As always when we practice,
You know,
I always joke,
You know,
We may be sitting in the room and talking to people and then we say,
Okay,
Now we're going to meditate.
Everybody always.
You know,
Like moves around and gets ready to meditate,
Right?
And it's sort of funny because,
You know,
What do we really need to do?
We really just need to drop and let go and just rest.
But at the same time,
It is important what our posture is,
Right?
Because we want to take a posture in which we can remain easefully and in which we can relax without collapsing.
So if you're sitting on the floor on a cushion,
Then it means a straight spine and a good base,
Maybe crossed legs.
If you're sitting in a chair,
It's basically the same,
Straight back.
But not forced.
Posture in which the frame of our skeleton can remain upright and support us.
But we are basically,
That's the structure that keeps us up and we can relax around that scaffolding.
And we can just.
.
.
Remain.
Comfortably and upright.
We take that posture,
Our eyes are open here.
Because this is the path of integration.
And because we are not going to to some.
Special meditation space that we're going to visit.
We are just relaxing into the totality of all phenomena that arises from the ground of being,
And that's also our nature.
It's the nature of all phenomena,
It's also our nature,
And that's what we rest back into.
So,
Easy way to begin is to relax.
Physically.
And do whatever.
You need to do whatever is easiest for you to relax.
Can use the breath.
And by breathing out,
You can let go of the tension.
Imagine the tension releases with the out breath.
Progressively becoming more and more relaxed.
Often as we relax the body.
There is already a relaxation of the mind.
There's already.
Bed of an easefulness creeping in.
The restfulness.
So we're letting go.
Of tension.
In our body.
And by using the breath and by letting go of tension,
We're also.
We're also bringing our attention.
Into the present moment.
We're also making sure our attention remains.
Remains in the present moment.
And this is very simple.
Body based.
Relaxation and attention.
Practice.
Simple presence.
And once we feel at ease and relaxed,
And present in the moment.
We imagine.
We visualize a sphere.
Above our head.
About 10 centimeters.
Before.
Inches above our head.
Radiant,
Translucent.
Luminous sphere.
And we imagine that sphere,
It embodies,
It represents.
All of the inherent self-arising wisdom and compassion.
Of existence.
The luminous essence.
Of our minds.
Luminous essence.
Of all phenomena.
So it's absolutely compelling and radiant.
There's a teacher or a deity.
That you've been working with that is,
You have a devotional relationship to,
You can imagine.
The image of that deity.
Or that being inside of that sphere.
And the idea here is that all of our attention is fixated on this sphere.
It's furious about the size.
Of a ping pong ball.
Maybe a little larger.
Or however it feels natural to you.
And here the idea,
The exercise is just to compel your attention to remain stably on this sphere.
You in order to do that you have to either relinquish.
.
.
Or override.
The tendency of your attention to want to move around,
To want to apprehend other objects of attention.
Follow thoughts.
And gently compel your attention to remain stably on this sphere.
That is the only task at this moment.
And we do this by not by tensing up.
Our body.
But actually through relaxing.
Even more.
And placing our attention and our intent.
On the sphere.
And have it remain there.
Without distraction.
The sphere is radiant with golden white light.
Brilliant.
Now,
If you do this practice on your own,
You have your attention.
Remain on the sphere as long as it takes to stabilize your attention and to become undistracted.
So you can rest here as long as you want.
As is necessary.
And now imagine the sphere begins to descend,
To move down towards the top of your head.
Enters the crown of your head.
Down the central channel.
Of your body.
And as it enters,
Your body feel that brilliance,
That radiance flood throughout your body,
Lighting up your entire physical body.
With its radiance.
And luminosity.
This warm radiance of compassion.
And then it continues to move down.
Through your head and your neck.
And down into the center of your chest where it comes to rest.
In your heart center.
Now your entire body is lit up with this golden white light of radiance.
This is the radiance,
The loving.
Radiance of self-arising compassion.
And wisdom.
You may imagine that your entire body is being bathed in this light.
Balanced.
May think of it as a healing.
Rebalancing.
Purifying.
Your body.
Your emotions.
In your mind.
And now imagine.
This radiance radiates out beyond.
The boundaries of your body.
The Outer.
Edges of your body.
Into the space around you.
In all directions.
So your body is luminous,
Translucent,
Radiant.
You may imagine that this radiance brings benefit to the world and to all beings.
Just rest in this feeling of being radiant.
Radiating.
With love and compassion.
And wisdom.
And now,
As this light just.
.
.
As this light is radiating out,
Imagine your awareness expands out with this light.
Into the space around you.
In all directions at the same time.
And then beyond into vast space.
Like your awareness opens up.
360 degrees.
Above and below.
And it includes.
All phenomena.
Without exception.
You're letting go into that space.
You're becoming.
That vast space.
And rest.
In that vast open.
Awareness.
That includes all phenomena.
All appearances.
Without exception.
All at the same time.
It's not the small you becoming aware of the vast space or trying to be aware of the vast space.
It is the vast space.
That is aware of itself.
A vast space that rests in its own ground.
Awareness.
Resting in its own ground.
You're letting go of all ideas.
Three-dimensional space.
And just.
.
.
Resting.
In the vast space of awareness itself.
In this space,
You can let go of any trying.
Or striving.
Or meditating for that matter.
And just resting in an uncontrived way.
In the nature.
Of things just as they are.
This is the main part of the practice.
We've arrived at this point.
To do nothing,
To let go of all doing.
Just rest.
Expressed in the nature of self arising awareness.
Of the effortless birthplace.
Of wisdom and compassion.
You become distracted or contracted.
Simply let go again.
Of the contraction.
The distraction.
Open your awareness and rest.
And the vast open wakefulness.
Of awareness itself.
Take a few more breaths.
In this space,
Releasing even more with each out-breath.
Opening even more if possible.
Just like we imagine that the light of a our awareness was radiating out into vast space.
That light coming back,
Dissolving back,
Gently,
Slowly.
Retracting into our bodies.
Again,
Our body is translucent and filled with golden white light.
Now that light in our bodies with a dissolve.
Into the sphere.
In our heart center.
So it's only the sphere and vast space.
And then the sphere dissolves.
And we rest.
A vast,
Open,
Luminous emptiness.
That remains.
And then we conclude.
The practice.
Thank you.
For practicing together.
