Welcome back to Lesson 8 Compassionate Ecology.
Interdependence is a fundamental law of nature,
But also many of the smallest insects are social beings,
Who without any religion,
Law or education,
Survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness.
All phenomena,
From the planet we inhabit,
To the oceans,
Clouds above,
The forests,
Flowers that surround us,
All arise from this dependence upon subtle patterns of energy.
As we progress along the path of insight into selflessness,
Then happiness and love and compassion increases.
And you know,
When we love someone,
There is no separation,
No distinction,
No sense of effort.
The frontier between them begins to dissolve and they become one.
There is no longer any jealousy or anger.
As there are many waves on the ocean,
Each wave has its own height,
Breadth,
And moves in its own particular way.
But just as the wave is not separate from the ocean,
Compassion is not separate from our essential nature.
Who is being compassionate to whom?
So as your compassion for those you work with and the awareness of the suffering of humanity grows,
Perhaps there is no sense of you,
Me,
Them or others.
So as your compassion for those you work with and the awareness of suffering of humanity grows,
There is no sense of you,
Me,
Them,
Others.
Supreme compassion is immeasurable.
It is selfless and a natural and mature expression of the awakened being.
Something to aim for,
Something to be guided by,
Perhaps somewhat unattainable,
But definitely something for us to ponder and consider.
So compassionate ecology is that understanding of the interdependence,
The connection that we have with each other.
So for me,
Compassionate ecology is all about this connection and interdependence.
My lived experiences,
Your lived experiences,
We share these to really reduce the suffering of others,
Also the suffering of ourselves,
And that we can be in this supreme state,
Supreme compassion,
Which is immeasurable,
Selfless and a natural and mature expression of the awakened being.
And I know for myself,
When I've been in the meditative space,
The experience of the term unconditional love,
But really it's compassion and connection,
A feeling of oneness,
A oneness with the beautiful person before me,
Looking into their eyes,
Sitting quietly,
Looking into their eyes,
Holding this feeling of compassion and connection,
Allowing for all the barriers or thoughts that might come in that make it seem that that person is so separate.
When that dissolves away,
That feeling of oneness,
The mystics,
The sages,
Meditators,
People feeling in the flow,
Being in nature,
This is what we describe connection.
I'm not alone.
I am one with everything.
And I'd like to guide us into a beautiful meditation where we will use the metaphor of the trees and how they're able to,
Through the photosynthesis,
The analogy is of the suffering of humanity,
And through compassion and that sense of connection with all beings everywhere,
That we wish them well,
We wish them peace,
We wish them harmony in their life.
So positioning yourself comfortably now,
We'll begin the practice.
Take a few deep breaths,
Allowing yourself to settle into the present moment and bring your attention to whatever is arising,
Whatever is coming into your awareness,
Noticing how your physical body is feeling,
Any sensations of tension.
Simply observe these sensations without needing to change or analyse them.
And then bringing your attention to outside of your body,
Perhaps into the room or even outside of where you might be.
Gradually broadening your awareness to include any other sounds,
Perhaps emotions arising,
Notice whether they are subtle or strong.
And so you're expanding your awareness even further to include any other sensory experiences that might arise,
Which may include fragrances,
Subtle sensations within your body.
Simply acknowledge them and allow them to become part of your experience.
Spend a few more moments now,
Opening your awareness to embrace the fullness of the present moment.
And then what I would like you to do is to bring in the active imagination.
I'd like you to imagine that you are in a very beautiful forest or perhaps a clearing in a park or it could be in your local backyard or a friend's garden,
Somewhere out in nature where there are trees.
And I'd like you to find yourself moving towards one of those trees.
And you're feeling safe and you're feeling comfortable and you're really welcoming this inner journey,
Active imagination,
Visualising now a circle of trees and you're standing in the centre.
And notice perhaps the time of day or what the weather is like for you and get a sense of your feet on the ground,
A sense of the strength in your body and a particular tree attracts you.
Wander over to that tree and stand next to it.
You might like to sit down and rest your back on the trunk,
Looking up at the leaves,
Perhaps the light flickering through the leaves.
It's very safe and beautiful to be there.
And then what I'd like you to do is to imagine that all of those people that you work with,
Your colleagues,
The people you care for,
Imagine them all walking into this circle and standing in the centre and they're looking at you with gratitude and appreciation for all that you are and for all that you do.
I'd like you to open yourself up to receive all of that acknowledgement,
To receive the gratitude for all that you are and all you bring to these people in the centre looking at you now.
And so breathing that into yourself,
Acknowledging your own connection with them,
The care,
The appreciation for all that you are in this moment,
Right now.
And so then you notice that each of the people standing in the centre there,
Just slowly,
Gracefully moving towards a tree of their own.
And so you notice them comfortably resting their back against the tree that they've chosen.
And there's enough trees there,
There's a perfect amount in this circle,
A circle of trust,
Sacred ground.
And so when we take in that deep breath and we exhale with a smile and a sigh,
There can be some joy that bubbles up looking into the faces of the people that you work with,
All the people that are there now with you.
And together now,
Let's all take a big deep breath in and feel that as nourishment to your body,
Hold it and then exhale with a smile and a sigh.
And pause and take in another deep breath,
Feeling the expansion in your lungs,
In your heart and all together exhaling with a smile and a sigh.
And then allowing for your breathing to fall to its own natural rhythm.
Everyone smiling and feeling that gratitude of the connection and oneness with each other,
With nature and acknowledging all of the good work that you do every day.
Growing stronger and stronger within yourselves,
Noticing how you're feeling now,
Taking that in and bringing that back with you.
Slowly bringing your attention now back to the physical sensations of your body.
Aware again of being in the room,
The space that you're in,
Transitioning back now,
Opening your eyes,
Being aware and present.
Aware of how your body is feeling,
The imagery and growing in that sense of connection and strength.
Really acknowledging all that you are with gratitude and joy.
And so that ends this course for now,
Until we meet again,
I wish you well in all that you do and all that you are.
Thank you so much for joining me on this course on Insight Timer.
I look forward to meeting you again at another time.
Bye for now.
