MA 71 Inner Sanctuary

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammaṭṭhāna. This meditation has minimally structured guidance, and poetic touches courtesy of Petra Michaela. It leaves the meditator in silence for (just) a minute in the mid-section before finishing with candle-themed loving kindness. No end sound.

Transcript

So,

Before closing our eyes,

Let's take a moment to relax all our muscles and adopt a comfortable sitting position,

Slowly bringing our attention back to ourselves,

Becoming aware of our surroundings,

Registering the way we're feeling as we adjust our posture,

Taking our time to readjust until we feel comfortable,

Almost like taking a vacation after a very long week,

Allowing ourselves just to rest and completely free our mind.

We might bring our attention back to our physical posture,

Observing the feeling of the floor beneath us,

Adjusting our body,

Especially our legs,

Until there's no stress or strain around our calves,

Our knees or our thighs,

Until we have good circulation,

Moving on to relax our hands,

Making sure they're placed only very gently in our lap,

Without any tension around our elbows or our shoulders,

Especially adjusting our back and our neck to be straight and upright,

Without any tension in the lower back,

And taking our time to observe all the way from the top of our head,

Right the way down to the tips of our toes,

To make sure we're comfortable,

That our posture is natural,

So that we feel that we can release any tension in our body with no resistance,

No struggle,

And getting our posture completely comfortable,

Then we can turn our attention to becoming aware of our breath,

The way we breathe in and out,

Feeling the in-breath,

Moving gently down to the turning point deep inside us,

Before exhaling very gently,

Observing deeply the gentle contact of our breath inside us,

And as we breathe out,

We may allow our mind to let go of all worries,

Resentment,

Or any other sort of negativity pent up inside,

And as the breath refreshes us from the inside,

We may feel that it makes a turn at the center point,

At the place where it turns between the in-breath and the out-breath,

And as we exhale,

We allow the mind to relieve itself of all preoccupation,

And we don't need to be concerned with anything beyond ourselves,

We feel okay with whatever experience arises for us,

If we haven't done so already,

We can allow our eyes to close very gently,

Without any tension at the corners of our eyes,

Or across our eyeballs,

Feeling the relaxation spread from our eyes to our forehead,

Down through our temples,

Nose,

Cheeks,

Relaxing all our facial muscles,

Down through our neck,

Our shoulders,

And our arms,

Relaxing the whole of our torso,

Both legs,

Down to our feet,

And our toes,

So relaxing every muscle in our body,

Especially in our face,

Around our eyes,

Allowing our facial muscles to become soft,

And allowing our attention to return to the present moment,

The more our body becomes relaxed,

The easier it will become for us to withdraw from the physical senses,

From any distractions around us,

So the mind can reach deeper within,

Allowing us to free up the mind,

Allowing it to let go of physical matters,

So we take our time to relax,

Relaxing every last joint in our body,

And anytime we realize that we are being distracted by our thoughts,

Or anything else,

We can just return to relaxation of the body,

And reminding ourselves that this is our time to rest,

While coming back repeatedly to our mindfulness,

Each time our state of mind becoming more profound and stable,

Taking our time to allow the attention just to be within ourselves,

Until we almost feel the sense of silence coming from within us,

The sense of silence that we have within,

The feeling of our body,

The sense of comfort that it creates for us,

As if our whole body and mind is enwrapped in a sense of peace,

Until we feel that we are truly alone,

But without feeling lonely,

In a place where we don't need to respond to the demands of the outside world,

But at the same time,

Our mental state is broader and wider than before,

Expanding outwards to the very horizons around us,

A space within which we can let go of any responsibilities,

Anything that has been bothering us,

Allowing us to access a greater sense of inner space,

With an accompanying sense of relief and freedom,

If there are any thoughts that come up in the mind,

Or distractions,

We treat them as something far away in the distance,

Because in the foreground of our mind,

Instead,

We have a sense of peace and comfort,

We might even picture ourselves transported to a picturesque landscape,

Where the horizon is far away,

As if we were on the coastline,

We are relieved to settle down within this self-created space,

With a mind free of all distractions,

The same space that shares the breath that goes deep down into our body,

Observing the flow of the breath,

While occupying our self-created space,

As an inner sanctuary,

So that our whole awareness feels buoyant and light,

Like a balloon ready to fly away,

Weightless in the atmosphere,

And when our mind is ready,

We can allow it to settle gently within our inner sanctuary,

Bringing our awareness,

Our attention,

Down to a place where we sense inner comfort,

Within the space of the body,

Perhaps at the point where the breath turns between the in-breath and the out-breath,

Or any other place that feels more comfortable for us,

Allowing our mind or our attention to rest here,

With a sense of softness and comfort,

As if it has just returned after a long absence,

Or after a long journey,

By returning to this point,

It's a place where it can really take its rest,

If we find we're distracted at all,

We can just bring our attention back again each time,

Observing from the perspective of comfort within the body,

Filling our inner space,

Until we're able to return again,

And there's really nothing that we have to do,

As long as we find ourselves feeling content,

And we're on the right path,

And with each moment we become a little bit closer to that sense of inner peace,

Which is the most natural state of our mind,

A state where the mind is completely disengaged from other matters,

And released from its normal burdens,

Remaining within our center space,

With a sense of comfort and contentment,

If we require more structure to our practice,

We can use any of the normal helpers,

Such as a visualized image at the center of ourselves,

Where we imagine bright radiance within ourselves,

Reminding ourselves that it doesn't need to be clear or sharp in the mind,

But more like a gentle or curious recognition of an inner sensation,

A presence that is warm and bright,

Radiating outward,

Until our awareness is so still,

That although the image may disappear,

But the awareness stays the same,

Simply observing within us,

Some people may make use of a mantra if it seems helpful,

As if the sound of the mantra resonates from deep inside us,

Almost like a continuous music in the mind,

Any words or affirmations to keep us in touch,

With that centeredness inside of ourselves,

A sound that is soothing,

Comforting,

Almost like a lullaby in the mind,

Which can bring our awareness to complete stillness,

At which point the sound will fade down into silence,

And our only remaining task will be to remain with that inner sense of comfort,

And as long as the sense of contentment is still there,

It will gradually magnify and multiply into a sense of joy,

Or bliss,

Or happiness,

And the extent of the peace will accumulate more and more,

When we feel lost,

It'll be a place to which we can turn inward,

And can be our guide,

Our source of courage and sanctuary from the world,

We let it shine through,

Even if it's not perfect,

But boldly,

Because its glow leads us to ever greater inner light,

Because even when,

Like the light of the candle,

It may flicker,

It never goes out,

Continuing to withstand the wind and the shadows,

Not with harshness,

But with gentleness,

For its strength lies not in its size,

But in its unshakable nature,

So we continue in this way,

Very lightly,

Keeping our mind gently on track,

By our chosen technique,

Just for a few more moments in silence,

Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation,

So we continue to keep our awareness on track,

At the most comfortable place within ourselves,

Allowing the mind to return to its own inner sanctuary,

Which we'll find is of the nature of peace and tranquility,

This inner experience is like a silent glow,

That never goes out,

No matter how dark the world may seem,

It is the warmth within our heart,

The spark in our inner being,

The kernel of our dreams,

When everything else feels dark,

It is an inner fire we carry around with us,

An inward flicker of hope,

And as our awareness becomes better focused,

We find that peacefulness magnifies and multiplies into a sense of loving-kindness and compassion,

Which brings a sense of joy and happiness,

Which radiates outward with compassion for all within its radius,

Allowing us to share this sense of positivity,

And use the full capacity of the mind to reach outward with positive emotions,

Almost like the sun shining its rays ever outward,

Wider,

Initially throughout the whole of our body,

With the wish that we may be well and happy,

Free from all suffering,

Gaining a clear path in life towards good and better things,

And radiating a sense of positivity to the world,

And beyond ourselves we can extend a sense of positive intent,

For every person,

Every living being,

To live joyfully,

Free of pain,

Free of sadness,

And full of peace,

Just as a candle that does not shine for itself,

But shines for others,

For those who walk in darkness,

Who have lost their way,

Who are looking for a sign not to give up,

Deep into others' hearts and minds,

We allow that sense of loving-kindness to extend ever outward from our center,

Like the sunlight that reaches into every dark corner across the whole globe,

Sharing a sense of peace and loving-kindness to all living beings without exception,

Since it is something that others need from us,

Even if we don't realize it ourselves,

Because the glow of our inner loving-kindness is more than just light,

It is comfort,

It is hope,

And a silent promise that those others are not alone,

So we continue to extend this inner glow for ourselves,

For others,

For a world that sometimes needs more light than it's able to receive,

And we can extend loving-kindness in addition toward those for whom we feel a particular debt of gratitude in life,

Towards those who have helped us,

Those still living,

Or those who have already passed,

Trusting that our positive intentions can extend across the gulfs of space and time to reach those important others wherever they are to be found,

To bring them uplift in body and mind through the shared positivity of our loving-kindness,

So we continue our loving-kindness practice in this way,

Just for a few more moments in silence,

Until we come to the appropriate time.