I'm going to guide a practice that unfolds sequentially that's about the essential nature of the mind.
Usually we are orienting towards meditation as a way to stop or get some space from or quiet the mind.
What's different here is that the mind itself is what we're meditating on,
What we're looking into.
So two things about that.
First,
This isn't about quieting the mind.
So I invite you to release that orientation as this unfolds.
It's not a matter of succeeding or failing in that way.
And further,
You can't fail at this because essentially I'm inviting you to look directly into the nature of your own mind.
And whatever happens when you do that is perfect.
Whatever experience arises from looking into the mind is exactly the right experience.
So my hope is if you are following along that you simply make effort and see what happens.
So it's very helpful in this practice to have the eyes open.
It helps relieve a claustrophobic sense of mind,
The sense that consciousness is bounded within the skull.
So open the eyes and you can have them cast towards the floor.
Horizon level is very powerful for wakefulness.
And let the eyes relax into a soft gaze.
Soft gaze that has a wide angle vision.
Because the gaze is soft,
You're not focusing anywhere in particular.
And you just have this visual field that may be more or less distinct,
But you're not focusing on it.
And as this meditation unfolds,
Holding this gaze,
Returning to it as primary.
Focusing the space before you,
Beginning to include that space in awareness.
Quality of openness.
And take the perspective that the mind,
The thinking mind,
Is arising in front of you in this space.
The mind,
Thoughts and images,
The unfolding of the mental continuum is not happening inside,
It's happening in this space.
And beginning to shift into a detached mode,
Where you're simply observing the arising and the passing of thought,
Image.
With the mind,
There's a quality of hearing thoughts,
Hearing voices.
And with images,
There's a visual quality,
We see them.
So finding the right balance of alertness and softness,
So that thoughts are arising,
They think themselves into existence,
And they pass.
And you're simply witnessing,
Sustaining the space of witnessing.
It's a little bit like eavesdropping on a conversation that's happening at a distance,
Or happening in the next room.
In this alert and soft field,
Witnessing thinking think.
Noticing the autonomy of the thinker.
You are not your thoughts.
You are not this thinking mind.
This thinking mind is thinking itself.
And soft presence allowing and observing that.
Sometimes we become hooked and begin to play the role of the thinker.
Relaxing that,
Relaxing back into this observing space.
Just a little bit like watching fish dart back and forth in an aquarium.
Or like when we were children,
Lying on our backs,
Enjoying the passing of clouds in the sky.
Just witnessing presence,
Letting thinking think.
Witnessing,
Thinking,
Think.
Watching thinking think.
And beginning to notice the quality of impermanence in the thinking mind.
How long do these thoughts exist before they vanish?
Is the thinking mind flowing quickly or slowly?
Is there space between its expressions?
Or is it like an unbroken chain?
Noticing the quality of change,
Of flow in the thinking mind.
Finding the right balance,
Fine tuning,
Alertness and softness.
Maintaining the open observing space.
Watching thoughts think themselves.
Shifting the emphasis.
Beginning to place awareness directly upon thoughts as they appear in this space.
Like touching the thought or the image with awareness.
What happens?
Watching awareness directly upon thoughts or images.
Sometimes the thinking mind gets bashful when you do this.
And if so,
Intentionally give rise to a thought so you can attend to its nature.
Any thought will do.
You could say unicorn or blueberry.
You could say I am not my thoughts.
Giving rise to a thought and simultaneously,
Directly aware of its nature.
Touching mind with mind.
What happens?
Watching thoughts directly with awareness.
Sometimes after doing this,
There's a brief wake of quietness.
And allow that wake.
And with the next thought that arises,
Touch it directly with awareness.
Approaching this in a slightly different manner,
Intensify the quality of presence.
As if turning up a dimmer switch,
The kind of alertness you might have if you were home alone and you heard a noise downstairs.
Intensify alertness presence in the space of mind,
This place where thought is arising.
What happens?
What happens if you intensify more?
Not focusing on anything,
Intensifying presence exactly in its own nature right here.
Shifting,
If you like.
Shifting if you like.
And just be intensified presence.
Paying no mind to thoughts.
Just be presence with nothing to do but embody presence.
This being intensified presence.
Lucid,
Open,
Transparent.
Not a something,
Not nothing.
Being intensified presence.
Intensifying curiosity,
Who or what am I?
Being this intensified presence.
What is this presence?
Notice without seeking an answer,
Letting the question charge this presence with curiosity.
Who am I?
What is this?
Not risks.
.
Being presence,
Both full and empty.
.
And as this presence,
Renewing connection with the body.
Being the body which is presence.
Knowing yourself as not separate from the body and not limited to it.
.
.
.
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Thank you for your practice.
As usual,
There will be a Dharma talk at 5 till.
Please enjoy your break and I hope to see you back.
