I don't need a description.
I don't need a name.
What is this space?
What do we notice about this space?
Does it have a beginning?
Does it have an end?
Does it have a personality?
Does it suffer in any way,
Physically,
Mentally,
Emotionally?
Does it have a religion?
Does it have boundaries,
Physical boundaries,
Interpersonal boundaries?
Does it have a name?
Is there anything it does not touch?
Does it change?
Is it boring in any way?
The invitation for this practice is to inhabit this space,
To explore this space,
To be one with this space,
To notice what comes between me,
And there's a clue,
And this space.
And whenever I find myself,
Or whenever you find yourself,
Outside of that space,
Seemingly outside of that space,
Is giving yourself permission to drop all thoughts of the past,
All thoughts of the future,
And all thoughts of the present,
Just for this moment.
All it ever is,
Is just this moment.
You don't have to do it in perpetuity.
You don't have to do it for the duration of this practice.
You don't have to do it.
And allowing yourself,
If you so feel,
For one moment,
To drop all thoughts of the past,
The future,
And the present.
That's all,
Just for a moment.
And when those thoughts return,
When you return as you,
With all your concerns,
And worries,
And plans,
And regrets,
Meet that with compassion.
Say hello.
And when you feel ready,
Drop those thoughts.
Drop the thoughts of the past,
The future,
And the present,
For another moment,
And dive back in.
And if dropping all thoughts of the past,
The future,
And the present is just too much,
Just drop this one,
Just this one.
And when another arises,
Drop that one.
Dropping again and again,
Into this vast open space,
That is not you,
As you identify yourself to be,
But is always available to you.
Always there with you,
Constant,
Open,
Free,
Alive.
If there is striving,
If you find yourself attempting to reach a certain space,
Experience a certain feeling,
Or sensation,
Or otherwise,
Just notice what trying to direct your experience does.
The space we're entering,
The space we're visiting,
Is not you.
It's not arrived at by striving.
It's arrived at by relaxing,
By surrendering,
By letting go.
So all you have to do is drop this,
Drop this,
Whatever you're carrying right now,
Put it down.
It'll be there ready to pick up,
Soon as you're ready for it.
But for the moment,
If you can,
Put it down,
Drop it,
Let it go.
Noticing that the space carries nothing,
But it holds everything.
A warm,
Compassionate embrace,
A forgiving embrace.
The invitation is to drop into it,
Yet as we do,
We see that it surrounds us,
Surrounds everything.
Just for this moment,
Dropping any thoughts I may have of the past,
Any thoughts I may have of the future,
Or any thoughts I may have of the present.
Just letting those ones go,
Just for this moment.
Like a submarine diving,
Exploring the depths,
And coming back up for air,
Again and again.
So an invitation,
As you go through your day,
Your week,
Your month,
Your year,
As you go through hard times,
Good times,
And everything in between,
To know that this space is here,
Always,
Eternal.
It's available to you in any one moment,
That you're able to let yourself go,
To drop all thoughts of the past,
The present,
And the future.
Don't have to do it for a long time,
It's just a moment,
To drop in and know that you're being held.
Thank you for your practice.
