You becoming present and recognizing innate goodness So you're invited to construct your posture,
A posture that is upright,
You're sitting,
If you're lying,
Make sure that it's symmetrical and balanced.
And if you're sitting,
Ensure that you're,
If you can make let your knees be slightly below your hips.
So that a natural shape forms in your back.
And you feel yourself connected to the earth.
And from the earth,
It's kind of an energetic reach up your spine.
So your spine is extending upwards.
The shoulders are relaxed.
Or hands resting on your lap or resting in a place.
Sometimes it's useful to allow your thumbs to touch if that's possible.
As it kind of sets up an energetic connection,
But if not,
That's okay.
Shoulders relax.
Feel that stretch from the earth up your spine into your neck.
And so your head's not leaning backwards,
Not forward too much.
And your chin is slightly tucked in not too much just enough to feel this kind of erect,
Comfortable,
Stable posture.
And you're invited to make an intention for this meditation.
Something that is meaningful for you.
Perhaps you can go into your heart to find what is really deeply,
Deeply meaningful for you.
Like that intention.
And having made an intention,
Constructed your posture.
You're invited to put aside worries and concerns.
You're invited to put aside roles and responsibilities.
Just let them drop.
You're invited to put aside thoughts.
Just let them be on the edge of your awareness.
Recognizing that they are not you.
They're just thoughts.
You're invited to put aside identifying with emotions.
They're just emotions.
Going and going to a space.
They're not you.
You're invited to put aside stories about the past and the future.
These mental constructs that we create as reality.
You're invited to put them aside.
Drop them.
For the moment.
There's no use for them right now.
You're invited to put aside clinging to a sense of I am,
Conceit with that I am,
The ego.
Drop the ego.
Let's let it go for the moment.
And you're invited to open up to the reality of this moment.
Just here.
Just now.
And now.
You're invited to ground in the reality of your body here now.
The reality of the connection with the earth beneath us.
We can feel it.
We can feel mother earth beneath us.
We're all united in this experience.
The experience of mother earth supporting us,
Holding us.
Notice the connection.
It's like the connection of hardness and softness beneath you.
If you're sitting on the chair,
You can feel it.
In your buttocks,
You can feel it in your feet.
Feel it on the back of the chair.
If you're lying,
You can feel the earth just holding you and supporting you.
The connection with the earth.
Tune into that feeling of being held and supported.
This simple experience of hardness and softness,
Heaviness and lightness,
Roughness and smoothness,
Solidity,
Earth element.
Remember that your mind stabilizes by being present with earth.
For a few moments.
And from that place of stability,
From that place of being grounded in your body with earth element,
You're invited to expand your awareness up to the area around your chest.
Your heart area,
Your spiritual heart,
Your emotional heart.
And rest awareness there.
And open your awareness to innate goodness.
And perhaps you can be this sense of connection with your own innate goodness can be kindled,
Stimulated by remembering someone or something that indicates to you where innate goodness is clearly available,
Clearly obvious,
Clearly seen.
It could be a baby,
It could be a child,
It could be a pet,
A puppy or cat,
It could be a place,
It could be a teacher.
Whatever it is,
Recognize the innate goodness in them or it.
And then look back into yourself.
See your heart's response to recognizing innate goodness in something beautiful,
Someone,
Grandchild,
Baby,
Pet.
And notice your heart's response.
And just stay with that heart's response.
This could be a feeling of lightness around your chest,
It could be a feeling of buoyancy.
Some teachers describe it as a warm breeze in winter or a cool breeze during summer.
This looseness and openness,
A sense of everything's okay-ness.
And just stay there.
And if you're experiencing what seems to be the opposite of opening your heart,
Just stay there with an open heart.
If you're experiencing some barriers,
Lightness or tension,
Please just bring an open-minded perspective to that.
Being as accepting as you can,
Without struggle.
Be mindful and be open and trust that one day it will disappear and your heart will open to this beautiful innate goodness,
Recognition of your own innate goodness.
And just stay there.
Stay there.
Dwell in it.
Let this recognition of innate goodness heal your heart-mind,
Heal all those ruptures that you've experienced throughout life,
Heal all the pain and suffering related to difficulties in relationships to yourself or others.
Let that open,
Free heart heal all that pain.
Let it dissolve.
Let this connection and recognition of your own innate goodness expand from your chest so that it fills your body,
Fills your being,
Touching every cell,
Every organ,
Every part of your body,
Everything again.
Relaxing,
Calming,
Soothing.
Providing connection,
Peace,
Relief.
A sense of comfort in being here now.
And slowly allow this sense of innate goodness to expand beyond the boundaries,
The arbitrary boundaries of what we call ourself and other.
Let it expand in a spatial way beyond the boundaries of this body.
You can expand in a direction that it's in front of you to a place that feels right for you.
Let it expand to the right of you and behind you.
Let it radiate out to the left of you,
Above and below.
A general sense of opening up.
Radiating outward.
And in this radiation it seems to dissolve these barriers between internal and external.
Between me and you or yourself and others.
So there is a sense of unity,
Connection.
And if it feels that it's radiating boundlessly,
Just allow it to be so.
And abide in this beautiful,
Boundless quality of innate goodness.
Let it radiate out to the right of you.
Being present with the reality of what's happening right now.
Breaking through the delusions of self and other.
The delusions of this and that.
Of not seeing and be clear about seeing this reality here now.
Surrender.
Let go into this reality.
If you're a Christian,
Surrender into the love of God.
Surrender into this beautiful quality of connection.
Of innate goodness.
You you you you
