MA 33 Homecoming For The Mind

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. This track explains how checking in at the center of our body is the equivalent to bringing the mind home to its natural point of equilibrium within

Transcript

So we start by adjusting ourselves to a comfortable sitting position, Whether we're sitting on a chair or on the floor. We set aside a little bit of time to adjust our body. It's good to keep our back fairly straight. We sit in the most comfortable position, In a position by which we feel that we could sit the longest or without needing to move around too much. You can sit on the floor by sitting cross-legged and putting your right leg on top of the left. Alternatively you can sit on a chair by sitting up straight but not quite bolt upright. Whatever posture you choose, Put your right hand on top of the left hand with the index finger of the right hand gently touching the thumb of your left hand and lay your hands palm upwards on your lap. We join our hands together in this way because if the index finger slips away from the thumb, It will give us advance warning of napping on the job. And we breathe deeply to ourselves. We allow ourselves to feel the breath softly making its way through our nostrils, Through our airways, To the space within our belly. Breathing deeply to ourselves, We feel the air filling our lungs slowly, Expanding our chest and leveling our shoulders. From there we exhale softly and gently. As we exhale we may feel that our entire body is fully settled, Relaxed and content. From there we come to the time for our mind to make its way to its true home, The place where it belongs, At the source of our own inner peace. So we close our eyes very gently. We close our eyes gently, Softly. In the very same way we close our eyes to go to sleep. We close our eyes gently making sure that we don't close them too tightly. We don't put any pressure on our eyelids or squeeze our eyes shut. We just allow our eyelids to droop. And this is the very first step on our journey of homecoming for the mind. And we gently bring our attention back to become aware of our sensations. We can do that simply by observing our sitting posture and taking a little bit of time to adjust it to perfection. Just in case any part of us is feeling blocked, Tense or tight. We continue adjusting our body until our circulation is unimpeded from top to toe. Once we find ourselves in a relaxed sitting posture, We can relax further by releasing tension in every single muscle. From there we turn to relaxing every single part of our body. And to this end we do a body scan starting from the top of our head as we bring our attention back to relax it there. And slowly move our attention down to relax the forehead. Gently move on down to the eyes, Nose, Down to both of our cheeks, All the way to the chin. Feeling that the muscles of our face are entirely relaxed. We gently shift our attention to relax the back of our head down through our neck. We let the flow of relaxation continue to spread down through both shoulders, Along both arms to our hands until we can feel that tension is dissipated from our fingertips. We continue on down by turning our attention to relax our chest. We let the stream of relaxation move down to the abdomen, Hips, Thighs, Knees, Calves and feet, All the way to the tips of our toes. We confirm our entire body feels relaxed with every muscle loosened up completely and feeling at ease. And when our body is comfortable it will feel spacious inside. It will feel as if the boundaries of our body have gradually disappeared and everything seems to become alive, Spacious and refreshed. In the same way that our body needs to become relaxed for meditation, We also need to free the mind from any worries, Frustration, Irritation or any other problems which we might be keeping suppressed. Feeling that we are shedding them all, Unburdening our mind and letting go. Whatever negativity may still be lurking in our mind, We let ourselves become free of it completely. The real origin of freedom is a mind that has unburdened itself from all negativity, Where it's as simple as spring cleaning our mind from that negativity one step at a time. Once all negativity has been released, There will be a space within for peace, Purity, Happiness and wisdom to arise. For the moment let us free ourselves from all potential disturbance, Letting go completely. And that is beginning of the mind's homecoming, Of its journey toward inner peace. And now we conjure up the feeling that we're filling up every single cell of our body with a feeling of joy, Serenity and happiness, Until we feel peace pervading every last cell of our body. We empty our mind of all thoughts by engaging instead with our feelings, Our sensations, Our awareness. We gently gather together our awareness, Sensation or consciousness at the center of our abdomen. And now that we feel relaxed and comfortable, We let our attention engage with that sense of comfort. Whenever that sense of comfort goes missing, We can gently make an adjustment at any time to return ourselves to this state of relaxation, So that our homecoming journey toward peace can be unhindered. So we imagine that we're sitting alone, High on a mountain, With an uninterrupted view to the horizon. You're sitting alone without feeling at all lonely, Alone but content. On top of the mountain, Free from interference, Completely carefree, With a slight breeze blowing right through your body. Your body feels light in weight, Soft, As if your body is floating weightlessly, Melting away into the atmosphere. Feel a sense of relaxation from the inside, Completely carefree, Completely relaxed. We picture ourselves as if we're sitting alone in an empty space, Feeling the surrounding space extends all the way to the horizon. We allow ourselves to be at the middle of that space, Just like when we are sitting at peace, Gazing upon the full moon on the horizon. In that space there's no disturbance, No intrusion. It's our private haven of peace where we can be entirely ourselves. And here in this space, We continue to free our mind from any negativity, Feeling that we are becoming one with the nature around us, With the air, With the space. The more we can let go, The lighter and more spacious our own mind will be, Until we can feel that center space within ourselves, The home of the mind. So we bring the mind back home by gathering our attention and letting it rest gently at our center space within the body. The center space for the moment is any place inside us that feels tender and comfortable. We place the attention there so gently. Once our mind finds its way home, It will feel joyful and content, Without requiring anything more. Here everything is satisfied and replete. And then we maintain awareness of that comfort, As inner peace gradually emanates from within and enfolds our own mind, Embraces our consciousness so tenderly. Here is where the mind truly belongs, Where peace and purity will arise. So we always stay at this point. That is our true nature, Full of peace and positivity. It feels clean, Pure, Pristine and unblemished. We let our own mind remain still within that center space for a few moments, Letting it merge with that inner space. And at this point as an anchor for the mind you might like to slowly visualize or imagine a bubble that you used to play with when you were very young. A bubble that is crystal clear, Floating freely and weightlessly in the air, Or blowing on the breeze. Imagine that a similar such bubble settles at the center of your body, Delicate and fragile. So we gently maintain the picture of the bubble inside our stomach, With the gentlest possible touch. The bubble remains motionless but shimmering at the center of the abdomen, Soft, Delicate and gentle. The bubble has its own illumination from the inside and it slowly becomes brighter until it's as bright as the sun at midday, Very bright. However its brightness is cool and soothing, Similar to the light of the full moon at night. It's a very gentle brightness that allows us to feel peace and a sense of ease. And it's illuminating us from the inside, From the center of our abdomen, From the center of the body, From the center of our self. We maintain our awareness, Feeling and sensation at the center of the bubble, Constantly, Gently and softly. Just slightly touching that feeling at the bubble, Very softly, Gently and carefully. We keep our mind calm, Still and relaxed, With a bright clear bubble inside ourselves. We keep the mind focused in stillness, Gently and softly. It's not unusual for the mind to wander or get tangled up in thought. If this should happen to you, If you start to have wandering thoughts, Don't try to stop yourself thinking. Just slowly guide your feeling or your mind to the bubble again, While being soft and gentle. Or you can recite a thought blocking mantra, Softly, Silently in your mind, By imagining that the sound of the mantra is rising up from the center of your abdomen. And you can make use of the traditional words, Samma arahang, Samma arahang, Samma arahang, Or your own equivalent, Reciting the mantra softly, Slowly and quietly inside yourself, In order to return your mind to its original, Unclouded state, Which is clear and bright. Continue to let the mantra echo forth from the center of yourself, Samma arahang, Samma arahang, Samma arahang, Slowly until the mind returns to a standstill, Or until you feel that the mantra is no longer necessary, In which case you can let the mantra fade into silence. Only if the wandering thoughts return, May you need to resume, Until your mind becomes calm, Free and relaxed, Clear and bright, As bright as the sun at the midday, But soothing and gentle like the moonlight. In the meantime, We continue to maintain our awareness at the center of the bubble, Softly, Gently and tenderly. If we are distracted, Our attention slips away, We can gently bring it back however many times it takes. And from here, All thoughts and distractions will seem further away in the distance. From here we simply observe our true nature of peace and tranquility, Deepening so still, So soft, So gentle, No matter what you see or feel or experience in your meditation, In your search for inner peace. For all of us, All we need to do is observe without overreacting to our inner experience. Just observe whatever feeling or vision you may see within a still mind. Observe passively, While maintaining your awareness gently at the center of your body. As you feel a connection building up with your sense of inner peace inside, You'll start to understand what peace really is. It will give us more clarity and understanding about the nature of humanity, About how we should feel towards our fellow humanity throughout the world. As we check in with ourselves in this moment of peacefulness and serenity, In touch with ourselves on the inside, To strengthen us with the determination to continue our work, Our life, Our relationships with integrity and virtue. But for now we just keep our mind still, Softly, Gently and continuously, Keeping it clear and bright. So for now we focus our mind inwardly in silence, As we continue our homecoming journey towards inner peace for a few more moments in silence.