So the following meditation is actually a very obscure meditation that the Buddha taught his assistant Ananda and it will be unfamiliar to you because one,
It involves a bit of freedom to use actually your imagination and two,
It's not based on maintaining awareness of the breath or general insight practices.
It's an entirely different class of meditation based on a series of reflections where we,
Over time we kind of let go of different perceptions and then move the mind on to a new series of perceptions.
Hopefully it will make some sense.
It's in a sutta called the Kula Sanyata which means the shorter teaching on emptiness and in it the Buddha says to Ananda there is a way to empty out the mind.
So we're going to all try to empty out our minds tonight.
How does that sound?
So keep your eyes open actually and just sit really comfortably.
Take a few breaths just to relax the body.
So take a nice long smooth in-breath and pull your shoulders up towards your ears and then hold it and then a nice long out-breath.
Great and then another one holding in the belly,
Just keep the belly really tight and hold it for an extra beat then breathe out and then a third breath squeezing whatever muscles you like buttocks,
Face,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Toes,
Fingers,
Fists and then breathe out.
And then try to just get as comfortable as you can and don't worry too much in this meditation about being absolutely you know rock solid but do not if at all possible make any noise that will distract your neighbor,
The people sitting next to you.
So for example if you do feel uncomfortable then you need to switch your position that's fine but just before you do it ask yourself how can I switch position in a way that will not create distraction or noise.
Now the first instruction is the meditation the Buddha says to Ananda just take in the signs of the village around you which is because at the time he gave the talk they were in the village so what that means for us is take without looking around just noting that we're in a room full of people surrounded by lights,
Sounds,
The feeling of being in a room in the city we can tell from the cars passing by.
And just seeing if we can while taking in these familiar sensations and impressions rather than feeling any need to add a story about them just see if we can relax and be with this experience.
So being in a room with other people sitting quietly how can I just relax and that starts with the body having a comfortable breath with a long exhalation.
Inclining the body towards balance but ease so dropping the shoulders if you still have them tight.
Relaxing the fingers and your hands softening the muscles in the legs.
And just taking in the experience without needing to change anything.
Often in our lives we feel this underlying need to either fix the world around us or accomplish something in the world.
So what is it like to simply be present without needing to do,
Accomplish,
Prove ourselves,
Achieve anything.
So at this point we can close our eyes if they're still open and what we're going to do is gradually erase from the mind the impressions of the human landscape,
The room,
The lights,
The furniture and instead now bring to mind whatever images arise when you think of nature,
The natural,
That which doesn't bear the fingerprints of human beings.
The Buddha called this second stage reflections of the forest and in the Buddhist time he and Ananda would have spent many,
Many months of the year in the forest,
In nature.
So it would have been very much imprinted in their minds so you might need to conjure up some images of the natural.
There might be fields of grass or large bodies of water,
Mountains or beaches.
There might be a trail you hike or a park you visit.
The Buddha noted that when we move from the busyness of the village or in our case the city and then reflect on images of uninhabited nature that the mind will often feel a slight inclination towards peace.
When we're surrounded by the signs of people very often we become slightly armored or defensive or worried about how we appear but when we move towards images where we don't have to have a social face we might notice that it is less stressful.
Of course it depends on your associations,
You might associate nature with aloneness or for many it will create a sense of ease.
Ję So let's move on to the next stage.
Letting go of the images of the natural and moving the awareness to the contact that we view with the ground,
The chair,
Reflecting that the ground we're sitting on is connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
That there is something solid supporting us.
And this reflection on solidity and connection is important given the next stage that will follow.
So for now just feel the sense of the realness of the earth,
Our body connected to it,
Sitting on a planet.
And let's move on to the next stage.
Letting go of the images of the natural and moving the awareness to the contact that we view with the ground,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense that we are connected to the earth,
The sense of emptiness in awareness itself by letting go of our tendency to be overly rational and attached to our thoughts.
For the moment,
You have understood what peasants to endure and later on you've understood Now we reach the final stage,
Letting go of the sense of space and emptiness,
And just bringing awareness to the mind itself,
Becoming aware of how throughout this meditation all the amazing images you conjured up effortlessly,
How different images and different perceptions have created different emotional experiences.
Seeing if you can cultivate a sense of appreciation of your mind,
Your consciousness,
Its lack of limits or boundaries,
Its boundless capabilities,
The ability to conjure an entire universe if it wants and to move through it,
To cherish and appreciate and be aware of this great tool that you have.
How do you cultivate awareness in your consciousness for your spiritual activity?
How did you come to receive this wonderful tapestry?
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So in a moment I'm going to ring the bulb.
Try to take the entire length of the sounds and slowly open up your eyes and balance in the re-emergence of the world that surrounds you into your awareness,
Balancing it with awareness of the body,
Awareness of the mind itself.
