Hello,
Good morning,
Good afternoon or good evening,
Wherever you may be.
I want to say a few words about acceptance,
Radical acceptance.
And then I'm going to guide you through a short meditation on acceptance.
So we talk about the ego.
I actually call it the MIGO.
It's all about me.
So we're going to call it the MIGO.
The MIGO is resistance.
That is what resists life.
The MIGO isn't a thing inside the head.
It's an activity.
It's a function of the mind.
The MIGO resists what it doesn't like and chases after what it likes.
So we forever try to prevent certain things happening,
Pushing away and try to have experiences that suits the MIGO.
And this keeps us trapped.
It may be as simple as the weather.
We resist the weather.
I don't like it.
That's how the resistance manifests in a kind of contraction and I don't like this,
I hate this.
When will this end?
There's innocuous things like the weather or the traffic,
But also closer to home experiences that we don't like.
Nobody likes pain.
Nobody.
It's natural not to like pain,
But we have to change our relationship to pain.
We can't have a life without pain,
Without discomfort.
It's impossible.
So we have to change not the reality of pain,
But we have to change our relationship to pain.
The MIGO has got to soften.
It's got to soften its stance.
And we can see the MIGO in action in two ways.
The thinking,
Like I've just mentioned,
I hate this.
When will this end?
I want this to stop.
I just want rid of it.
That's one way.
Ah.
And another way is there's a contraction in the body like a pulling in,
A holding,
Or a moving back,
Or a bristling.
It will show up in the thoughts and it shows up in the body.
And a life of peace is a life where we start to accept what the MIGO doesn't want.
It doesn't mean liking it.
It doesn't mean not trying to change the sensible things we can change,
Because we will and we have to.
We're going to go through a short meditation where we're just going to get a glimpse of what a life of complete acceptance would be like.
And I'll guarantee now it won't be what you think it is.
A life of acceptance isn't a life where we just lay down and everything,
You know,
We let people walk all over us.
It's the opposite.
When we accept something,
Then there's the opportunity to do something about it if it's appropriate.
It's a position of power,
Or strength is a better word.
It's a position of strength.
Remember my teacher saying to me that compassion means that you have boundaries,
You have strength.
Compassion comes from strength.
Without boundaries,
Personal boundaries,
You can't have compassion.
Think about that.
I'll leave you with it.
It's not what we think it is.
So set yourself up in your posture.
If you're sitting,
Hands resting in your lap,
Or if you're lying down,
You can put your hands on your belly.
Close your eyes,
Probably best for this one.
Take a couple of deep breaths.
And become aware of the body.
Hello body.
In these quiet times when I'm not talking,
Take the opportunity to become aware of what's happening.
Feel the breath.
It may be long and smooth,
Or may be tight and pinched.
The Migo would prefer wanting the other.
Can't it just be with the breath as it is without trying to change it?
This is your life right now.
Be intimate with it.
Stop trying to change it.
It doesn't need changing.
That's it.
Now take an attention to your face.
Just feel around the fist.
Really feel it around the jaw.
Any tension anywhere?
If there is,
Can you just accept that this is how it is?
Just feel it.
Beautiful.
Just stay with your direct experience.
There may be times when you find yourself lost in thought.
Accept that too,
Because that's the reality of the moment.
Just say to yourself,
When you realise that,
Thinking.
You're not saying bad thinking,
I shouldn't be thinking.
Just thinking.
Just say that to yourself,
Quietly,
In your mind.
And then return back to the body.
Return back to the face.
Feel around the eyes.
Around the forehead.
Any tension or pressure anywhere?
Welcome it.
What do you like to welcome something that feels a little uncomfortable?
Now take an attention to maybe your belly.
Is there a hole in there?
Or does it feel nice and loose,
Relaxed?
Accept that too.
Oh this is nice.
Just feel that.
Beautiful.
Just stay there with life as it is.
Become intimate with your own experience.
Right now here in the distance I can hear both birds.
I can hear the traffic.
I don't prefer one to the other.
They're both just sounds right now.
The meagre will say,
Oh I prefer the birds.
But right now just accept whatever life is presenting you with.
Any sounds happening?
Creaky floorboards?
People mumbling in the background?
It's just life as it is.
Just this moment.
Life is presenting something to you.
Accept it.
Hello.
Welcome.
Can you be at peace with that that you normally don't want?
You want to push away.
There's no peace in pushing away.
Any discomfort in the body somewhere?
Just feel it.
And watch what the meagre,
Watch what the mind makes of it.
No thank you.
Just move directly towards whatever is in the body,
In the senses.
What would it be like right now if you accepted absolutely everything right now?
If you became a friend to life and what it's offering?
And just perhaps you can take this attitude of complete acceptance out into your daily life.
Maybe just an inkling of it.
Maybe life won't be so jarring,
Quite as jarring as it normally is.
At some point you can open your eyes,
Just fidget around and that's it.
Complete acceptance of absolutely everything is a position of strength.
Thank you.
Have a wonderful day.
Bye.
