We often feel that we are what our emotions and thoughts are.
If we are anxious,
We think we cannot do it or we are not good.
If we are lonely,
We think we are not worth it.
If we are happy,
We think we are the best in the world.
But is that really true?
Are your thoughts and emotions same as you?
What is the true nature of your mind or the true nature of you?
Let's analyse this a little more deeply.
Before we start the meditation,
Let's calm down our bodies.
Take a comfortable meditation posture.
Let your back be straight and your eyes are gently closed.
Do a quick scan of your body starting from the top.
Scan your head,
Your face and relax each and every part as you move through.
Scan the front part of your body starting from your neck,
Your chest and your abdomen and then go down to your legs.
Relax your complete body as you move through these organs.
Now scan the back portion of your body,
Your shoulders,
Your spine and relax your thighs.
Take three deep breaths and completely relax your body.
Let's start analysing our minds now.
Or rather,
Who am I?
What is my mind?
Is my mind equivalent to what I am thinking right now?
Imagine a vast blue sky which is limitless,
Which is so vast.
Just a clear,
Pure sky which doesn't have anything.
It's happy,
It's peaceful.
This is the true nature of your mind which is vast,
Which is clear,
Which is inherently pure,
Which is inherently peaceful.
It is not solid,
It is spacious,
It is unlimited.
Now see the chunks of clouds in that vast blue sky.
These are your thoughts,
Your emotions and your memories.
See that bubble of anxiety there.
See the cloud of irritation lingering somewhere there.
See those clouds and take a moment now to label them into whatever emotions and thoughts you are getting.
Now see the nature of these thoughts and emotions.
Now see the nature of these thoughts and emotions as the nature of clouds.
They are impermanent,
They are changing.
They just sit there for a few moments and go away.
They come so easily but they go also easily.
Imagine the clouds which you have labeled that they are moving and fading away or bursting down.
They fade away on their own.
They are not solid,
They are just momentarily there.
They just come and go.
But notice they are not the part of your mind.
They can be cleared away.
What is left now is the vast blue sky which is the true nature of your mind,
Which is pure and clear.
This is you.
This is your true nature,
Your true mind.
All those other things,
Your emotions,
Your memories,
Your thoughts just come and fade away.
You are not them.
You are the blue sky,
The clear,
Pure and the peaceful blue sky.
Rather than identifying yourself with the temporary clouds of thoughts and emotions that pass through your mind,
See if you can realize those thoughts as mental events,
Things that come and go in your mind.
They are not you and not you who really are.
Let them go and identify with a clear space like mind,
The clear space like nature of your mind,
Your awareness so that you are the sky and not the clouds.
We have come to the end of our practice.
It's very important to bring this practice into your day to day life.
The next time you're caught up in an emotion or thought,
Realize they will fade away and what will be left is your clear space like mind which is pure and peaceful.
Thank you for practicing with me and have a great day ahead.