Bringing RAIN To Difficulty

Sitting quietly, close your eyes and take a few full breaths. Bring to mind a current situation in which you feel stuck; one that elicits a difficult reaction such as anger or fear, shame or hopelessness. It may be a conflict with a family member, a chronic sickness, a failure at work, the pain of an addiction, a conversation you now regret. Take some moments to enter the experience—visualizing the scene or situation, remembering the words spoken, sensing the most distressing moments. Contacting the charged essence of the story is the starting place for exploring the healing presence of RAIN.

Transcript

The following meditation is led by Tara Brach.

As a way of entering the heart practice you might just take a moment to feel your own intention or aspiration toward open-hearted awareness,

Whatever language resonates for you.

To feel your own sincerity really sets the grounds.

It draws your heart-mind right to that place of being available.

It's the current that carries you home.

And the body also can be prepared in a way for heart practice with the simple image and felt sense of the smile.

If you'd like to just feel your eyes,

Let the corners of the eyes,

The outside corners,

Lift a bit,

Soften the eyes.

And a slight smile at the mouth,

The inside of the mouth smiling.

And sensing and inviting a smile to spread through the heart and chest area.

And then just energetically sensing the spirit of the smile,

That receptivity and openness spreading through your whole body,

Being.

So we'll do practice that can help to awaken our heart of compassion.

The alchemy of compassion,

The dynamic,

The way it arises is that as we allow ourselves to be touched by suffering,

As we have that courage or availability to suffering,

There's a natural tenderness that opens up.

That's the tenderness of compassion.

And in this process today as we explore it,

We'll be using the acronym RAIN,

We'll be using a version that's different than has been taught commonly.

In this version of RAIN,

The way it goes is that the R is to recognize the situation,

Recognize what's going on,

And the A of RAIN is to allow,

To let be,

Just as it is,

Not to try to fix,

Change,

Avoid.

The I of RAIN is to investigate with a gentle attention and primarily the investigation is a inquiry into the felt sense,

The body.

The N of RAIN is to then nourish what is experienced with compassion.

The key part of the process then is what happens after the activity of RAIN,

Which is to rest in the experience of what unfolds from that nourishing RAIN.

And that aftermath of RAIN,

Much like when we have a real RAIN that nourishes the earth,

That flowering is really what's described as a shift or enlargement of our sense of our being from a small egoic self that's in some way struggling against something or with something to that open-hearted awareness,

That which is vast and tender,

Compassionate presence.

Taking some moments to just scan your life right now.

And by life right now I mean what's going on right here in your life.

Tremors alive for you and sense if there is some circumstance,

Some situation that you intuit self-compassion,

Increasing it,

Bringing self-compassion to your own heart is really important.

It could be a life situation you are in with another person,

A conflict or challenging experience,

Parent or child,

Friend,

Partner.

It could be something at work,

A sense of failure,

Some place that you are really judging yourself harshly,

Could be around an addictive behavior,

Could be some deep disappointment in yourself.

Where would self-compassion soften and open and create more space in your life?

And as you focus in on a situation,

A set of circumstances,

Let it be right close in so that you can sense what it is that you get reactive about,

What's the state of emotion – heart,

Body,

Mind – that gets triggered off.

Just be aware of the circumstances so you can recognize,

Okay,

This is it,

This is where I turn on myself,

This is where I get harsh,

Reactive,

Closed down,

Recognize.

And then once you recognize the general place,

The experience that needs attention,

Just consciously allow it to be there.

It's like pausing and saying,

Okay,

This is how it is right now,

Creating space.

So investigating means deepening your attention to what's going on inside you when you are triggered,

Reactive,

Turned on yourself.

A way of investigating you might sense,

Well,

What's the worst part of this for me?

What is it I'm most afraid of,

Upset about,

When I'm feeling stuck,

When I'm feeling judgmental?

What am I really judging?

What am I afraid is going to happen?

Feel into,

In your body,

Where it's coming from.

Sense in your body and you might feel your throat,

Your chest,

Your belly.

What's going on?

What's the felt sense,

The feelings,

The emotions that are strongest right now?

What most needs attention?

Is there a sense of shame that there's really something wrong with me?

That I'll never change,

I'll never be who I want to be,

I'll never be happy?

Is there a sense of unlovable?

Sense of failure?

Let yourself go right to where there's some strongest sense of vulnerability,

Of difficulty in your body.

Just notice what it feels like.

If it helps to put your hand on your heart or on your belly to keep your attention where emotion is strong,

That can be very skillful.

You might ask,

Direct the inquiry right to the place in you that's most upset,

That's most challenged.

And what does this place most need?

Does it need to be forgiven?

Does it need acceptance?

Does it need to be embraced or held?

Does it need some reassurance,

Something particular to trust?

Sense that in you which is most listening,

Paying attention,

The wisest and most caring part of you as you move into the N of RAIN and offer to the place in you that's most vulnerable or hurting what you most sense it needs.

And again,

The touch on the heart can be very much a way of communicating to your inner life.

And let the touch,

If you haven't done this before,

Placing your hand gently on your heart and vary the pressure so that it really communicates care.

And sense perhaps there is a message to offer inwardly that could be healing,

Words of wisdom,

Words of truth.

There may be just an energetic sense of accompanying.

Listen in and sense what's needed.

It might just be the simple words,

I'm sorry and I love you.

That's words that are offered by one Hawaiian healer,

Thich Nhat Hanh says,

Darling,

I care about the suffering.

I sometimes simply say,

It's okay,

Sweetheart.

And if it feels that it's hard to offer your own heart or the wounded place care,

You might call on whatever person or being that you most trust is loving,

Caring,

That can see you truly.

Could be a person that's alive or not alive.

Could be your dog,

Cat.

Could be a spiritual figure,

Deity.

And just feel the place of yearning to be forgiven or held or loved and from that place call on that being.

And sense that being's care pouring through your hands,

If your hands are on your heart or just right into your heart,

Imagine it,

Visualize it,

See if you can allow yourself to feel it and receive it.

Letting warmth,

Light,

Love,

Compassion flow into your heart.

Sensing your compassionate presence or the compassionate presence of another that you can merge with that and just hold this vulnerable place with unconditional care.

And you might sense your experience of your own being when there is this holding with compassion.

And relax back and just rest as that compassionate presence so that whatever is arising is touched with the tenderness of compassion.

Feel your range as resting in the aliveness,

The healing,

The presence that's right here,

As being that presence.

Action.

When we've offered compassion inwardly,

It becomes quite natural to then include others in our awakening heart.

So we'll take a few minutes to bring a healing attention to one other person in our lives.

So I'd like to invite you to bring to mind someone that you care about that could use your compassion,

Your prayers,

Your energy.

And let yourself focus in some and sense the situation or circumstances where that person gets caught in some way,

Where that person is suffering from feeling down on themselves,

That were with themselves hurt,

Fearful,

Estranged,

Whatever it might be.

Let yourself register that person's suffering or pain close up and just for the moment allow,

Just create the space for it to be as it is.

It's an honest acknowledging of the reality,

The actuality,

That it's like this.

So we're bringing rain to this person's experience recognizing and allowing it and then deepening our attention by investigating a bit.

It's almost like you can step inside that person and sense,

Well,

What's it like to be you?

And you might sense,

Well,

What is it?

What is this person believing about the world?

Perhaps are themselves perhaps that they're failing or that they don't belong,

That they'll never be who they want to be.

They're not lovable,

Not good,

Not okay.

Maybe the person's had a great loss,

That they can't make it,

That their life's lost meaning.

Just sense what it is and imagine and sense into that person's body what it would be like to be living with this.

So you're investigating and sensing,

What's it really like to be living with that doubt or that fear or that grief or that hurt?

What's the worst part of this for that person?

And we move to the nourishing with compassion.

You might sense that person in your heart,

That you're holding that person in your heart.

Feeling what that person most needs and offering it.

Offering the love,

The reassurance,

The accompaniment.

You might envision yourself holding that person or putting a hand on that person's cheek.

You might send a mental whisper of a message saying the person's name,

Offering them their prayer of care.

You might imagine yourself holding that person in your heart.

And again,

After the activity of RAIN,

Just sensing your own beingness,

Who you are when there's this tenderness of compassion,

Sensing the field of presence,

The field of awake,

Unhearted awareness that's here,

Just resting as that awareness,

Just letting whatever arise be known and touched by love.

And again,

You might imagine that person in your heart,

That you're holding that person in your heart.

And these verses are from the Radiant Sutras.

There is a place in the heart where everything meets.

Go there if you want to find me,

Mind,

Senses,

Soul,

Eternity,

All are there.

Are you there?

Enter the bowl of vastness that is the heart.

Give yourself to it with total abandon.

Quiet ecstasy is there and a steady regal sense of resting in a perfect spot.

Once you know the way,

The nature of attention will call you to return again and again and be saturated with knowing,

I belong here.

I am at home here.

Once you know the way,

The nature of attention will call you to return again and again and be saturated with knowing,

I belong here.

I am at home here.

I am at home here.

I am at home here.

I am at home here.

Reviews

I've been engaging in the RAIN practice for years when I'm feeling overwhelmed or have an undeniable pit in my stomach. It has never failed to make me feel better - sometimes a little bit and more often profoundly. Being earnest and vulnerable in witnessing and nurturing what is causing me pain and suffering in that moment - and offering myself compassion - is often just what is needed to bring me some peace and comfort. What a blessing.

Thank you Tara. This meditation is medicine for my soul. I’m grateful! ☺️ ❤️‍🩹💙

A very compassionate open-hearted journey. Thank you.

Wow, this is an incredibly powerful practice. I cried and felt so changed and different in the depths of my mind and heart, I’m impressed and grateful. Thank you.

Such an impactful practice. I have a deep felt sense of compassion towards parts of myself and challenging circumstances, and a wide open heart, after listening to this. Thank you Tara.

I love this extended version of RAIN and offering RAIN to another.

Powerful and loving. Just what my heart needed. Thank you.

Loved this session, thank you, feeling more in connection with my heart space 🙏

I come back to this practice often. Tara’s instruction is tender and tactful. 🙏🏻❤️ Always helpful.

A beautiful cultivation of inward acknowledgement, compassion and a return to belonging within one’s own heart.

Thank you for this wonderful meditation practice. It has been very useful and supportive in difficult time.

Thank you. So beautiful, the surrender to self and loving all that I am. 🙏🏼💜

Beautiful. Exolored the landscape of blissful stillness 🙏♥️ Thank you Tara. May God Bless You.

Outstanding wonderful meditation. An excellent reminder to practice the mindfulness & compassion of RAIN. I have your book: Radical Compassion. I’ve read it & refer to it often as I need to practice self compassion regularly. Thank you for your wisdom. Namaste 🙏

Takes yyou to your home and in the inifiite I dwell

🙏🧡
This is such a beautiful and helpful practice to go to when there's pain in the heart

Such a strong and healing experience. Found much support and deep emotional regulation in this meditation 🙏🏼

Discovering a lost place. Much love to you Tara. 🥰

Tara never fails to get right to the heart.
❤️ 🩷💖✨

This guided me through a situation that I needed to address and I now have the answer. It's amazing how just a short amount of time with the right guide can help you to resolve things effortlessly.