Love Watching Parade! Using Parade As The Metaphor For Our Thoughts

In this meditation we use the metaphor of a parade to describe the constant flow of the objects of our experiences, our thoughts. We walk in the parade and become part of it, then we zoom out and become an observer by standing on the side line. Watching our thoughts moving in front of us, keeping distance by creating space. Allowing the whole parade to go by without interrupting.

Transcript

In this meditation today we use the metaphor of aperit to describe the constant flow of the object of our experience, Our thoughts. So let's settle in whatever that means to you. It might be adjusting your posture, Bringing a little bit of intention to the position that your body is in. So let's find that position, Whether it is seated or lie down. Make sure you're cozy and comfortable. Maybe we'll put a little bit of energy to it. At the same time, We're going to make sure we are relaxing and we're softening. So let's start first bringing our attention to our breath. If this is a good idea for you, So just bring that attention to the breath. Or if you find that this is not the greatest place to bring your attention to today, Make it as your anchor, Then choose whatever other place that's neutral in your body. It could be your hands, It could be your feet, Or any part of your body that you feel you can come back to it and relax even more. So try to find that spot that is speaking to you. So as you're finding that spot, Let the attention land on some type of physical sensation, Maybe related to the way you're breathing and you're feeling the sensation in that particular spot. Or maybe there are no sensations. Just connect with that anchor and just focus on the breath. As you're bringing your attention to that particular area, My sense of sensation could be pleasant, Unpleasant, Or could be even neutral sensation. It doesn't matter what type of sensation. Just be open and holding our focus at this moment and staying present. Everything else can be at the background. So as we settle into our practice and if we notice that there are some sensations in our body, Any tightness, Any discomfort, We can send an invitation for that to soften. Sometimes it could be helpful to imagine the heaviest, The heaviness in the chest. As you're breathing in and as you're breathing out, That heaviness from the chest with the gravity is moving and going down out of your body all the way down to the earth beneath you. But in order for that to happen, We need to let go. We need to let go of any grips in our body. In today's meditation, We can work with a relationship with our senses, Emotions, Physical experiences, All that we know and what we can relate to. We often identify ourselves with these experiences, With the mind, Which brings us suffering. We rely on our mind to inform us who we are, What we should be doing, And what shouldn't be. We want to find a way how to liberate us from our mind so we can reduce suffering. So I'm thinking to use the parade as a metaphor today. We may have lots of thoughts that sometime can change, Come and go, Or may have physical sensation in our body. So let's imagine that all this like a continually passing by like a parade of thought, Physical sensations, Emotions, Feelings. When we identify with these experiences, Especially the thought, Think of that as you are in the parade. Just visualize yourself in the middle of the parade. And we are one of the characters in the parade. And in the moment, It might be very pleasant. We might feel we are the greatest character. We are wonderful and all is well. We are admired, Praised, Cheered in the moment. And we feel very, Very happy, Joyful. But this feeling might change very quickly. Perhaps we trip and fall down, Dropping whatever we carry with us. Now we feel humiliated, Angry, Sad. So in just a few seconds, We experience this extreme change in feeling from moment to moment. One minute we are on the top roof of the world, Happy, Excited, Proud. And the next thing we find, Our self, We felt. Or we might feel we don't care, Neutral. We are completely inside the parade and our emotion goes up, Down, Change by seconds. But our attention narrows a particular character in that parade. That character has attached some feeling to that object that's moving. So you kind of narrow your attention to that particular object. So I invite you to step out of the parade now and you become an observer. Now stand on the sideline and let's create some space or distance between the object and the observer. Aspising through these objects and sensations, Emotions, Feeling, You just keep distance. We may notice that there is an element in parade that we have a strong feeling around it. We may zoom or focus on that one element. Sometimes we seem to focus on object that give us unpleasant feeling which creates suffering. We might also do this with something positive. And we might find ourselves getting attached to these feelings up and down. So we need to back up. We need to create space and allow the whole parade to go by without engaging or interrupting. All these sensations, Feelings of joys, Happiness, Emotions, Sadness, Love, Grief, Beautiful thoughts, Negative thoughts, Just let them go by. Don't try to change any object in this parade, Anything. Just keep everything moving in that parade, Almost like they have nothing to do with you. You don't take them so personally and you attach to them. We can have all opening without being hooked, Attached without getting trapped along. Just be an observer. And as you keep space, You notice how beautifully all those objects are moving smoothly, Coming and going. This is the last step. I invite you to zoom your intention now out of that object even further. So we are aware of this parade and this phenomenon continuously rising and passing. So remember, There's no need to fix or change anything. We don't need to have any control here. These characters are in parade, Are just a thought, An object that come and go. Now let's open your awareness and just be here with no attachment to any of these objects. If you find that your intention has contracted or lost in a thought, Maybe quip on some emotions. When this happens, Just let it go. Come back to present. Come back to your anchor. The mind will often insist on what it wants to say. The mind has lots of stories to tell. Try just to disengage from all these thoughts, Even the thought of the practice, Even if there is something pressing, Just for this time not to attend to any thought. Just relax the mind. Relax the mind. Relax. And if we want to know that most of our thoughts are not even true, They're real, But they are not true. So the more we disengage in our thoughts, The less we will suffer. The more we don't attach to them, The more we stay free. So the mind doesn't have to be quiet or the thoughts to go away. We're not here to fight that thought or to control the mind. We just need to stop paying so much attention and stop giving them so much value so we can become disinterested. So I ask you to come to a moment of silent meditation and keeping all this in your mind to disengage from any thought, Emotions, Physical sensations, And come to your anchor to keep you stay here in this present moment. Cabinet attention. You you you you you you you you

Reviews

Thank you! I will return to this guided meditation!