The Three Marks Of Existence: Embracing Unease

Immerse yourself in the transformative practice of recognizing Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) each day. This meditation guides you to uncover the subtleties of unease that often permeate our experience. By noticing moments of suffering as they arise in our experience, through clinging and aversion, and by releasing the tight grip of conditioned patterning, we can become intimately aware of our inherent capacity for liberation.

As you deepen this practice, more profound insights will emerge and become available, as stepping stones towards full realization.

Transcript

Let your awareness descend to the ground feel the weight of your body melt into the earth release in the somatic sensations of firmness and stability allow your muscles to relax and surrender them to gravity and notice that it is in this sense of solidity that we can allow ourselves to release deeper and deeper find that center that is always rooted in the present moment now bring your attention to your breath and with each out-breath let each exhalation release completely holding nothing back and trusting that a next in-breath will arise on its own let go of any tension or control and just let the in-breath arise naturally without interference find rest in the space between breaths as if your breath becomes a gentle gust of wind flowing in and out by itself now rest in the stillness of your own awareness release any hopes and fears any concerns you might have relax any memories and anticipations any striving or effort just simply bring your awareness to the awareness itself this simple knowing of knowing and rest in this clear open illuminated expanse resting in being aware of being aware you the root of suffering lies in the dualistic mind that grasps and rejects true freedom is found in letting go of attachment and diversion by lung chenpa now inviting you to tune in to your whole body really opening up to your whole field bodily sensations and as you let your breaths move naturally become aware of all the sensations in your body and how they correspond to the rhythm of your breath and feeling your body anchored to the feelings of solidity beneath you and really allow your mind to stretch out to the far edges of your awareness fully embracing the whole landscape of sensations opening to the boundless field this dancing stillness notice all the impermanent fluctuations coming in and out of existence flickering pulsating dancing let your awareness be light spacious and open and notice the capacity of your awareness to hold it all you now can you notice how in this wall field there are some sensations with a different feeling tone do you have a sense that some are feeling relatively pleasant and others feel relatively unpleasant perhaps you can notice a subtle attraction to the pleasant a subtle grasping liking a wanting to stay or a subtle repulsion to the unpleasant a subtle aversion a disliking a wanting to move away you becoming aware of any point of tension any sense of discomfort and just take a moment to find any area that feels relatively unpleasant any area of tightness or pain and gentle acknowledge these feelings or sensations without labeling and ask yourself what exactly about this sensation is unpleasant can you really zoom into just that aspect that is uncomfortable and what happens when you hold that aspect with a sense of loving-kindness a tenderness you aversion in the body can show up as a contraction of awareness or a tendency to want to move away from a sensation or feeling it can show up as a subtle gesture of disliking disliking that which arises an agitation or restlessness all movements of the mind are initiated by craving or aversion jumping from here to there not wanting to experience this but wanting to experience that you when you become aware of this feeling tone that is relatively unpleasant can you also become aware of a subtle seeking for some improvement in our thoughts in our posture in our experience a desire for something to change and notice how this causes a sense of unsettledness a sense of unease unsatisfactoriness dukkha notice how our restlessness is fueled by our habituation to move away from discomfort and preferring comfort our suffering depends not on the feeling or sensation it depends on the struggle on the push or the pull notice how any label or judgment we have is not inherently found in any sensation and how the subtle desire to eliminate a sensation we don't want to feel fuels dissatisfaction so wanting to be different this aversion is something we fabricate and this brings an additional layer of suffering but what if we relax there's a little bit what if we release any preference any likes or dislikes and just allow for things to be as they are if we permeate all sensations with a sense of allowing of welcoming of appreciating what happens if we just allow everything to arise all the fluctuations from moment to moment arising and passing by themselves allowing them without any preference for it to be one way or another cropping all evaluations and just sensing without appraisal embracing all phenomena with a kindness and joy whatever form they may take really focusing on allowing keep relaxing any resistance or aversion that you've become aware of any grasping just relax the body and any attempt to control anything any attempt to experience anything special just letting go of any fabrications any stories as things having to be this way or that way just releasing all effort all contributions to restlessness dropping deeper and deeper into allowing all that arises and this way we can ease our grip and sink into the boundless spaciousness that is the ever-present origin of all experience so whatever arises just allow it to be permit all to be what it wants to be whether it's pleasant unpleasant or neutral for the moment it doesn't matter let it all arise and disappear by itself slowly changing our relationship with craving and aversion moment-by-moment and just by receiving all we experience in its fullness really inviting everything in letting it all exist on its own terms we slowly let go of our likes and dislikes and drop into just allowing you let's spend a few minutes in silence now don't resist anything in your experience don't grab at anything don't push anything away just allowing things to be and permit all phenomena to flow over you and through you like a gentle stream

Reviews

Really appreciate this one for its practical application in daily life. Thanks Martijn!

Thank you Martijn, I was already a fan of all your work in the world, entrepreneurship, compassion, and insight. And it's so cool you are now sharing your richness here 😊