Good morning,
Everyone.
Thank you so much for joining for today's meditation practice.
We will,
As usual,
Dive into a simple basic mindfulness exercise.
First,
We'll start with focusing on our breathing.
We'll choose our breath as the object of attention and strengthen,
Or intensify our focus onto one object,
Which is breath.
And then we will dive into exploring the field of awareness,
Or in other words,
Exploring our true nature,
Or the essence of our own existence or who we are.
And I might use a couple of metaphors or maybe kind of poetic language to point towards that,
Which can be confusing and helpful at the same time.
So let's begin.
And I'm also letting more people in as they join us.
So let's begin firstly by getting into a position that's most comfortable for you.
If you're sitting,
Make sure that your back is straight,
Your neck is straight.
Just like imagine yourself as a water pipe.
And if the pipe is folded somewhere,
The water won't flow.
So just be aware,
Be mindful of your body energies.
If you are sitting uncomfortably,
Your energies will not flow smoothly.
So making sure you are in a comfortable position.
And now it's up to you to leave your eyes open or closed.
I trust that you know what helps you concentrate the best.
So whichever position is comfortable for you,
I trust you know that for yourself.
Eyes open or closed,
I trust that you know when your mind is more focused.
And if you choose to open them in the middle and close them again,
Are absolutely your decision.
Now that we are in that position,
Let's bring our entire attention,
Entire focus and place it on that breathing sensation.
Let's take a couple of controlled breaths,
Taking a long breath in,
Holding for a moment,
Noticing the sensations and feelings in the body.
And breathing out.
Another breath in,
Noticing your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your lungs and stomach,
All the areas where the breath is coming in,
Filling you up.
And letting the breath go.
One more time,
We are controlling our breath,
Taking a long breath in,
Holding it consciously for a moment or two,
Noticing if there is any tension or tightness,
Lingering emotions or feelings in the body.
From yesterday,
A few minutes ago.
And as you breathe out,
Allow yourself to let it melt,
Let it go.
Now,
Simply let the breathing happen as it is.
No need to control it,
No need to hold it.
Let it flow naturally,
Organically.
I invite you all to have this intention of being fully here during this practice,
Just for a few minutes.
Being very intentional about your time,
Your attention,
Your efforts,
And setting up sort of a goal to leave everything else behind,
All the work,
To-do lists and tasks and responsibilities behind.
Simply attending to the incoming breath and outgoing breath.
Not controlling it,
Not changing it,
Not judging it,
Without agenda,
Without an expectation to have a certain experience,
Without a hope.
Of anything to happen or arise for you,
All we are doing is simply being here with this very breath,
In this very moment.
Thank you.
The attitude with which we observe the breath is crucial.
The attitude with which you bring the attention back to the breath is crucial.
Each time the mind runs away into things and thoughts,
We offer compassion and acceptance to our own mind.
And lovingly bring it back to the breath,
To the feeling,
The touch,
The rhythm of breath.
This compassion is very unique.
It can be compared to that love which you have towards a small toddler who hasn't learned language,
Who does not know how to act in the world.
Each time they eat something or run away or play with things that can be harmful for them,
We simply pick them up and place them in a safe area with love and understanding and this unconditional acceptance.
And so also we will do the same with our own mind who has a habit of running away,
Picking up on things and thoughts,
Going into stories and narrations.
Acknowledge that happen and come back to the feeling of breath,
The arrival and departure of breathing,
The incoming breath,
Just like a wave rising and falling.
How it feels in the body and how it grounds your mind into the present moment.
Let the breath anchor you down in the Now.
The more attuned the mind is with the breathing process,
The sharper it gets.
Just like the more we rub an old knife on a rock,
The more number of times it's rubbed against that rock,
The sharper it gets.
The more you bring the mind back to the breath,
More concentrated,
More sharp your mind becomes.
Notice the stillness,
The peace that naturally comes with a concentrated mind.
This mind that is concentrated,
Sharp and still is a perfect tool for contemplation,
For going deeper.
Into your own nature,
Just like a sharp knife can slice through vegetables and such.
So also a sharp mind can slice through old belief systems,
Old ways of perceiving and living in the world,
And old ideas of the self.
So I ask you all,
What is your true nature?
Who are you underneath the feelings,
Underneath the thoughts,
The memories and the ideas?
What is your true nature?
What are you in essence?
What glaze through a plate or pot is what you are to this world of names and forms?
What are your emotions?
Whether a pot is created or destroyed,
In essence the clay remains simply clay.
So also the sense of self that you think you are,
The person you think you are,
Is created,
Comes into existence and goes back into nothingness,
Emptiness.
The essence remains as it is.
Who you really are stays present.
Without the clay,
The pots cannot exist.
Without you,
The field of awareness,
The ideas about yourself,
The ideas about the world cannot exist.
The awareness comes first.
The awareness remains always and only then the feelings and ideas arise and dissolve.
The moon glows not by its own light but by the borrowed sunlight.
Moon has no light of its own.
It is dependent on the sun.
Only the sun shines.
So also this mind and body have no consciousness of their own.
It is you who shines.
It is you who are conscious.
The mind simply borrows consciousness from you.
It is you who truly exist.
The mind borrows existence from you.
Just like the sun you are shining and revealing what's present,
What's happening.
Can the moon shine at the sun?
Does the moon have any light of its own?
Similarly,
Does your mind,
Do your thoughts look back at you?
Can your thoughts be aware of you?
Only you are aware of the thoughts.
Only you are aware of the feelings.
The feelings cannot be aware of you.
You are independent,
Existing on your own,
Just like the sun shining on its own.
And just like the sunlight is untouched,
Unaffected by the state of the moon,
So also who you truly are is untouched and unaffected by the state of your thoughts,
Your feelings,
Your mind,
Your body.
Remember who you are and be free.
Remember who you are and be happy.
Remember who you are and be peaceful.
Your peace is independent.
I invite you all to wish with me that may all beings remember who they are,
May all beings realize their true nature,
May all beings be free of suffering,
And may all beings be happy,
Be peaceful,
And be liberated.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
You can come back to the room when you are ready.
Open your eyes.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
