So we can start by bringing our attention back within our body,
Feeling the expansiveness,
The healthy vitality that's naturally here within the body,
Allowing that to come to the fore,
Feeling stronger and stronger,
As if our whole body is alive beneath the surface.
Within that awareness,
Within that light,
We scan our body and become aware of any tight or contracted areas.
And when we focus our attention within the body and feel the vitality that comes to the fore,
We'll become aware of at least one area of tightness,
Of resistance,
Of contraction.
So we acknowledge the tightness while becoming aware of the vitality.
The health around that area of contraction.
We feel the expansion around it.
And at this point,
We can relinquish the tightness into a sense of vitality.
We don't let ourselves get hung up on uncomfortable sensations,
But feel the expansion around the tight,
Contracted area,
Feeling how it unravels the discomfort in that area,
Enveloping it,
Totally surrounding it,
And feeling it as if it begins to dissolve the tightness and soothe the discomfort.
We aren't doing anything special.
We're simply acknowledging it,
Placing our attention on it and feeling it.
It's like we are acknowledging that area of constriction,
Of discomfort,
And in acknowledging it,
We aren't opposing it anymore.
And as the vitality,
The expansion permeates that tight area,
It begins to unfold itself,
And we can feel it expanding out.
We're simply accepting it is enough and allowing it to unfold and expand.
And we allow this to continue until all that is left is vitality,
Until that's all that remains.
Now we can scan our body again and see if there are any secondary areas of constriction.
Often when primary tension has been resolved,
A secondary area will become apparent.
It might be in our throat,
Our chest.
It could be in our abdomen or our legs.
Wherever it is,
We find that secondary area of contraction and unfold it,
Envelop it in the vitality and the healthy expansion of the body awareness.
We feel it.
We feel the vitality,
Feel the contraction,
And then how it has been permeated by the vitality.
Feeling how the vitality grows stronger and stronger within that area as the tightness recedes.
We feel the expansion within the body,
The vitality within the body.
And even as our heart continues to beat,
Our lungs continue to breathe,
Our eyes continue to see,
Our ears continue to hear,
And our body continues to function in all these ways,
We remain present in the stillness.
In turning our attention to relaxation of our state of mind,
We can take a natural intermission from the world outside,
From its perpetual motion,
By withdrawing the mind within the space of our body.
Let's use what we have to awaken and deepen the presence within.
We may feel it only fleetingly,
But whatever it is,
It's still enough.
That vitality,
That inner body awareness,
Which is the threshold of presence.
This inner body awareness is our jump-off point for presence,
And at the deepest part of it is stillness,
Because stillness is the key to success in meditation.
So we just remain with this inner presence,
Just feeling the aliveness,
Just feeling the vitality.
Presence can also be in the background of our awareness,
Like the sound of a stream bubbling in the background when we're out for a walk.
We're aware of it,
But it's in the background,
So we can feel presence,
We can dwell in presence,
In stillness,
In awareness.
As if our inner awareness is moving in oneness with all things,
Because meditation is from moment to moment,
It's being entirely here in the present moment,
Being in the now,
And this place of beingness.
There's no subject,
There's no object.
Subject and object are mere thought activity.
Thought activity is limited to duality and remains superficial.
Anytime we are caught up in thoughts,
We are trapped in a rough-and-ready approximation to reality.
Thoughts are limited to win-or-lose scenarios,
Whereas in meditation we transcend by simply being.
We are here in the present moment.
It is synonymous with a sense of presence or stillness.
Though in meditation we have stepped back,
Behind the thoughts,
Into a place of awareness,
From where we can see things clearly,
Not from the thoughts,
But as a part of a larger whole.
We feel the expansion around the body,
Feel the vitality within the body.
Now we feel the vitality within the body as it dissolves into the expansion,
The space around us,
Where we can be everywhere in space,
Where we are the space,
Where we are the timeless,
And even being in this place of the timeless presence of now,
Of stillness,
The vitality is still there.
So this is our invitation to let go of the old habits of polarity,
To move beyond merely being a meditator or chasing an experience,
And instead surrendering into this beingness.
And there is a sacred pause between the in-breath and the out-breath,
Where the breath remains still for an instant,
Between coming in and going out.
And in this stillness between breaths lies a world of peace.
It is where clarity can start to take root,
And where the magic of simply being unfolds.
It is a stillness we often overlook,
But which holds so much potential for peace and serenity.
It's a place at our diaphragm which is special,
Because it is the only place in the body where the thoughts can stop.
It's a place where mind and body can come into balance.
It is the center of wisdom in the body.
This pause is a space where time seems to stop in a moment of pure presence,
Free of expectation or action.
Yet it's within this stillness that we can find clarity,
Calm and the quiet wisdom of simply being,
By bringing our attention to the space at the center of our body.
So we embrace the spaces in between,
Specifically a place down around our solar plexus,
With which we can gently connect by our sense of feeling,
Resting our awareness in stillness at that point,
Taking a sacred pause to allow the world to quieten down.
It is a place of neutrality where we no longer need to strive for the next thing,
Nor fixate on what came before.
Here we can release tension and connect with a deeper sense of self.
In these pauses we can find not just rest,
But also renewal.
If the feeling is not clear enough for us,
We can conjure up a picture of something bright in the mind,
Maintaining that image down at our solar plexus in our mind's eye.
And as for the puzzle or problem of there being thoughts in the mind,
If the thoughts are at a low level,
Then often we can just ignore those thoughts,
Treat them like unwanted guests,
To the point that they will eventually die down into silence all by themselves,
Almost like guests that go away if you starve them of attention.
However,
If we're one of those people who tend to have a lot of thoughts going on in the mind,
Then it may be the case that you need to make use of that traditional mantra,
The words Samma Arahang,
Or your own equivalent,
Not saying the words out loud,
But hearing them,
Silently coming up from the center of your body,
As if that were the source of the sound,
Leading the mind deeper at the center of the body.
While at the same time,
Freeing the mind of any extraneous thoughts,
Until the mind approximates closer and closer to silence within.
So by the combination of centering and stilling the thoughts,
We can awaken from the illusion created by distraction or mental activity,
Until we recover true presence.
So we continue to sit for meditation now,
For a few more moments in silence until we come to the appropriate time.
We continue to feel ourselves in stillness,
But moving through time.
There's no need for us to move around,
We don't have to change position.
We simply feel ourselves in stillness,
But moving through time.
If our attention wanders,
Then we just bring it back to our center.
If our inner object disappears,
We can just conjure up a new one.
And if it changes,
Then we can just follow it in its new form.
There's no need for us to change it back again.
Little by little,
We'll find that our meditation is moving inextricably toward oneness.
So we feel ourselves in stillness,
But moving through time.
And eventually that leaves us completely in the present moment.
It's a feeling of being right here in the present moment.
It's a feeling of being right here in the now.
So we have moved from time into the timeless,
Right here in the present moment.
We've brought ourselves into the timeless.
Normally,
We would think of a gift being a present,
And a present being a gift.
And in a sense,
We have a present waiting to be unwrapped inside us.
But there is a second meaning of the word present that is really important for our meditation,
Which is the present that is not the past and is not the future,
But which is in the here and now.
The present is actually the only time in our life that we have complete control over.
So the key to the beginner's mind and benefiting from our present is learning to be content.
Keeping our mind in the present,
Enjoying things as they happen,
Focusing not on what's lacking,
But on what we actually have within us.
Letting go of any hankering or anticipation.
Avoiding making comparisons with past meditations.
Accepting what we have right now,
And not comparing with the past.
Allowing ourselves a gift of the present.
And avoiding letting our mind get ahead of itself by anticipating future experiences.
So the key thing here,
Other than being comfortable in body and in mind,
Is to be content.
Even starting out from a small amount of relaxation,
The amazing thing is,
If we regard that small amount of relaxation as a gift,
The gift will start to unwrap itself,
Allowing us to access something that's hidden inside.
Small amount of relaxation,
Even though it may not be as spectacular as we might want,
But if we're content in the present moment,
And we simply accept it,
It's the beginning of something miraculous.
Because yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery.
But the present is the greatest gift,
And the gift is the present.
And being content in the present moment is a great gift for meditation.
So we continue to cultivate our mind in this way,
Lightly and gently in silence,
Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation.
So we continue to keep our mind on track at the center of the body,
Reminding ourselves that we can carry this peace within us,
No matter what life brings.
In the stillness that transcends the breath,
Lies more than just a moment of rest.
It is an invitation to reconnect with ourselves,
To find peace amid life's constant flow.
These sacred pauses remind us that life's beauty isn't always in its grand movements,
But in its quiet,
Fleeting spaces.
So we continue to engage with our sense of awareness.
As long as we continue to maintain our sense of stillness,
One sacred pause at a time,
We'll start to have the possibility to extend the presence from our own center,
Initially with loving-kindness toward ourselves,
While bringing to mind the words,
May I be well and happy.
May I be free from suffering.
And extending the presence around ourselves like an aura or a halo,
Together with loving-kindness,
We can bring to mind the words,
May all beings be well and happy.
May all beings be free from suffering.
And we should remember that the words are merely pointers.
And they point to the ineffable,
A reference that are beyond the words,
Like the moon is beyond the finger that points it out.
So not getting hung up on the words,
But allowing them to lead us deeper into something more,
To push back the frontiers of possibility,
Of potentiality.
Feeling the words in our body rather than just hearing them.
So this feeling,
This unknown sense of presence,
Of stillness,
Is held within this place,
Bringing the balance,
A correction,
A change.
It brings health and healing.
This is the place of beingness that is without motive.
It simply is.
As we let go and move beyond the thinking mind,
It fills us and all the sentient beings around us with radiance and a capacity for healing.
Loving-kindness originates from a deep inner realization of who we are.
The vitality underneath the mundane experience.
That essence that is already whole,
Perfect,
And complete.
It is from that essence,
That radiant health,
That healing occur in ever-widening circles.
So we continue to extend our loving-kindness in this way for the last few moments of our practice together in silence.
Thank you.
