MA 73 Deep Uninterrupted Sleep Meditation

This track, scripted specifically to help you to achieve at least eight hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep. Follow the guidance to calm your mind and improve your sleep with this meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition that follows a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. The meditation starts with a sitting meditation and ends with the option to lie down and surrender into sleep.

Transcript

So, If you haven't already done so, You might like to settle yourself comfortably for meditation. Slowly allow your eyelids to grow heavy and droop until your eyes are gently closed. And you might adjust your body into a completely comfortable position. Even if you're having a difficult time sleeping, You should start out in a sitting position for meditation, Only later letting your body slip down into a lying position when you're ready to go to sleep. When we breathe in, We breathe in peace. When we breathe out, We recognize a progressive drowsiness that pulls our body down into our supporting cushions or mattress. For now, We keep our awareness on our breathing and breathe in with ease. No tension, No trying, Just a natural easiness in and out. And we may notice that with each breath out, We feel a little more relaxed. We let our breath travel down to the full extent of our lungs, Filling our lungs right up. We might hold the breath at the deepest point just for a moment, Noting the position of this point before letting it flow out as we exhale. We connect with the relaxed, Easy feeling as we return to our normal rhythm of breathing. At this point, You might imagine that the ceiling and roof of the building where you're meditating, Together with all the clouds, Gradually disappear to reveal a Bible black but starry night sky. So the beautiful night sky is clear, With the moon softly lighting its own corner of the sky. So on this magical, Peaceful night, Although you are alone, But you feel safe beneath the velvety calmness of the night sky, Noticing the multitude of twinkling stars shining down on you and the soft dark night blanketing you in warmth and peace. The stars you see may be millions of miles away, The further ones dimly lit, The closer ones shining brightly down on you. You know that as you look into the night, You are looking deep into galaxy upon galaxy, Beyond time and beyond measure. And beyond what you can see are a myriad other stars, Galaxies beyond those, A rich and infinite expanse of planets, Nebulas and stars. And dwarfed by their grandeur, You allow yourself to melt away into the starlight, Becoming at one with that starlight, As if there's no separation between you and this wondrous galaxy. And as you just continue now to relax, The soothing softness of the starlight begins to dissolve and melt away every remaining ounce of the tension stored up from the day, And all those leftover tensions will gradually melt away underneath the pure starlight glow. As sensations of your deepening relaxation begin to wash through every muscle and nerve, As the starlight continues to relax every part of you towards inner calm. You can imagine various parts of you becoming ready to sleep like a baby. As you allow yourself to go down and down into serenity, While you imagine being touched by beautiful soothing rays of starlight, Full of that pure essence of deep sleep. And at this point, You might sense the promise of forthcoming sleep, Now gently loosening and clearing away all the tensions across the crown of your head, Your lightly tingling scalp, Crossing your hairline and flowing like a tide of warmth or a wave of pure relaxation down and down through your softening forehead. The relaxation spreads softly across your eyelids, As if all those tiny eye muscles feel themselves releasing their tension. In this way, You can imagine the relaxing starlight gently alleviating any tension in the smaller muscles and nerves across your face and your features, Through your cheeks, Under your nose and around your mouth. Now the tide of relaxation makes its way all the way down through the jaw as the miracle of your own body's relaxation response continues down through your throat and through the muscles of your neck, With a soft sensation of release as you let go. You can sense the tension drain from your head, From the upper vertebrae, Down through the neck muscles as you welcome in the spacious sensations of ease as you sense or see starlight now loosening and untangling any tension in the tendons of your shoulders and shoulder blades. The starlight continues to bring all of these wonderfully pure sensations of total release all the way down through your chest as tension is released from your lungs, Breathing freely and calmly, With this smooth transition into your most relaxed state. And now your upper arms are relaxing and letting that relaxation flow down past your elbows, And now it's your forearms, Your wrists and your hands that melt into these restful sensations with a sublime sense of ease as more and more parts of your body absorb the calming, Soothing starlight, Lulling you gently towards sleep. Meanwhile, The shining starlight of your perfect relaxation continues to flow with waves of relaxation, With a healing purity through your resting torso. And now, Since you're doing really well, You can just continue to imagine this miracle of pure starlight wrapping and enfolding you so lovingly, With a sense of serene safety, Bringing your deepest sensation of comfort all the way down through your back as you feel ease and health and relaxation all the way down into your very core, As this starlight of sleep and healing relaxation reaches down into your tummy with each new breath. And now this awareness continues to bring healing peace, Always further down towards your core essence, Continuing to perfuse us with the soothing light of total sleep down through your legs, Gently cleansing away every tension and every care. And with an immense sense of inner calm, The flow of relaxation continues down past both knees into your lower legs and along the entire length of your feet, Relaxing you so completely as these pleasing sensations of ease and comfort reach the soles of your feet and the very tips of all ten resting toes. So by this point, You will find that relaxation has spread to every resting fiber of your being and every reposing nerve and cell throughout your body, Your body feeling ready to curl up within this feeling and aching to drift off into a most peaceful, Relaxed state. And wonderful sleep of the just. As you are now resting completely and embody this important time for your rest, Recovery and healing, You can invite the starlight in turn to help relax our state of mind. So we allow the starlight to disperse our conscious thoughts, Simply dissipating them like clouds before the breeze and leaving the space for your mind to relax. For any issues that seem too big for the starlight to dissolve, Rather like your personal backpack full of stones, Permit yourself finally to put this down and take that weight off your mind. As if each of those stones represented something that happened any time in your near or distant past, Any anger, Negativity or regrets. So while softening any attachments, You might feel that you're removing each stone one by one from the backpack, Taking a moment to realize the weight of each and then carefully placing it to one side until not one single stone remains for you to carry, Leaving you emotionally unburdened and unencumbered. Because right now, Since you are instead releasing yourself into that deep sleep, All you need to do is surrender yourself to that rejuvenating sense of the infinite inner space as you drift into that much deserved miracle of soothing rest more and more. You allow the thoughts to fade like a memory, You fade into the unlimited space of the starlight while feeling at one with the present moment, Under this wondrous illuminated starry sky with no past and no future, But only the now. And you might reconnect back to the feeling of an ideal night's wonderfully deep sleep, Perhaps back in our younger days when it seemed so easy just to fall asleep, Because our body knew how to access those wonderful cozy sensations that would carry us off into sweet dreams, Blanketed by deep sleep that replenished our awareness. At this point, You might simply allow some of those sleepier thoughts to travel freely, Transitioning your responses to some of those much dreamier, Calmer states, In a natural progression towards your deeper sleep. And throughout you remain as light as a cherry blossom, And yet as grounded and stable as a as the roots of a majestic tree. Remember if thoughts about the day continue to arise in your awareness, Replaying themselves like a movie on repeat, You simply take mental note before slowly releasing them. If at any point you become overwhelmed by thoughts or feelings, You simply remember your anchor, The contact of your mind with the center of your body. If any sounds break through into your bubble, Then you can just let them flow on by. As we turn now to our visualization, To help us remain mindful and reach beyond the events of the day, Within our awareness we connect our calming mind with that wonderful sense of drifting or floating, Or just move away through that enchanting starlight, And imagining within our mind's eye, A soft and resplendent starlight, Illuminating you from the inside, As if your body were just an empty structure, With a gossamer thin outline. And for a moment we slowly internalize the awareness of the mind, And let it rest inside, Softly and gently, Within the empty space of our body. We do this slowly and softly, There's no need to rush this relocation of the awareness at all. We let the feeling become soft and still, Somewhere inside the abdomen, Or if you feel more comfortable, Anywhere else inside the body. Let the awareness remain there for the time being, With the lightness of a tiny feather, Floating down from the sky, And touching upon a water surface, Without even disturbing the mirror-like stillness. For now we maintain this soft awareness of the mind, Inside the body, Comfortably and continuously. If we like we might visualize the image of an everyday object, Like the sun, The full moon, Or even a shining star, Whatever we feel the most comfortable with. We let the image remain in the mind naturally, So nothing else will have a chance to interrupt, While retaining a sense of comfort, And without worrying about the passing time. If the visualization leads to discomfort, We can reapply the mind more gently at any time. When distractions occur, We just bring our mind back to the visualization, Until our mind starts to feel settled. If there are thoughts still remaining in the mind, We can do our best to ignore them. If ignoring them seems ineffective, Instead we can silently repeat that traditional mantra to ourselves, With the words Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Over and over again, As we maintain our mind in meditation for a few more moments in silence. And if it's sleep that we are particularly interested in, We might instead make use of the mantra, I am willing to let go, I am willing to let go, I am willing to let go. Letting go of the contents of the mind is not always easy, But it begins with a sense of willingness. So as we move through the rest of this practice, Be patient and compassionate with yourself, You can regard the practice of letting go as a softening of attitudes or an unfolding journey. So we continue with our meditation, Calming our mind down towards the center, Either for focus or for sleep, For a few more moments in silence, Before we come to the appropriate time. So we continue to keep our mind on track at the center of the body, The whole of the time. If we find our mind slipping away onto other things, Each time we realize we just bring our mind back again each time. If our inner object disappears, We can conjure up a new one. But if it changes, Then we just follow and observe the way in which that inner object transforms, With no need to change it back again. Some people who have had trouble getting to sleep claim that they've tried everything to get more sleep, Following advice like spending time winding down before bed, Or curbing their screen time, But still they struggle. The problem is that when it comes to insomnia, Unlike most other areas of our life, The more we try to sleep, The less likely we are to succeed. This is because sleep is a passive process like breathing or digesting, It cannot be controlled and nothing we can do can force it to happen. However, As soon as we stop trying, Sleep will naturally follow. But not trying to sleep is extremely hard, Especially when you recognize the need to rest. And to use reverse psychology, You can simply embrace just being awake. Or just being okay with the guilt about being awake, And in that way we will gradually reduce any pressure we may feel to fall asleep. The paradox of intention was recognized by Viktor Frankl who said, Sleep is like a dove, Which has landed near one's hand, And stays there as long as one does not pay any attention to it, But the moment one attempts to grab at it, It quickly flies away. We can also breathe more gently or more intentionally, Slowing down our breathing in a way that not only helps us feel calmer generally, But also reduces the energy levels we have to deal with at night. If you've developed an elaborate wind-down routine that takes up your whole evening but doesn't actually lead to a good night's sleep, Maybe it's time to simplify it. If you look forward to having a bath at the end of the day, Then restrict yourself just to that enjoyable experience before bed, Making sure you only spend time doing relaxing and enjoyable things that set the scene for a restful night's sleep. Another quick way to counteract stress hormones is to smile yourself to sleep. Smiling releases hormones that promote relaxation. As you turn the light out at night, Try to think of something funny and smile to yourself in the dark. Even if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, A smile will help. It doesn't even have to be a genuine heartfelt smile, Even a fake smile is enough to send a message to the brain that reduces stress and lowers your heart rate. One of the most time-honoured wind-down routines before going to sleep is to recollect all the good deeds that you've done throughout the day, Or to spread loving-kindness from your centre with the thought that it will help us to sleep in peace, Have only sweet dreams, And eventually wake refreshed. Up to this point, You may have been sitting to meditate, But at this juncture you may decide whether you're going to continue meditating or surrender to sleep. If you want to meditate, Then create brightness at your centre. If you want to transition from meditation into sleep, Then gradually lay yourself down to go to sleep, While letting your awareness remain at your centre. So going back to our starlight relaxation, We pick up on the positive feeling of the things we are proud of having accomplished in our everyday life. By connecting selectively with those positive energies, Inwardly we'll attract wholesome and restful states almost effortlessly. The real miracle of healthy sleep is allowing ourselves to become more open to everything that helps and supports our healing and rejuvenation of body and mind. The centre of the body is the key to this, Because it is where our mind falls asleep and wakes up. It is this point that is pivotal for our dreams. So we can make our nightly slumber easier by meeting the resting mind halfway at the centre of the body, And familiarising the mind with this point, Whether sitting up or lying down. Within these happy stretches of our deep sleep, We'll have the confidence that we'll greet the new day calmer and fully rested, Because we have allowed ourselves all this replenishing time to recharge deeply from the inside. As soon as you choose to lay your head on that familiar nightly pillow, You know that all you have to do is centre your body and cast your mind back to this glimmering starlight for our very own miracle of sleep, To wash over us with its cleansing restful tide, Leaving us replenished as we rest and sleep, Because we're always learning how to sleep better every time we allow ourselves to embrace and be embraced by the ocean of peace energy within, An enchanting sense of calm in our heavenly inner world, Which continues to carry us gently, Safely, Completely, Entering deeper and deeper within the sanctuary of our slumber of that starlight's blissful calm, As a deep sense of an entire universe shimmering with soothing starlight, Lightening all our loads. So may you always be revitalized, Rejuvenated and deeply healed throughout this sacred sleep time. May this really be the time to rest deeply, As the beautiful starlight lights the way toward your growing contentment, As you continue to attract the most positive of things, As you reach toward your most contented replenishment, While feeling wondrously connected to the universe, But yet deeply connected to the physical world, You realize that you have reached your sweet spot of equilibrium. Any time the mind starts to wander, Just gently and compassionately invite it back to the center again, Whenever necessary. Know that you are safe, As you slowly drift towards the land of nought, Sinking deeper, Releasing the day completely, As you rest and restore, For a little longer now in silence. When you're ready, Let's softly and gently close our eyes, And softly and gently relax our eyes, Our face, Our shoulders, Relaxing our torso, Our abdomen, Our legs, All the way down to the tips of our toes. We relax our arms, Our hands, And our fingers, Making sure that every single part of our body is completely relaxed. We take our time to make sure that we feel good, Feel comfortable, Because this comfort, This relaxation, Is at the very heart of the meditation practice. Once you're able to feel good, Feel relaxed, Feel comfortable, Just by doing that, You've already achieved almost a hundred percent success in your meditation. And if you're able to maintain this relaxation, This comfort and peace, For just one second at a time, Then that is already a hundred percent success in your meditation. So, We continue to relax, Continue to let this feeling flow, And if you're feeling relaxed and comfortable in the present moment, Then you're already doing a great job in your meditation. We continue to maintain this peacefulness, This tranquility, This relaxation, Keeping it going by simply resting, Being calm and comfortable. Just like this. So, By being calm and relaxed and peaceful, Our mind will automatically start to accumulate that peace and positive energy within. We'll start to gain a sense of stillness, And as it becomes more and more still, Our mind will become clearer and cleaner, And the effect of that will enlarge outwards into our lives, Affecting the way we make decisions, Choose our words, Or reach out to others through our actions. We find that as our mind becomes more and more centered, Everything in our lives becomes more wholesome as a result. But for now, We don't need to worry about any of this. We just remain calm, Relaxed, And peaceful within ourselves. Allowing ourselves to pick up on that sense of comfort. And if there's anything to interrupt that sense of comfort, We should feel free to adjust ourselves. And little by little, By increments, We will gradually move from 100% success to 110 or maybe 120%. We'll feel that our mind will become more and more clear and clean, Pristine and pure, Until at a certain point we'll be able to actually see that clarity within us. We'll start to see what is meant when they say that the mind is clear and bright. And whatever happens in our meditation, Or even if nothing happens at all, We just allow our mind to remain still. Keep our mind at ease, Keep our mind relaxed, Calm and peaceful. Treating this feeling of stillness inside us as something precious. Something that's going to take us deeper, Closer to the source of that positive energy that's being generated within us right now. In the meantime, We keep ourselves relaxed, Calm and comfortable. That's all we really need to focus on right now. Letting go of all our thoughts, All of our worries, Putting aside any responsibilities for right now. Treating the time we have in the present as the most precious to us. An opportunity to give ourselves a sense of peace, Self-love, In a way that can spread outwards also to bring happiness to others. Making ourselves more of a pleasure to be with. So later on we'll be able to share this sense of compassion and happiness with our friends and family, And eventually to everyone in the world. The way we accumulate this sense of peace, This love and happiness, Will start to softly and gently manifest within our mind. And as we relax more, Feel more and more peaceful and comfortable, We may feel as if our whole body is starting to become light in weight. Almost illuminated from the inside. As if there's something moving inside us, Like a gentle breeze, Blowing gently through the mind and cleansing away all the negativity. But all that's happening is that the mind is gently moving towards a standstill. Which means that the thoughts in the mind are gradually grinding to a halt. But in the meantime, We're able to keep ourselves relaxed and calm and comfortable with this feeling of peace and relaxation so crucial to our lives. We may already have come across such a feeling from time to time in our lives, But maybe never really paid much attention to it. But if we start to pay attention to this feeling of relaxation that's there, Quietly in the background, Starting to nurture and cherish this feeling, A sense of love and compassion inside our mind will start to connect with all the positivity in our lives, In our family's lives, In our community, And eventually to the whole of the world. So, This feeling of continuity and relaxation is the heart of our meditation practice. This peace inside the mind, This sense of relaxation. It's just a question of training the mind to get used to being more comfortable and relaxed. Allowing that sense of peace and love that we need so much to return to ourselves by taking good care of ourselves both in body and in mind. Maintaining that good feeling while keeping a sense of comfort, Accumulating more and more of that sense of peace and happiness. If you find that even with that sense of peace and comfort inside yourself, That your mind still doesn't feel like it has settled, If it's like we are trying to fly our kite but the wind still didn't pull on the end of the string, Or if you feel that your mind still hasn't taken the bait, Especially for those of us who are new to meditation, Then it might be an idea to add a little bit of structure to our practice by allowing the mind to settle and center within the space of our body, In the place that feels the most comfortable for us. Or more classically, Somewhere down around our solar plexus, Gently guiding the mind into place in a way that it finds it easiest to link up with that sense of positivity on the inside. If you feel that you can already detect the place the mind needs to be, Then just gently maintain the mind at that place by means of the feeling. If it helps you to have some sort of visual to keep your mind in place, And usually we favor something bright and rounded like the sun, A full moon or a star, Or perhaps a sparkling diamond, Usually as a by-product of that visual focusing of the mind in a gentle and comfortable way, We'll start to feel that sense of flowing inwards, Pulling the mind deeper within ourselves. If we find the mind wandering away, Losing touch with that feeling, Each time we just bring it back again. In the same way, We can pull the mind back if we suffer from sleepiness or discomfort. What's important is that we don't worry about what's happening, In the meditation, We simply readjust to maintain that sense of peace and comfort continuously. Once you feel comfortable again, You can keep the mind on track with that sense of ease and peace inside you. Continuing on the journey inward, As it takes us closer and deeper toward the source of true happiness within. The closer we come to that point of peace, The clearer will be the sense of that positive energy, The sense of fulfillment as if we desire for nothing else in the world, While overcoming negativity, Breaking free of any shadows, As the mind becomes more luminous within itself. Feeling the brightness inside, Brightness that has a shadowless quality to it. So we spend this precious time together, Learning more and more about ourselves, Taking good care of our mind, Cherishing the sense of wholesomeness from within, Maintaining that sense of relaxation and comfort, Continuing to accumulate more and more peace, This treasure within ourselves, As we continue our meditation in silence for a few more moments now, Until we come to the appropriate time. So we continue to keep our mind on track, Immersed always within that sense of happiness, Contentment and relaxation within ourselves, While making sure our body remains comfortable, And maintaining a sense of contentment with whatever we have achieved in our practice so far. With that sense of contentment, We'll continue to progress in our practice, Whatever happens. Being comfortable within our mind means keeping our mind free from worries, Allowing ourselves to immerse the mind in that sense of tranquility. If we can manage to stay with this sense of relaxation and comfort, It's already the heart of the meditation practice. As long as we give due importance to this feeling of relaxation, Then it's already 99. 99% of success in our meditation. We continue to maintain this sense of relaxation, Little by little, Our mind will become completely still. And through that sense of stillness and relaxation, It will become attracted by itself to the true source of tranquility or true peace within ourselves. Because although this source of happiness already exists in the mind, It only becomes tangible to us when the mind becomes still and free of thought. At which point it will become attracted there, Returning to its origin, And that 99. 99% of success will give way to the remaining 0. 01%, Which is to be consistent with that feeling, To keep that feeling of relaxation going as long as we can. And when it starts to go away, Then we readjust and come back to that feeling again. It may seem repetitive that we have to keep readjusting in this way, But eventually the repetition will ensure that we reach closer and closer towards the sense of true happiness within mind. Gradually accumulating the happiness little by little, Until our sense of peace and tranquility within becomes more precise and consistent. Lead us to the brightness on the inside, Because when you are bright inside, You will brighten up the rest of the world as well. So we continue in this way, Lightly and gently, Keeping our mind on track at the center of ourselves, Immersed constantly and consistently at the center of that sense of inner peace, For a few more moments 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 ourselves, Immersed always in the quality of the inner experience we have built up for ourselves, As a result of our meditation so far today. For some people, It will be a feeling of well-being that seems to well up from the inside. For others, It may be something more like a sense of illumination arising from the inside. For others still, It may be a sort of imagery on the inside that we can appreciate through our mind's eye. So whatever form that inner experience seems to take towards the end of our practice, By touching gently with our awareness at the center of that inner experience, We will become able to extend the qualities of that inner experience as loving-kindness, Initially towards ourselves, Later towards the wider world around us. So, While remaining calm and relaxed and comfortable, We softly bring our awareness to the center of ourselves, Bringing our mind to rest at that place, The place of greatest contentment for us, While letting it be and letting it go, While remaining calm and relaxed and still, At the center of that sense of tranquility, While making the wish or the affirmation for ourselves at the center of that feeling, That we always be well and happy, Healthy, Wealthy and wise, Be fulfilled in all our wholesome wishes, Successful in all our wholesome goals, Be loved and respected, Protected wherever we go, Be able to find peace in our mind quickly and easily at all times, And to be a role model of peace and love and true happiness with as many other people as we possibly can. We can make a wish for ourselves to be able to still our mind, Be able to maintain true happiness at all times, And reach the utmost of happiness as soon as possible. And having extended good wishes for ourselves through our loving kindness, We can now extend that loving kindness beyond ourselves, Outwards into the world around us, In ever-widening circles, The positive energy that we have accumulated through our practice, Almost like ripples emanating outwards from our center, Ever wider into the world around us, Softly and gently expanding, The sense of love and kindness, And positive energy towards those around us in the world, Throughout this room, Throughout the entire building, And outwards into the neighborhood in all directions all around, Sharing the sense of peace and love with all beings around us, Softly and gently expanding it further and further, Until it covers the entire city, The whole country, Until it covers the whole of the world, Picturing the world as clear and bright and shining, And filled with positivity, Where positive energy cleanses away all the negativity, As we share our love and kindness with everybody on this planet, Extending wishes of love and kindness for every person, Every being, That they always be happy and healthy, Wise and fulfilled, In all their wholesome wishes, May they be free from harm, From hatred, From anger, And from frustration, You can also make the wish that this world be free from war, From disease, From every other sort of negativity, With the wish that everyone find peace in their mind, Be able to still their mind quickly and easily at all times, In order to reach the utmost happiness as soon as possible, If we're thinking of particular loved ones of ours who are in difficulty at this time, We might extend particular loving kindness towards them, Holding them in the brightness and sense of peace at our center, Thinking of their faces or their names, As we extend loving kindness toward them, For the last few moments of our practice until we come to the appropriate time, So we can start by getting ourselves comfortable, Sitting calmly for a moment, And gently closing our eyes, Seeing as there's no rush, We can take as long as we need to get settled, For now we don't actually need to do anything, It's enough just to be, Just to exist in our body, Just to be alongside all the other living, Breathing manifestations of life on this planet, And when we're ready, Our practice might be simply to notice, Noticing our thoughts, Noticing our body and our body sensations, Noticing our environment, Nothing needs to be changed or responded to, For now we just notice, Noticing and accepting, Noticing things as they are and letting them be, To fully relax our shoulders, We might just shrug fully, And then let our shoulders drop back to their natural height, We might lengthen up through our spine, Beyond the crown of our head, While simultaneously drawing down into our seat, We can rest the backs of our hands across our lap, While tucking our right index finger lightly under the tip of our left thumb, And turning to relax our state of mind, Even without calling forth pictures in the mind, We'll probably notice visual images coming unbidden to the mind, The faces of loved ones, Our homes, Other familiar places, Previous meals or replays of movies, Such images arise spontaneously throughout the day, But we are often too engrossed in external sensations to notice them, And each night our mind becomes a dream theatre, Where we interact with fictitious scenarios and people, Visualisation or imagination is therefore a mental technique we are all familiar with, Unless we work in the visual arts, We will have little or no control over our ability, But in meditation we become increasingly able to channel and harness this ability, When you are new to meditation it may even seem impossible to internalise the mind within the body, Because we're not used to bringing the mind inside the body, Normally our awareness is pulled away from us by the sights, Sounds, Tastes and touches from the outside world, Or the tendency to keep on thinking without end, The moment we try to keep the mind in one place at the centre of the body, We'll find it difficult, It's difficult for adults, But easier for children who have a nervous system that still hasn't been hardened up by the way they are trained to think in the school system, If you ask a six-year-old to meditate, Visualising at the centre of the body, They are able to do it naturally, They just observe without thinking, Which means that their mind is easily stilled, And together with that innocence of mind they are able to reach attainments in their meditation easily, In contrast adults spend their whole time thinking, About what to do, What they want, How they're going to get it, Where they're going to get it from and from whom they're going to get it, This constant thinking leaves the mind clouded, As we get older this way of deploying the mind becomes habitual, So the adult mind is not as flexible as a child's, And the pressure of constant thinking leads to stress, We shouldn't despair nonetheless as adults are still able to get the same results as children with practice, If we're new to meditation we may just need to de-school the mind and get back in touch with our inner child, The mind has often been compared to a mirror, For one thing even a mirror the size of the palm of your hand can reflect the whole of a mountain, In the same way a mind can contain infinite levels of awareness, What's more whatever object comes before a mirror does not affect the mirror itself and the mirror does not affect the object, So like a mirror we can learn to treat thoughts and images with equanimity, By learning not to judge them, We need to avoid the misapprehension that meditation is about trying to stop thoughts, If you can relate to thoughts treating them like a mirror treats reflections, And whether thoughts are there or not, The mind remains clear like a mirror over the sky thereby freeing the mind, Rather than being inert it's like taking in information in a peripheral way, It's the same as how we can tell whether the person sitting next to us is young or old, Male or female, Even without looking directly at them, It's like seeing without looking, It's like we are looking just with our awareness or looking right through an object, Or just like letting the images play on the surface of the mind, Like an undistorted mirror reflection, So we direct our mind with the utmost gentleness, Taking in information as if we weren't actually looking, Seeing without looking, It's like watching a furtive wild animal that will be scared off the moment we blink, So we don't concentrate on it even with our awareness, But just look straight on through, With the same sort of lightness of awareness that is more akin to subtly covering the object with a sprinkling of fairy dust, And if we need to make use of a mantra to keep our thoughts in place, The sound of the mantra Samma Arahang should be light and gentle, Just resounding naturally from our mind, In any case before long the level of cloudedness in the mind will diminish to the point that we are okay with it, And when we sit for meditation on subsequent occasions, We will start to have the feeling of spaciousness inside, Lightness inside, As if our whole body has disappeared, Or as if we've lost track of time, This is the starting point of meditation proper, Although it's only weak concentration at this stage, Technically known as momentary mindfulness or Kanika Samadhi, But we continue to train ourselves further, In the hope of mastering meditation that is more subtle still, To allow us to learn about the truth of life and the world, To help us overcome suffering or gain a refuge in life, Consistent daily practice in our meditation will lead us to the breakthrough we seek, Where we reach a turning point that can sometimes take just a fraction of a second, When the mind is able to reach a standstill in meditation, But for now we continue in this way, Lightly and gently for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to the appropriate time, So we continue to keep our mind on track at our center, Gently reflecting the experiences in the mind, Like a mirror with its reflections, Monks from the forest tradition used to advise that we should just let the mind do as it wants, Just watching without reacting to new experiences, Not taking the bait for things that come into contact with our senses, We need to regard all impressions as just more of the same, Letting come and go without fighting them, Keeping the mind in the present, Rather than thinking about what we're going to do tomorrow, If at all times we just observe the characteristics of things in the present moment, This will allow our mind to gain true equanimity, If we find we are inadvertently involving our eyesight in the meditation process, We need to take special care that we are not angling our eyes down towards the center of our body, We need to make sure our eyes are still facing forward, If we are focusing our eyes at the center of the body, The more we try to focus, The more pressure we will be putting on our eyes, The more stressed we will become across our forehead, The meditation will just tire us out, Actually we should just disconnect from our eyesight, Or if this doesn't work then just imagine we are looking out of a dormer window to a distant horizon, Even though our eyes are directed forwards looking at the view, But with our mind we are reaching out to our center solely with our awareness, So when we are meditating we need to take care not to put pressure on our eyes, Eyes should not be directed differently just because we are meditating, They should remain at the same angle we'd use to look in front of us, Even though our eyes are closed, And of course we need to remain patient, If we are not able to achieve the lightness we require today, We can simply try again tomorrow, But in the meantime we just keep on training ourselves both inside our meditation practice and between sessions, Because there are no shortcuts on the journey towards stillness, At the same time we need to adjust the mind every time we sit for meditation, While noticing what more our mind needs, In effect all it takes is consistency, And if we find that the seventh base of the mind is not the best place for us to focus, We can always start from a different place inside the body, Anywhere that brings us contentment, We might consider that the center of the body has enlarged to the size of the whole room or to the horizon, In the meantime we just bring our mind to anywhere that feels right for us, Sometimes there may appear to be light that comes and goes, It may or may not be a sphere of light, It may appear in front of us or to the sides, Or even behind us, But we don't react to it, We just reflect it like a mirror, We play hard to get, Not letting the mental object ensnare our attention, We pretend not to be interested, Even though it may fascinate us, The wiser we focus on it, It will disappear, We just remain in stillness, Watching with peripheral vision, And when it's ready then it will come to our center in its own time, So we continue in this way lightly and gently, For a few more moments in silence until we come to time for some loving kindness meditation, So we continue in an unhurried way, Taking a moment to allow the inner experience that we have built up today, As a result of our meditation, To manifest into positive and compassionate intentions for ourselves and others, Just allowing these intentions of goodwill, To seep into our subconscious little by little, Helping to rewrite the thoughts that arise from the subconscious, And remind us of the positive truths that we may have forgotten somewhere along the way, In the same way we allow the breath to nourish our body, So we extend compassion for ourselves, By reminding ourselves that everything about us is enough, And just as it should be, That we are already whole, Confident and courageous, That we are generous in sharing our loving kindness and letting it flow, That we are grateful for our body and the life it allows us, That we are grateful for our vitality, Wisdom and intuition, That we are grateful for the experiences we have already gained, That we are loved, Lovable, Safe and supported, We can secretly admire ourselves for how far we have already come, How much we have already learned, That we are worthy of love, Success, Happiness, The kindness, Care and respect of others, That we believe in ourselves even when no one else does, That we were born with everything we need inside to find our way through life, That we may be well and happy, Free from distress and worry, Free from ill will, That our hearts be filled with loving kindness, Compassion and sympathetic joy, And having put ourselves in a good place, We extend loving kindness beyond ourselves, In ever widening circles, With the wish that all living beings be well and happy, May they too be free from distress and worry, May their minds be free from ill will, May their hearts be filled with love, Although goodwill towards certain others at this stage may feel artificial and contrived, The recognition of our negative feelings and the desire to wish to transform them into positive feelings is important, In time indifference will change into equanimity, And from equanimity into friendliness and concern, When through the practice of the meditation on loving kindness, We learn to shrug off insults rather than get angry, To forgive rather than plot revenge, And to be kind rather than rude or vicious or uncaring, Our interactions with others will become considerably more enjoyable, And our life will become subjectively happier, We'll become more able to put aside our own self-interest for the sake of others, To act out of loving kindness, To free up our time to help those in need, Manifesting these pure intentions, Will eventually become as much a part of the meditation on loving kindness, As sitting quietly with our legs crossed, So we extend our good wishes further for the wider world, Opening a mind of compassion to living beings in all their diversity, For the earth as a whole, For the entire infinite and mysterious universe, For a few more moments now in silence, So as you start by coming back to yourself, You may notice your mind becoming more settled, As your thinking begins to quieten down, And then you can let your eyelids gently close, And let your awareness turn naturally inwards, You start by being aware of your body, Letting your awareness begin a journey, A voyage of exploration throughout your body, Beginning perhaps with the parts of your body that are in contact with your cushion, Letting that contact have a grounding, Stabilizing effect on your mind, And expanding your awareness from those points of contact, Into the rest of your body, And as you become aware of each muscle, Of each group of muscles, You can let go, Let them relax and soften, Letting your feet relax, Your legs, Your hips, Being aware of your back, Of your shoulders, Of your spine, And letting it be relaxed and responsive, Letting your spine move freely, With the movements of your body caused by your breath, Notice your shoulders rising with every in-breath, Relaxing every time you breathe out, And as you begin to relax more deeply, You may start to notice certain sensations in your hands and your fingers, Noticing the muscles on the back of your neck, The muscles supporting your skull, And letting them lengthen and soften, The back of your neck, Long and relaxed and open, Your chin very slightly and comfortably tucked in, Your head balanced effortlessly on top of your spine, Your jaw relaxed, Your eyes soft behind closed eyelids, Your brow free from tension, Soft relaxed, And then become aware of all the experiences in your body, Continuing to relax, Letting go of any tensions, And while you're being aware of your body, In the midst of all these experiences, You can notice the sensations of your breathing, Letting your breath be relaxed and natural, Your body expanding on each in-breath, And as you release on the out-breath, Your body relaxing, So every time you exhale, There is a natural sense of relaxation throughout your body, Every muscle relaxing and letting go, So be aware of that natural phase of relaxation, And let it go a little deeper with every out-breath, So with every exhalation, You can sense a wave of relaxation, Sweeping downward through your body, Sweeping away tensions, Leaving your body relaxed, And helping to calm your mind, And the more you notice this wave of relaxation, The deeper your calmness becomes, And continuing by letting the momentum of your awareness, Carry you through these still quiet points, Helping you to keep a continuous awareness of the cycle of your breathing, Letting your breathing be relaxed and natural, Noticing your body opening with each in-breath, Noticing your body relaxing with each out-breath, Maintaining an awareness of this alternating pattern of expansion and energy, So at this point, We allow the mind to reach inward towards the source of light inside us for a few moments, While always maintaining a sense of relaxation the whole of the time, It is a kind of inner awakening, Fueled by the inner light in the mind, At this level of description, The shape of the mind is spherical, A sphere that shines with an inner light, A round sphere that's self-illuminating, By resting the mind at this point, The source is illuminated by the bright inner light in the mind, All you need to do is immerse yourself in the bright, Silvery inner light, As it shines its radiance forth, Allow the light or the inner feeling of light to continue on and on, With the mind shining forth its radiance, And whether we've learned to initiate inner brightness by ourselves, We reach inwardly with the mind, Reaching gently with our awareness, Toward the inner light shining in the mind, At the centre of the body, The inner light retails the arising of peace in the mind, Like the light before dawn, The inner light replicates the real spherical nature of the mind, And we continue to connect with the source of the inner light, As continuously as we can, For as long as we can, If you find yourself becoming distracted from time to time, Simply acknowledge the activity of your mind, And direct your attention back to your centre, The reality of meditation is that in the beginning, It's always going to be this gentle back and forth, So pay attention to this process of moving away from the centre, And coming back, And as you do so, The movement of the attention will leave you unfazed, Allowing you to come back again and again, And cultivating a sense of patience and gentleness with yourself, You never have to push anything away, You never have to try to control or fix your thoughts, If at any time during the meditation you realise that the mind's wandered off, Or got caught up in thinking, It's no problem because that's just what it's used to doing, But we give it something different, We reintroduce it to the centre, Observing at the centre, Every time we bring our awareness back to the centre, It will allow us to dive deep to where the stillness and calm is, And to where the beauty of the mind is, So tell yourself that there's nothing that you have to get right or to perfect, You simply remain curious and observe in the present moment, You're simply getting to know the centre and observing its qualities, You're creating space between yourself and your thoughts, And tapping into that still silent place, If thoughts return, We do our best to ignore them, If ignoring the thoughts proves ineffective, We can make use of the traditional mantra instead, Using the words Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, The more we say the mantra, The more power we give to the words of the mantra, And the more benefit they will bring in calming our mind, They will start to lead deeper toward a sense of purity in the mind, So we feel these words resonating within our heart, And within every cell, Every fibre of our being, With each repetition of the mantra, It may seem hard in the beginning to meditate, But it gets easier with practice, It's only difficult because we are so familiar with projecting our awareness outside of ourselves, To get caught up with material people and objects and situations in the outside world, With all the sense objects, Whether it be enticing sights, Sounds, Perfumes, Tastes or tactile sensations, So the difficulty is that every time we bring the mind back inside us, It will go looking for external distractions all over again, Because this is what it's used to doing, Like a fish out of water, Looking for distraction, Entertainment, Obsession, Entanglement, So we have to give ourselves the time and the opportunity to get used to internalizing the mind, If our mind gets distracted by external things, Never mind, But we gradually bring it back again each time, The other possible difficulty is with our expectations for progress, We know all the advantages of making a breakthrough in our meditation, We know it'll bring us an inner refuge of happiness and a special understanding of life, There's no problem in wanting progress, We have to make sure we don't crave after it too much, We should use our motivation to give us the willingness to put in the hours of meditation, But not while we are actually meditating, Ironically if we crave to stop the mind, It will just make it all the more elusive, Because we try to force images into our mind, Or tense up our eyes, Or try to stare down into our stomach, Which is a physical impossibility, Much better is just to start out with the feeling, As if there is an object inside us to focus on, So we start with a feeling rather than something visible, And this will reduce our tendency to manufacture inner experiences, Or to try too hard, We have to trust that the inner experience we require is already in there somewhere, And all we need to do is tune our mind to the same level of subtlety, We have to trust that one way or another, Experience will come to us sooner or later, So there's no need to make an artificial effort, So in the meantime we continue in this way, Lightly and gently, For a few more moments in silence, Until we come to the appropriate time, So we continue to keep our mind gently on track at the center of the body, Often it comes down to familiarity with the technique, Rather than theoretical knowledge of the meditation, There are many examples of those with no previous background to meditation, But who stumble across the proper balance in meditation, And when their mind comes into equilibrium, They will attain progress in their meditation, In just the same way as those who are knowledgeable about the meditation theory, Their awareness will pass deeper through the center, And they experience happiness on the inside, Happiness that will keep their mind in place on the inside the whole of the time, And which will cause the mind to move inward toward inner peace, It's not that person's imagination, But it is a real experience that exists inside the consciousness of every living person, This is why we need to keep on training ourselves every day in meditation, And in between meditation sessions, Maintain mindfulness at the center of the body, Our mind will be connected continuously at the center, And will be linked into that stream of purity flowing up from our center, In the meantime we shouldn't obsess too much about the center of the body, There's definitely no need for us to go looking for it, Or to worry about if we got there yet, But we should remind ourselves that the mind doesn't like to be forced to do anything, If anything it prefers tender loving care, So we just put our mind in neutral without worrying about the center of the body, We should just let our mind coast, Or imagine that the target size of the center of the body, Has enlarged to the very horizons around us, As if we were already sitting in the middle of the center of the body, So that we don't need to do anything more, With nothing to add and nothing more to adjust, So for now we continue to train the mind gently, Until it becomes centered in inner happiness, For a few more moments 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, And the final part of our meditation today, We're going to practice loving kindness meditation, In five sequential stages, To allow us to develop this emotion of loving kindness within ourselves, So we continue to maintain a sense of ease and comfort, And relaxation at the center of ourselves, We gather up the sensations at the center of ourselves, And we continue to allow the sense of relaxation and ease, To deepen with our awareness into our center, Becoming aware of whatever feelings and emotions are present, Whose feelings and emotions may be very subtle, Or they may have a very definite and strong presence, We don't have to be able to put a name to these emotions for the time being, Whatever is there we accept them because this is where we're starting from, There's only one place that we can start from and that is where we are, So we look for a sense of contentment, A place to start out from where we are, Whatever our emotional state may be, So sometimes we might have a sense that our emotions occupy a volume of space, In or around our body, Sometimes they may seem to have a texture or color, So we just notice these impressions, We notice with a sense of contentment, Starting from wherever we are, Aware that we can patiently work with whatever we're experiencing, Patiently, Confidently, Bringing them gently to our center, Accepting that these emotions will change at their own rate, Just as seeds watered and cared for in the soil, Will respond to nourishment and will change and grow at their own rate, Accepting that change is happening in time, In response to this practice, Remaining aware of how we're feeling at our center, We can begin the first stage of the loving-kindness meditation, By wishing ourselves well, Cultivating an attitude of appreciation and care for ourselves, And we can do this simply by dropping the words within our intention, May I be well, May I be happy, May I be free from suffering, Slowly and with care, From our center we allow the effects of these kind intentions, To ripple gently through our emotions, We might imagine our emotions as being like a still forest pool, And as we drop the intention, May we be well, May we be happy, May we be free from suffering into our center, It's as if we're dropping a flower into the still waters, Being aware of the effects of the flower falling into the water, Being aware of the ripples spreading outwards, It may also help to think of a time when we felt particularly well and happy, We can call to mind some time from our past, When we had that sense of well-being and contentment, And we can recreate that experience once more, Magnifying and multiplying the feeling of confidence and ease, By dropping the intention, May I be well, May I be happy, May I be free from suffering, And for a few moments, Patiently and kindly, With care and love, We wish ourselves well, If we ever become aware that our mind has wandered, Then we bring our awareness kindly and patiently back to our body, To our center, And continue to wish ourselves well, And from there we can move to the second stage of the loving kindness practice, Where we can call to mind a good friend, Someone that we have a close connection with, Someone whose well-being is important to us, And we can wish our friend well with the intention, May you be well, May you be happy, May you be free from suffering, And conjuring up these intentions with meaning and conviction, We notice what changes are taking place in our emotions, In response to these intentions, The changes may be subtle or quite noticeable, They may not be the changes we expect, But we just notice what happens, And continue to observe what happens with our emotions, As we wish our friend well, And then moving on to the third stage of the loving kindness, You can put your friend to one side for now, And call to mind a neutral person, Someone that you don't have any special feelings towards, You may neither particularly like them, Nor do you have any particular aversion towards them, It might be someone that you see quite regularly, Perhaps at a supermarket checkout, In your workplace, Or on the street, Call this person to mind and begin to wish him or her well, With the intention, May you be well, May you be happy, May you be free from suffering, And although you know little or nothing about this person's life, You share something very profound and powerful in common with them, The fact that they, Like you, Wish to find happiness, That they wish to be free from suffering, So the more you're aware of them being like you in this respect, The more you can wish him or her well, In a heartfelt way, And moving to the fourth stage of the loving kindness, You can put the neutral person to one side, And call to mind someone you know, But have difficulties with, Someone with whom you experience conflict, Or a sense of strain, When you call this person to mind, You may have a sense of discomfort, So just notice that gut response, That feeling, And at the same time, Wish him or her well from your center, May you be well, May you be happy, May you be free from suffering, Like you, This person wants to be happy, And free from suffering, And as you move into the fifth and final stage of the loving kindness meditation, You can call to mind all four people, Yourself, Your friend, The neutral person, And the difficult person, And wish all four people well, While making the intention, That all four be well and happy, With the intention, May we be well, May we be happy, May we all be free from suffering, We can imagine all four people being well and happy, And being in harmony, You might notice a tendency to discriminate, To not want to give your loving kindness equally to all four people, And we try to overcome that tendency, And spread our good wishes evenly, And from there we can begin to spread our good wishes in wider and wider circles, Wishing that everyone who's around us be well and happy, People in the building that we're in, Around the building, In the neighborhood, Wishing well to everyone in our town, And in the area around our town, Perhaps having a sense of our loving kindness, Our good wishes radiating outwards, Perhaps like a warm golden radiance from our center, Moving outwards in all directions, With the intention, May all beings be well, May all beings be happy, May all beings be free from suffering, Expanding the sphere of our loving kindness, Embracing all sentient beings on the planet, All beings capable of experiencing suffering or joy, Imagining them well and happy, In harmony, Living in peace, Enjoying the sense of radiating loving kindness from our own center, Outwards in all directions, So we sit for a few more moments in silence, Enjoying the fruits of the loving kindness practice, Appreciating and enjoying our experience, Noticing whatever emotional changes have taken place, And we can appreciate the effort that we've been making, Since very few people consciously spend time cultivating positive emotions, So what we've been doing is very rare and precious, Worthy of appreciation, So in this way we sit for a few more moments, Enjoying the fruits of the loving kindness practice, Appreciating and enjoying our experience for the last few moments of our meditation together, So make a start by allowing yourself to get comfortable, Find a relaxed posture that will allow you to close your eyes for a time, And when you're ready let's begin to relax, If you're sitting on a chair then place the soles of your feet flat on the floor, With your hands palm upward in your lap, The index finger of your right hand touching lightly against the thumb of your left hand, Begin by taking a slow deep breath in, Inhaling slowly, And then gently release your breath as you breathe out, Letting your breath help you to soften, Help you to relax, Once again taking a slow deep breath to fill your belly with air, And then slowly exhaling and releasing, Letting go of any stress or tension, Letting go, So you allow a wave of relaxation to move down from the top of your head to your forehead, And down to your eyelids, Relaxing the muscles around your eyes, Down through your facial muscles, Letting these waves of relaxation, Of peace and calm, Relax your jaw, Allowing your lower jaw to drop just a bit, Relaxing your mouth, Your lips, Your tongue, Your throat, Taking in a slow breath as you release, Relaxing even more, This sense of ease and of peaceful relaxation, Begins to move down your neck, Soothing, Healing, Relaxing all the muscles, All the tension draining from your face, Down your neck, To your shoulders, Our shoulders are where we carry our burdens, And so just for now, We relax our shoulders, Let them drop, You may even want to shrug your shoulders slightly to loosen them and allow energy to flow, So that they too are soothed and relaxed, Letting go of any tension or stress, We continue by relaxing all of our back muscles, Including our spinal column, Loosening, Relieving any tension, Letting go of all the stress just for now, Allowing ourselves to go a little bit deeper, To relax more completely, And we'll start to notice that the deeper we relax, The better we feel, So letting go, We allow that flow of peaceful relaxation, To move down through our arms, Our elbows, To our wrists, Into our hands, Through to our fingertips, So we engage with this peaceful feeling, And every time as we accumulate meditation experience, We'll be able to go a little bit deeper in the time available, We may even begin to feel some of the tingling in our fingers, Or heaviness in our arms that relaxation brings, And with each breath that we take, It releases us a little bit further into relaxation, So a sense of ease is a key to accessing deeper meditation, So we allow ourselves to relax even more deeply, Again taking in a deep breath, Relaxing our chest, And allowing that warm, Soothing sensation, To move down into our core, Waves of relaxation and healing, Moving down through our body, Soothing and serene, Further down through our hips, To our thighs, Relaxing and feeling the deep peace within our body, We allow the waves of relaxation to move down into our knees, Caressing our knees and soothing them, Down to our shins, Our calves, Our ankles, And finally to our feet, Feeling the healing warmth, Releasing tension, Releasing stress out of our feet, From heel to toe, So we allow ourselves that sense of healing relaxation and peace, And now we just take a moment to attune ourselves, To the sense of deep peace and calm, Before we go a little bit deeper, In the relaxation of our mental state, And to help us relax the mind, We might try imagining, That we are calling back to ourselves, All the pieces of ourself, Pieces that we've left out there with other people, Or things, Ideas, Situations, That are ours, Any part of us that we have given away, Or maybe left behind, We just imagine that all these parts are coming back to us, Coming home, Calling them back, Welcoming them home, We are remembering ourselves, Becoming whole, At the same time we release ourselves from all parts of other people, Things, Ideas, Situations that do not belong to us, Anything that we might have picked up that is not ours, We simply release them so that only our own energy flows around us and through us, And we might imagine ourselves all alone in nature, Perhaps on the edge of a quiet peaceful lake, Surrounded by tall majestic trees, We might imagine that the sky is just beginning to lighten, With the golden colors of sunrise, As it promises to be a beautiful new day, An entirely new beginning for ourselves, And we might feel the freshness of the morning, As we gaze out at the peaceful lake, It's calm and quiet and peaceful, Hardly a ripple in the water, As the surface reflects the beauty of the awakening sky above, We allow our mind to become as quiet, As calm and as peaceful, As that body of water, As the sun begins to peek over the horizon, We see glitters of light, As if someone had sprinkled golden petals across the water, So we are chewing ourselves to this calm, Relaxed, Peaceful scene, We allow our conscious mind to be captivated by it, As we start to engage with our subconscious mind, So we continue to gaze at the beautiful picture in our mind's eye, As we become still and quiet, Allowing that sense of peace to fill the whole of our body and mind, With tiny particles of calm and peace, And at this point, We'll start to feel the solidity of our body, Melting away into the atmosphere around us, Dissolving into a feeling of lightness, Or as if we are alone in empty space, We may feel as if our body has disappeared altogether, As if all that's left is our feeling of awareness, Some people don't know what to do next, When they reach this point in their meditation, Where their body seems to have disappeared, But all we need to do is to rest the attention, At whichever point feels the most comfortable for us, Starting off with our mind there, Once body and mind come into balance, We'll start to realize that the mind is automatically realigning itself, With the actual center of the body, Some people find it helpful to imagine a bright, Clear object, About the size of a pinpoint, Or like a star in the sky, As if that image appears at the point, Where the mind has come to a standstill, We should keep such an image in our mind, Gazing at it continuously and softly, But never attempting to stare at it, Almost as if we were looking at it out of the corner of our eye, Almost unintentionally, If we can observe it gently in this way, Without using too little, Or too much effort, Before long the image will become clearer on its own, However if we use too much force, It will disappear, If we use too little effort, Allowing ourselves to become distracted, Then we'll find that the image will disappear, So either way, Too much effort or too little, Will cause the image to disappear, And finding the optimum effort, By which we can see the object the whole of the time, This is the real skill which we have to build up and work on in our meditation, As for the possible problem of there being thoughts in the mind, If the thoughts are at a low level, You can generally get away with just ignoring these thoughts, By not encouraging the thoughts, Then we'll find that one thought will no longer lead to a second or a third, But it will die down into silence, For some people it may be that the thoughts don't go away quite as easily as that, In which case you may need to take it to the next level, By making use of that mantra, The thought blocking strategy I taught earlier, Which is to hear the sound of the words Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Or your own equivalent, Coming up as if you hear those words like a silent music, With the source of the sound at the center of your body, Over and over again, Lightly, Gently, Continuously, Until at a certain point in your meditation, You start to find that the thoughts have died down, Or you may find yourself forgetting the mantra, Because it's no longer necessary to you anymore, So if that happens then just be content to remain in silence, With nothing but the inner object at the center of yourself, We continue in this way with our inner object, And the sound of the mantra too if necessary, Each to our own practice for a few more moments in silence until we come to the appropriate time, So if we find our mind wandering away from the center of the body, We bring it back again each time, If thoughts return we do our best to ignore them, And let the mind settle down into silence, Meditation is an important resource to everyone in the world, The biggest clue to the value of meditation comes from the word enlightenment, Which means light that comes from within, It just becomes a question of how to access that inner light, And learning how that inner light can change us, Because every moment of every day we are transforming whether we know it or not, And whether we like it or not, It's just a case of whether it's a beneficial transformation or not, Every moment's experience leaves an imprint on the quality of our body, Spirit and mind, And whether these imprints are good or bad, They ingrain the habits and values that lead our lives towards the destiny, However meditation gives us some control in the destiny we choose for ourselves, We learn that deep inside us, Every single one of us has a point of peace, A point of light, Which can transform us personally for the better, It can transform us relationally, And it can transform the world around us, Most people overlook that point of peace and light, Because of the digital overload of our modern world, All their thought moments are filled 24 7 with inner chaos, Fueled by our fast paced lives, People without meditation become habituated to more and more inner chaos, More and more of a frenetic feeling within, Because our world has become so imprinted by stress and anxiety, Without a single moment of respite the whole day long, But meditation allows us to be intentional about habituating ourselves instead, To inner moments of calm, We need to be intentional about creating those moments, Where we can come back to our center, And come back to that place of peace within, Because if we don't, Then our bodies, Our brains, Our relationships and our world, Are going to devolve into a state of chaos, Meditation offers us a path, By which we can find a way out of that chaos, It lays out the path by which we can reach that central place of peace within ourselves, Meditation changes us personally, It's our own path to enlightenment, It leads us to that point of light, To the love and the peace and compassion deep within us, And when we begin to change, We actually begin to change the people around us as well, What researchers call the process of coherence or energetic vibrations, Just by our peaceful presence, That allows other people around us to begin to transform as well, And by extension on a global level, When we get enough people attuned to this sense of peace within themselves, Global coherence patterns will change as well, And when there are enough people tuning in to that inner peace, Love and compassion, We begin to change our world, But it takes intention, It takes practice, It's not something that just happens by itself, We need to mold ourselves to that peaceful inner experience, And the more experience we have of meditation, The more we will be able to tap into that inner light, That place of peace at the center, And the more we'll be able to extend peace to the whole world, So our meditation is important in today's world, Because today's world is so full of the opposite, Of the chaos and the fast pace of constant distraction, Only through forging our path on the inward road toward peace, Can we sidestep the inner chaos so rife in the world, So with this thought in mind, We continue to practice our meditation for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to time for some loving kindness meditation, Once the mind has absorbed the source of pure energy, We continue by imagining that the energy radiates outwards from our center in all directions, So we gently visualize the pure energy taking the form of a crystal sphere, Growing larger to encapsulate the whole of our body, Reaching out further to the whole of our family, Our neighborhood, And everybody in the world, No matter who they are, We emanate a positive intention with a growing pure energy, Full of love and compassion towards all, For those with suffering, May they be free from sadness and pain, For those with happiness, May they be happier still, We might imagine that we also emanate a positive intention to everyone in the country, Neighboring countries, All continents, The entire globe and beyond, Wishing everyone everywhere to be well and happy, Dwelling in peace, So we make the wish to ourselves that all human lives be filled with empathy toward one another, Free from stress and anxiety, Free from worry and irritation, Free from sickness and danger, We share this peaceful energy for the benefit of our ancestors, Family members and friends, Whether they are still with us or those who have already passed on, May all of them feel cleansed by hope and joy, While being sheltered against sadness, Sickness, Sorrow and danger, May all sentient beings be free from distress, May the growing stream of pure energy dispel any harmful elements from the bodies of all sentient beings on the planet, As if the whole earth were being refined and turned pure and crystal clear, And we emanate the positive intention that unity and harmony will emerge in this world, With freedom from harm and aggression, Making the skillful wish that this pure energy protect the world from all physical and mental impurities, As we sit a little longer in silence making wishes for ourselves or others, For the last few moments of our meditation together. So, I'd like to invite you to surrender to the process of just letting go into the here and now, In order to work on relaxing and focusing the mind, So starting with your physical posture, Here you can arrange your legs in a position that is most comfortable for you, Setting your back and spine to be as straight as an arrow, Place your hands in a position of meditative equipoise, With the left hand on the bottom, Right hand on top, And the index finger of your right hand touching against the thumb of your left hand, Take this time to settle in and relax, To make sure you're comfortable and that you won't be disturbed, Or need to disturb anyone else during your quiet time, So get yourself comfortable and make sure you can settle down, To focus on relaxing and letting go, So allow yourself to take this time to turn inwardly and explore your potential for deep relaxation, Relaxation is the entryway to renewal and insight, And the foundation of meditative awareness, So let's start by taking a deep breath in, And relaxing with the outgoing breath, Let your exhalation be long and slow, With each inhalation drawing your awareness closer to the present moment, And notice the growing sense of relaxation that is coming over you with each breath, And allow your body to breathe naturally, With no effort to control or change the breath, Let yourself simply be the observer, Notice your capacity to allow this moment to be just as it is, Without adding anything to it and without taking anything away, And at this point we might make a scan down through each and every part of our body, Releasing, Relaxing and letting go, Beginning with relaxing and letting go of any tension in the crown of our head, The forehead and temples, The muscles around the eyes, The muscles of the face, And the cheeks, Relaxing the muscles of your face, Letting your face be like that of a marble statue, Relaxing the jaw, The lips, And the tongue, Feeling the flow of relaxation in the absence of struggle, In the radiance of effortlessness, As embodied in the poise of your posture of your body, Relaxing the throat, So that it becomes soft and open, You might like to let your head shift gently to the right and to the left, And feel how this relaxes the muscles of the neck, Continuing by relaxing the back of the head, The base of the skull, The back of the head, The neck, Both shoulders, The shoulder blades, Down through the arms, Relaxing the elbows, The wrists, The palms of your hands, Your fingers and thumbs, And inside you the heart, The lungs, The rib cage, The organs of digestion, The abdomen, The diaphragm, The lower back, Both hips, The backs of the thighs, The tops of the thighs, Relaxing the knees, The calves, The shins, The ankles, And the heels, The tops of the feet, Right the way down to the soles of your feet and your toes, Then turning your attention to the relaxation of the mind, You can feel the flow of the breath passing into and out of your body, Allowing yourself to relax further with each exhalation, Entering more deeply into the present moment with each out-breath, Letting go of thought to the past and of the future, And opening up to the infinite presence of this moment, Entering into the heart of this timeless present, And invoking a quality of spacious awareness, For now letting the linear, Rational mind take a temporary vacation, While engaging instead with the feeling of presence, The direct intuition of who you are, Engaging with our capacity to allow the moment to unfold in its own way, In its own time, Allowing your awareness to be like a vast open sky, Where feelings, Thoughts, And sensations are constantly changing in form and shape, You might persuade the mind caught up in the past or in the future, To return decisively to the present moment, Being present to the process of life unfolding moment by moment, Where you are merely the witness, The observer, Relaxed, Surrendering to the present moment, And at a certain point when we feel comfortable within ourselves, We imagine our whole body to be nothing but an empty space or a hollow cavity, With no organs or tissues, Muscles or bones, Alternatively you might imagine your body to be like a transparent bubble, With nothing on the inside, But at this point you can remember back once again to the picture of the sun shining, Or maybe a full moon, A star, Or a diamond, Or perhaps an object that you can feel rather than see, Whatever you've chosen conjure it up in your mind, The object may be clear to you or it might be fuzzy, But for our purposes it doesn't really matter, We allow that object to float slowly downwards within the space of our body until it comes to rest somewhere around about the area of our diaphragm at the deepest point of the breath, If our awareness wanders anywhere else then we're going to bring it back to this point, If the inner object disappears we can think of a new one, And as for the problem of there being an excess of thought in the mind, If you find that that is the case, Then you may be able to reduce the number of thoughts simply by ignoring them, By starving them of attention, But if the number of thoughts in the mind is really too many simply to ignore, It may be necessary to return to our good friend the mantra, Hearing the sound of the words Samma Arahang, Coming up from the centre of our body, Or from the centre of that inner object, Almost like a silent music with the words Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Samma Arahang, Over and over again, Lightly, Gently and continuously, Helping to keep our mind on track at the centre, But also reducing the number of thoughts in the mind down to a manageable level, Until we reach a point where the mind seems to have settled into silence, We maintain our mind with the utmost of gentleness, Never rushing the process, Never trying to force our hand, Until eventually we'll reach a point where only silence reigns in the mind, So in this way we continue to maintain our attention on track at the centre of the body, As we familiarise ourselves with adjusting the minimal lightness of touch, Needed to bring us to the sweet spot of our meditation, For a few more moments now in silence until we come to the appropriate time, So we continue to keep our mind gently on track at the centre of the body, If the attention wanders we bring it back to the centre, If the object disappears we can conjure up a new one, And if the object changes then we follow it in its new form, Meanwhile we do our best to keep the mind free of thought, And as the mind becomes more refined, Then you will start to have access to more refined and subtle states of mind, Because the mind can only have access to states that are as subtle as the mind itself, In this respect there are seven ways in which our meditation resembles features of mystical experience, Firstly meditation experience is often difficult to describe or to put into words, Meditation experience also has something called a noetic quality, Where it seems to communicate some sort of knowledge which is beyond everyday waking life, Often meditation experiences are transient, And there's an element of passivity in them, In that they arise and disappear, Seemingly independent of any effort which we might make to manufacture them, So they are something that seem to just happen to us, In meditation experience we sometimes come across the combination of things we'd normally consider opposites, Such as large mental objects being concealed inside smaller ones, Or where there's a dissolving of the barriers that normally separate one thing from another, Like the separation between ourselves and all other living beings, With meditation experience often there's a distortion of our normal sense of time, As if during deep meditation we step outside time, And with meditation experience there is a sense of touching upon a true sense of ourselves, As distinct from our normal everyday self, Of course meditation is more about accumulating wisdom, Than reveling in weird and wonderful experiences, But following a meditation lineage, Does help give us a framework of meaning for unfamiliar inner experience, Where even disconcerting experience helps to pave the way towards the transcendental, So for now we continue to keep our mind on track, Lightly and gently for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation, And as we continue to connect with the inner experience at our center, We can spread loving-kindness in a way based on the four divine abidings, These four divine abidings can be referred to for short as love, Compassion, Joy and peace, They impart the qualities of the divine to ordinary meditators who cultivate these qualities, So we allow our awareness to go deeper to our center which is the source of all the divine abidings, The first divine abiding is metta, The divine abiding of love or loving-kindness, So although the associated qualities are benevolence and goodwill, It is said that the main underlying element of loving-kindness is empathy, That you are not impervious to the suffering of others, But also feel for them in their suffering, Just as a parent might co-experience the suffering of a very young dependent child in their care, So we allow this sense of empathy to radiate outward, Touching and blessing beings around us in all directions, With this deep feeling of loving-kindness, Not just individuals we know or like, But all living beings without exception, In ever-widening circles around us, The second of the four divine abidings, Karuna, Is compassion, So not only do you feel the suffering of others, But also the urgency to relieve others of their suffering and restore them to happiness, Just as no sacrifice might be too great for a parent to alleviate the suffering of others, But also the suffering of a child in their care, So we allow this sense of compassion to radiate outward, Touching and blessing beings around us in all directions, With this deep feeling of compassion, Not just individuals we know or like, But all living beings without exception, In ever-widening circles around us, We radiate compassion simultaneously in all six directions, Like an ever-expanding sphere of light, Deeply connecting with this feeling of caring for others, And wishing them freedom from all causes of suffering, Radiating this feeling of universal compassion in every direction, Expanding from the center and blessing beings in all six directions, The third of the four divine abidings is mudita or sympathetic joy, So although the associated qualities are congratulation and magnanimity, It is said that the main underlying element of sympathetic joy is being glad for the successes experienced by others, That you are not jealous or envious, But are glad for successes that are not your own, Just as a parent might be glad of the achievements their child has brought about at school or in the performing arts, So we allow this sense of sympathetic joy to radiate outward, Touching and blessing beings around us in all directions, With this deep feeling of magnanimity, Not just individuals we know or like, But all living beings without exception, In ever-widening circles around us, The last of the four divine abidings is upekka or equanimity, So although the associated qualities are level-headedness, Trust and freedom from bias, It is said that the main underlying element is being there for another, Being available and accessible for others if they should ever need us, Sometimes this quality is useful to give us the awareness that another person's problems are too big for us to handle alone, And sometimes it's trusting a person we have cared for, To have the maturity to handle problems on their own without our interference, Just as a parent might have the backs of offspring who have already grown up and left home, So we allow this sense of equanimity and peace to radiate outward, Touching and blessing beings around us in all directions, With this deep feeling of trust in others goodness and integrity, Not just individuals we know or like, But all living beings without exception, In ever-widening circles around us, So radiating all four divine abidings, Love, Compassion, Joy and peace from our center, We extend the intention that all living beings dwell in love, Compassion, Joy and peace, Now and forevermore, The last few moments of our meditation together in silence, So if you'd like to start by settling yourself into a comfortable position for our meditation practice, Closing your eyes as gently as possible, And allowing your whole body to settle into a comfortable but upright position, By which you feel you could sit for as long as you like, Without needing to adjust yourself, And without getting sleepy, Take as long as you need to scan down through the whole of your body, Making sure each and every muscle is as relaxed as possible, All the way from the top of your head, Round to the tips of your toes, And relaxing all the muscles in between, Until it feels as if your whole body, Has melted away into the atmosphere around you, Put aside any worries or concerns in your mind, Any thoughts of the past or the future, Remaining as much as possible, In the present moment, With the here and now, And to relax your awareness further, Bunger up a relaxed, Joyful and happy state of mind, And when you're ready, You can let your attention come to rest, Somewhere within the empty space of your body, And reconnect with the sense of peace inside yourself, By bringing the focus of your attention, Gradually down to a place inside you, Somewhere around the level of your solar plexus or diaphragm, And gently anchoring the mind in place, Either reconnecting with the peaceful feeling there, Or picturing inner brightness, Something like a full moon, A twinkling star, Or a sparkling diamond, And if your mind wanders, Just bring it back to the inner object, If the object disappears, You can conjure up a new one, And if the object changes, Just follow it in its new form, If thoughts bother you, Simply ignore them, Or run interference, By imagining you hear the sound of that traditional mantra, Repeated silently in the mind, With the words, Samma arahang, Over and over again, Coming up silently from the center of the body, Until the thoughts are pacified, So we continue with our meditation, Focusing inwardly, Lightly and gently, Or a few moments more now, In silence, And as we meditate more, We become increasingly familiar, With the idea of there being a space between our thoughts, A space between where one thought ends, And another one begins, Because we start to find, That we're able to step back, From the thought we always take for granted, This allows us, To gain access to that sense of spaciousness, In the mind, A spaciousness, That lies beyond those thoughts, Allowing us to touch, Upon that sense of clarity in the mind, That brings with it, A sense of resilience, And stability, And as we engage, With that sense of spaciousness, More and more, We'll also notice, The way in which, Any previous stresses and strains in the mind, Seem to gradually melt away, Leading us to yet deeper levels of inner peace, But in the meantime, We still have to work, With the phenomenon of the wandering mind, And the thoughts, Arising, We need to learn, To observe these mental phenomena, Greeting them, As nothing more than the manifestation, Of impermanence in our mind, Observing, Without interfering, How the thoughts, And emotions, Arise and pass away, Naturally in the mind, Without getting caught up in these, Greeting them, As no more significant, Than clouds, Or turbulence, Passing through a blue sky, That is essentially clear, Sometimes it's as if, We were just resting in the trough of a wave, Between the thoughts, And if we are silent, We can just keep our energy, At the low part of the wave, Noticing the shape of things, And the flow, Just accepting, The drift of things, And shifting away, From the endless temptation, To get entangled, In that thicket of thoughts, So staying, With the space, Between the thoughts, Instants, When the mind, Is still inventing the next thing it's going to think, By identifying, With the stillness, That is the backdrop, To all these thoughts, We learn to access something deeper, It is of the nature, Of deep, Peaceful, Intuition and wisdom, And once we have our first glimpse of it, Then it will be something we recognize, In future meditations, Motivating us, Further, To continue to develop these skills, To the point, That even if a sense of restlessness, Arises in the mind, We can even learn to watch the restlessness, While disassociating from it, While remaining, All the while, In contact with that sense of spaciousness, In the mind, And as our mind becomes unhooked, From that restlessness, Or angst, Allowing us to settle, Yet more deeply, As we meditate, For a few, More moments now, In silence, Until we come, To the appropriate time, For some loving-kindness meditation, So we continue to rest the mind, Gently at the center of the body, With the awareness, Resting and relaxing, At the center of our body, We extend a loving-kindness, Initially to ourselves, Especially if you think, You've messed up, Give yourself, We're not meeting your own unreasonable expectations, Again resting the mind, At the center of the body, But extending loving-kindness, Further outward, To everybody around you, Wishing all beings, Human beings, And non-humans alike, Be happy, Live in peace and harmony, Further outward, To cover the whole world, Wishing all the people of the world, To be happy, To be free from suffering, Free from illness, Spreading the loving-kindness, Further out, Into space, The stars, And all the galaxies, We fill the whole universe, With loving-kindness, And happiness, From the center of the body, And at this time, You might turn your mind, To loved ones, Who you know, Are going through difficult times, At the moment, Holding them close, In the brightness, At the center of ourselves, Bringing their names, Or their faces, To mind, With a wish, That they manage to overcome their suffering, With good grace, And serenity, So we continue, To make good wishes, For ourselves, And others, While spreading loving-kindness, For a few more moments now, In silence, We can start by bringing to mind, How precious this time is for us, To cultivate the presence, To go inside into our own lives, So let's take a few moments, Just to notice how we're feeling, In body and mind, Mindful check-in, Feeling any sensations, Any holding, Any tightness in the body, As well as feeling into our mood, Healing into our emotions, And just acknowledging whatever is being felt, And letting it be, And now very gently, Withdrawing the awareness from the mindful check-in, And we'll shift our focus to a body scan, Feeling our way into this body, Into the world of sensations, Thoughts and emotions, And acknowledging whatever is being experienced, Just like a meteorologist might objectively report, On the weather outside, We as mindfulness practitioners, Are like internal meteorologists, Reporting the weather objectively on the inside, So whatever it is that we're feeling in the body, In the mind, We can just acknowledge whatever is being felt, And let it be, As we breathe in, Feeling the body rising ever so gently on the inside, On the inhalation, And falling gently on the exhalation, From there we start to relax all parts of our body, Starting with the forehead and face, With awareness right through to the inside of the head, And down through our ears, Feeling sensations and letting them be, The eyes and the muscles around the eyes, Feeling into the facial structure, Feeling down through the back of the head, The temples and the sinus passages, Relaxing the cheeks, The mouth, Teeth and tongue, Relaxing the jaw, Which is one of the most over-exercised joints of our body, Relaxing the neck and throat, Now letting the awareness move from the neck and throat, Down into the shoulders and the shoulder blades, And then gently bringing the awareness down each of the upper arms, Into the elbows, Into the forearms, The wrists and the hands, Being mindful of whatever comes up in the body, Letting any waves of thought, Emotions or sensations, Ripple and resonate through your lungs, Letting the awareness rise up into the chest, Sternum and rib cage, Relaxing our digestive system, And whatever sensations may be felt, Tightness, Nervousness, Just rightness, Whatever is there, Acknowledging and letting it be, Eventually relaxing ourselves down from the upper back, Through the spine, Into the middle and lower back, Then the hips and the core, Acknowledging and letting them be, Moving on down to the thighs, Quads and hamstrings, In our knees and lower legs, Into the ankles, Heels, The tops and soles of the feet, Down to our toes, With awareness and just acknowledging whatever is felt in the body, We may notice tensions from time to time, Tightness or achiness, And if we can allow any of these areas to soften, By all means we let that happen, It's also important to know, That if we are unable to soften, Our practice informs us just to let it be, Whatever sensations ripple and resonate, Wherever they need to go, The same applies even to our thoughts and emotions, Letting them disappear into the background of our awareness, There we can start by settling ourselves down, Taking advantage of the refreshing air around us, To reconnect with our sense of relaxation and peace on the inside, Almost as if our mind has gradually been slowing down, Becoming more familiar with being inside, In the absence of all the normal distractions that we have in our life, With meditation we are learning a new pace of living, Governed by the elements, The sunrise and sunset, And by our proximity to nature, And our whole body relaxes in a way, That our mind becomes more relaxed as well, As if our mind prefers to be still and serene, How we normally treat our mind in our everyday lives, Is just something we become so used to, That we start to think it is natural to be constantly off balance, And have our mind dissipated on a thousand different things in our lives, Only when we close our eyes to meditate, Can we truly allow our mind to heal and rebalance itself, And only then do we start to wonder how we can ever have tolerated letting our mind become so estranged from the center of our body, So we take full advantage of this opportunity to reunite body and mind, To restore that fine balance in a way that can take us deeper, Just as if we were tapping into the energy that is already there, Which we have overlooked for so long, We do our best to relax our awareness, Turning our attention inward, As if we have nothing to hold our attention in the outside world anymore, Drawing our senses back within ourselves, Almost like a tortoise withdrawing its head and feet back inside its shell, Totally engaged with the inner world rather than the world outside, We do the same thing with all the external perceptions, Coming to us through our eyes, Ears, Nose, Taste buds and sense of touch, Engaging only with that inner sense of the mind, To explore our inner world, So we continue to maintain our meditation in this way, Lightly and gently, Engaging with the flow at the center of ourselves, As we allow our meditation to go deeper into the inner experience, We keep our attention on track at the center of ourselves, At the center of whatever inner experience we perceive at the center of ourselves, And we continue to reach with our awareness, Touching at the center of that inner experience, With the same lightness as a feather floating down to touch on the surface of some water, Continuing in this way just for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to the appropriate time, So we continue to keep our attention gently in contact with that sense of peace energy, Gradually accumulating at the center of ourselves, It's almost as if even without doing anything, The energy constantly increases, For as long as we're able to keep our mind on track at the center of ourselves, Becoming stronger, More resilient, And less affected by the things around us, With the power almost to captivate the mind, So that our mind would like to stay at the center, Almost by second nature, With a sort of inertia that keeps our mind in place no matter what, Really our inner image or inner feeling, Is just a way of connecting ourself with that energy which is already there, But also the energy that comes from all the good things that we've done in our lives, And the things we are proud of, The residue of all this goodness helps to reinforce that flow inside, To make it all the more stronger, And even reminiscing over memories of good things we've done in the past, Elevates the quality of the mind, Because the mind is a peculiar thing, It's so subjective that even by wishful thinking, We can bootstrap ourselves onto a more positive footing, Because positive thinking brings benefits that are more than merely subjective, Not to speak of those who are actually generous with their time, Or with their gifts to others, They tend to find that instead of the meditation being dry or impeded inside themselves, Somehow there's a sense of being constantly in the flow, In the nature of their dealings with the world in general, Through their generosity, Through their capacity to sacrifice their own time and effort for the benefit of others, Dalai Lama once said, The problem with greed in the world is that most people want for too little, All they want is things for themselves, The little luxuries, Indulgences, Status symbols, In order to win acceptance in the eyes of others, But what he said about greed is that if we were to extend it to something really worthwhile, Something really ambitious like the peace in the world, Or the harmony of society at large, To overcome all the forms of suffering experienced in society, That would be something really worth being greedy about, The devotion we invest to help to make society a more peaceful place, By facilitating others to know about meditation, Or to extend the know-how associated with meditation, That really can help to solve the problems in life, Not just on the surface, But really at its roots, By doing so we make a huge change for the better in the world, And the power of the emotion of being able to give without end, Giving without weariness or despair, When we struggle to bring things to a better place, This power flows back into our lives, Back through our center, Adding momentum to our meditation, Because it's as if we have overcome the resistance to goodness in the world, Not just for ourselves, But also for all the other people we help as well. So from the shiny example which we set for others in the world, May this come back within ourselves too, Each time we meditate, Empowering us with that special ability to push on through to the other side, In every good project and intention that we extend toward the world, We cultivate our mind lightly and gently in this way, For a few moments more in silence until we come to time for some loving kindness meditation. And as we come toward the end of our practice, It's a good opportunity to magnify and multiply the sense of inner peace, The energy we've built up inside ourselves, For the benefit not only of ourselves and those dear to us, But also to give something back to the world. So touching our awareness lightly at the center, With the same lightness as a feather floating down, So that it doesn't even break the surface of the water, In the same way we touch our attention in the center of the inner experience within ourselves, And we'll find that that inner sphere of experience, Whether it be something we can see or something we can feel, Is something we can expand outwards, Allowing it to become gradually larger in size, The same size as the whole of our own body. Almost as if we were sitting within a sphere of our own well-being, Or a sphere of our own light, As we make a wish to ourselves that may we be well and happy. So we start by extending loving kindness outwards from our center, To every cell, Every molecule of our being, Extending a wish to ourselves for strong health, And long life, In which to cultivate many good things in our future, But also with a sense of self-compassion, Occasionally going easy on ourselves, Not holding ourselves to too high a standard, Because sometimes we tend to hold ourselves to impossibly high standards, That we never use on anyone else. And from there, We extend that loving kindness beyond ourselves, Outward into the world around us. You might imagine yourself at the top of a mountain, With a view to all the areas below. We can extend our loving kindness in the same way, Outward as far as the eye can see, And beyond, In all directions all around, To all the living beings who are not so lucky as ourselves, Without the time and space in their lives to intentionally cultivate good states of mind and inner peace. And we extend loving kindness to the many who don't even realize the possibility of doing this. We extend our loving kindness in ever-widening circles to the whole world, Until our loving kindness becomes boundless, Limitless, A universal loving kindness, Giving back something to society, Before going wider still to the whole of the universe, As if we cradle the heart of the universe within us, Not forsaking even the smallest of beings in the cosmos, With the intention, May all beings, Wherever they are, Be at peace, For the last few moments of our meditation together in silence. So, We start by making sure we are sitting comfortably, With our back fairly straight, Without feeling strained or being overarched. It's fine to sit on a chair, Or on an arrangement of cushions on the floor. For this meditation, It's ideal to be seated in a comfortable and yet upright position, To allow us to be comfortable enough, To sit without moving too much, For the entire session. We take a few moments to settle into position, A posture that feels comfortable for us, And bear in mind that we can readjust our posture at any later time if we need to. So, When we're ready, We can gently close our eyes. We begin to take a few deep breaths, Without undue effort, Using the full capacity of our lungs, Taking a deep breath in, Filling our lungs, And then breathing out, Releasing all the stale air, As we continue to take a few more deep breaths. We can pay particular attention, To the sensation of our breathing in and out, Feeling the breath as it enters our nostrils, Fills our chest and abdomen, And then releases. And then we allow the breath to become natural, Without forcing it or controlling it. We might become aware of how we're feeling, Without any judgment of this. We begin to get a feel for the body, Noticing its shape and position, Again without any judgment. We let any tension dissolve, Allowing our muscles to relax, All the way from the top of our head, Right the way down to the tips of our toes. And we come gently to an opportunity, For relaxing our state of mind. We take that rare chance, To withdraw our attention from any ambient sounds, Whether they are loud or soft, Far away or close by. Additionally, Our mind can become inundated, With thoughts or worries. So for now, Let's put to one side, As many of those thoughts as we can, So that we're left with a mind that is less cluttered, Like a person with no future and no past, As if all we have is the present moment. The here and now. And we might imagine that, We are sitting all alone in a vast empty space, And around us is nothing and no one. And meanwhile, If our attention drifts back into thinking, Then we just let the thoughts settle down, Towards silence for a few moments, Gradually gaining mindfulness, Where being mindful for now, Means simply being aware, Conscious and present in the moment. We might focus our attention for just one moment at a time. We needn't concern ourselves with what has already gone by, And there's no need for us to anticipate the future. When we're ready, We begin to direct our attention inside the space of our body, And to help keep our mind in place, We can imagine a picture of the sun shining, At least in our mind's eye, The same sort of sun we might see, If we were walking along the shoreline, And saw the sun on the horizon, Shining bright, Clear and round. We visualize without making any special effort, Because in theory it is our natural ability, To picture things internally. Whenever we think of anything, A picture of that thing will arise in the mind. So that's the way we visualize the shining sun, At the center of our body, Or at a place that we feel is the most comfortable, Wherever we experience it the most distinctly. In theory it might be at the nostrils, In the chest, Or in the abdomen. We continue to keep our awareness in touch, With the inner object, The whole of the time. We rest our attention with the same lightness, As a butterfly alighting on a flower petal. And meanwhile, If we find our mind wandering, We calmly bring our attention back to the inner object, Relocating our awareness there. And in spite of inner focus during meditation, Many people find, That the stream of thoughts in the mind is almost continuous. It can sometimes be hard, To find a single break in the thought. To give ourselves that sense of peace and quiet that we need. In such a case, To open up a space between the thoughts in the mind, We can make use of something called a mantra, Which is basically a word that we repeat to ourselves silently, As if we hear the sound of it, Coming up from the center of our inner object. The traditional mantra, Which comes with this meditation lineage, Is the words, SAMMA ARAHANG SAMMA ARAHANG SAMMA ARAHANG And we hear the sound of those words coming up, As if like a silent music from the center of ourselves, From the center of the bright object, Over and over again, Gently encouraging the mind, To become free of thought, While at the same time, Linking our awareness more closely, With that inner object. So we continue to cultivate the mind in this way, Maintaining our inner focus, While keeping our mind free of thoughts, Lightly and gently, For a few more moments now in silence. Until we come to the appropriate time. If we find our mind wandering, We shouldn't let it cause us concern. We shouldn't even give the time of day, To whatever has captured our attention. We just let go of the thought or feeling, And return to our awareness. It's okay if we get distracted by our thoughts, But we just bring our attention back again, To the center. If our thoughts waver, We simply acknowledge the thought, Rather than trying to add to it. We let it pass, And bring our awareness back to the center. And if we find ourselves emerging from a cloud, And realize a lot of time has elapsed, Since we were last aware, Then it's the moment to consciously practice compassion for ourselves. However long it has been, Or however far away our mind has wandered, We can always just begin again. Little by little in our meditation, We will gradually cultivate positive aspects of the mind, Such as the much undervalued quality of kindness. There are those who belittle kindness, Seeming to equate it with lip service to other sorts of righteousness, Or who see it as a second best to wisdom, Clarity or incisiveness. Some people say that kindness is nothing more, Than the good intentions of those who haven't been able to make any substantial difference in the world. In fact, Kindness on the level of the mind, Is like a thread of meaning, Where we find out if we can be profoundly kind to ourselves, While at the same time strongly dedicated to kindness for those around us. It becomes a movement of the heart, So deep and subtle, That is like a movement of the sea close to the ocean floor. As people get older, They come to value good-heartedness more and more in those around them. Kindness is based on the observation that deep down, There is no one who doesn't want to be happy, Or at least have the chance to be happy. And that warm-heartedness of kindness supplants cynicism, Compassion overcomes indifference to things, Caring melts away standoffishness, And it helps to roll back the misapprehension that in a dog-eat-dog world, It's better to have no close friends, Because it's too tiring to care for anyone else. However, The wisdom of meditation would say, When watching after oneself, One watches after others, And when one watches after others, One watches after oneself. So, By sustaining meditation, And having access to our inner world of thoughts and feelings, We can understand our deeper motivations more and more, As we begin to catch sight of the fleeting impulses in our own minds. By cultivating patience, By renouncing cruelty, By the tender loving care of others, Then we find that our self-respect grows and flourishes, And this is the basis for our growing confidence, Courage, And ease of heart, Because a life suffused with kindness is not just an ideal, But an action. So, Including the power of kindness in our inner cultivation, We keep our mind gently on track within ourselves, For a few more moments in silence, Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation. And as we come to the final phase of our meditation, We find that the center of the body becomes much more than a defined area, But can expand concentrically without limits, As a direct way to cultivate the power of kindness within us. And on top of this expansion of inner experience, We can superimpose silent repetition of certain phrases. The phrases are like an offering through the expression of the heart. Being words, They will tend to be inadequate, But that's okay. Traditionally, The first recipient of the loving-kindness is always ourselves, Because the logic is that we have to have loving-kindness for ourselves first, Before we gain kindness to share with others. We might extend heartfelt phrases within our mind, Such as, May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live at ease. Where living at ease means that the burdens of day-to-day life, Like livelihood and family, May not be an endless struggle to us. So, We can use these phrases or other phrases that seem more relevant, And simply let them resonate from our center, With enough space and silence, That it forms a rhythm that's pleasing to us, Like the song of the heart. Repeating the affirmation, May I be healthy, Over and over again, Might be dismissed by some as magical thinking, To expect it to protect us from ever getting sick. However, It is more accurate to regard the phrase as a way of surrounding ourselves with beneficence and goodwill. Instead of disparaging ourselves or carping at ourselves. And practicing in this way, Meditation teaches us gentleness, And an ability to be more easily able to forgive our own mistakes in life, In order to overcome them. And in the same way, We widen the inner experience beyond our body, To all living beings around us. Together with phrases or affirmations, Again, This is not magical thinking, Because it was once said, If you find it in your heart to care for someone else, You have already succeeded in kindness. Nonetheless, We don't struggle to fabricate a feeling or sentiment, But perhaps try out the phrases for size in our mind. In a way that lifts us out of old dynamics, And frees us from the limitations of determining circumstances and personalities, In adventurous expanse of our own power of kindness. With the words, May you live in safety. May you experience the peace and joy of mental happiness. May you have the health and freedom from pain, That represents physical happiness. May the elements of your daily life, Allow you to live with ease and without struggle. Elevating those living beings from the status of neutral objects, To those that are loved and appreciated, Through a capacity for kindness, That is intelligent and wise. Finally, We extend our love and kindness to its furthest extent, With the wish, May all beings everywhere, All people, All creatures, All those in existence near and far, Known and unknown, May all beings be safe, Be happy, Be healthy, Live at ease. And we continue in this way, For the last few moments of our meditation together in silence. So, Let's make a start by relaxing ourselves. When we're ready, We can find a comfortable sitting position, Making sure our phone is on silent or turned off completely. Loosening any tight clothing, And doing whatever else we need, To become fully comfortable. Reminding ourselves that this is time for, Ourselves. A dreamy inward time, That allows us through the power of our subconscious mind, To come closer to our goals. And whether we listen consciously, Or our mind wanders to distractions, One way or another, Our subconscious will absorb the information it needs. At any time, If we realize our mind is wandering, It's just a case of gently bringing it back to the sound of my voice. So, To begin with, Let's start with a technique that's been developed, To help us shift more directly, To a deeper, More tranquil state. And as we begin to ease into comfort, We might take a moment to imagine tiny weights, That cause our eyelids to droop, Becoming heavier and heavier, Until it's hard to keep them open. And as our eyes slowly close, We allow our awareness, To drift down deeper and deeper. And as our breathing slows right down, Starting from the top of our head, We'll sense a soothing warmth, That radiates downward, And gently loosens all the tightness, In the muscles of our scalp and forehead, Permeating our body and mind, A soothing warmth, That moves downward, Softening the tiny muscles around our eyes. And then, The tide of relaxation, Moves down into our cheeks and jaw, Easing, Unwinding, Draining all the tension from our head, Melting away into soft warmth, As our muscles become as smooth as silk, And then down into our neck, All the way down. If our mind wanders, We can gently bring it back, Relaxing more and more deeply, As any tight muscles at the back of our head, Our neck loosen, And then down into our spine, The muscles surrounding our spine, Easing, Unwinding, Dissolving, Melting away any tension from our back and shoulders. And slowly we feel the warmth, Move down through the tops of our shoulders, Through our arms, All the way down through our elbows, Forearms and wrists, To our hands, And even the tips of our fingers. We may even feel a slight, Pleasant, Tingling sensation of relaxation, In our fingertips, And a deep contentment all through our upper body. And now we feel the warmth in our chest, As we are breathing slowly, Slowing right down, And the soft warmth of relaxation, Flows into our stomach, Bathing the muscles of our core, As these muscles are softened and soothed in tender relaxation. And then down, All the way down, All the way through our hips, Our thighs, Our knees, Our calves, Our ankles, And our feet. Right the way down to the tips of our toes, All the way down, Protected in the soft warmth of calm, Well-being, Safely protected, At ease with our mind, And tranquil. And with our body relaxed, With our whole body replete in its state of comfort, It becomes less and less necessary for us to squirm or fidget. And with any tension drained from our body, We can focus on our breath, As we allow our awareness to go even deeper, Becoming one with the soft, Gentle rhythm of our breath. So withdrawing inward with the gentle pull of the breath, Allowing ourselves to drift deeper, Ever deeper, Into relaxation, Until it almost feels as if we are drifting, On a layer of cloud-like softness, As we feel our way gently to a standstill. From here we can start to let go of any worries, As if we are becoming aware of a heavy hypothetical backpack, That we've been constantly carrying around. A pack that has up until now been so heavy, And realizing how much of the weight, Has been made up of thoughts and anxieties, That have been weighing us down, Hindering us from our chosen goals, As if it has relegated our journey through life, To walking through treacle. So we recognize the niggling thoughts, That have been the reason for the heaviness of our burden, The useless, Rock-like sack of worries and fears, We have dragged around with us every day of our life. And at this point, With certain clarity and understanding, We can gently pull ourselves free of our burden, And let it tumble to the ground. And as we do so, We feel a tremendous relief, Realizing how much lighter and freer we have become, Without that useless cargo of anxiety, That will now no longer burden us, Freeing up new space in our heart and mind, For lightness and freedom, For peace of mind, For joy, To allow us to face life with a new spring in our step. So from this point on, We sink instead, Into blissful comfort, As we are lulled by a sense of warmth, And a glow of the light, Which seems to shine forth from within our body, Extending all the way from the top of our head, To the tips of our toes, And which shields us in perfect contentment and safety, Forming an impenetrable barrier, Against anything worrisome, Since we are now safe and protected, Perfectly at peace, Perfectly at ease. And from this point forth, The mind will automatically sidestep any worry, And let any thoughts settle into tranquility. So with this mechanism now firmly in place in our mind, Worries can no longer get a foothold, But slip easily away from us, From there we simply allow the mind, To remain in stillness at the center of the body, At the seventh base of the mind, Which is located at the center of our stomach, About two finger breaths above the level of the navel, In the center of our body. The center of the body is particularly important, Because it's the only place inside us, Where the mind can break completely free of thought. It's the place inside us, Where mind and body can come into balance. It's aligned with the turning point of the deepest breath, And it's the center of wisdom inside us. All we need to do is bring our mind, Which normally wanders outside of ourselves, Back to this point in the center of our body, In a soft and gentle way, Resting it there consistently, Lightly and gently the whole the time. If we can rest our mind at this point in a light and gentle way, We'll have the feeling of expansion inside ourselves. Those who prefer to have some structure to their meditation, Might like to imagine a bright object there, Such as a bright shining sun, A full moon, A star, Or a diamond at our center. But the way we imagine such an image should be gentle, Soft and continuous, As if we were looking at a commonplace object, Such as a rose, Something we don't normally bother to stare at, But can just gaze at gently. In fact, It doesn't have to be a rose. It can be any object which we habitually think about. Whatever we choose, We should imagine it continuously, In a light and gentle way. If we reach the perfect equilibrium in our meditation, We'll have the sense of lightness and expansion at the center of the body. We'll find that the inner experience expands outwards. However, If we have the feeling in our meditation that something is blunt or stressed, Narrow or inauthentic, Then we shouldn't force ourselves to go further with meditation that feels like that. Better that we open our eyes and then close them to reset our meditation. Then, Picking up where we left off, Gently, Lightly, And patiently, With our mind at a standstill at the center, In a subtle and gentle way, With our mind bright and clear at the center. And if we like, We might also repeat the sound of the mantra to ourselves, Samma Arahang Samma Arahang Samma Arahang Repeating the mantra for as long as we feel comfortable with it. Some people might have previously trained in breathing meditation in which they might say Samma to themselves on the in-breath and Arahang to themselves on the out-breath. If we find repeating it helps us, It means that we can keep on repeating it over and over again to ourselves until our mind comes to a standstill at the center. Once the mind starts to come to a standstill, Then the sound of Samma Arahang will die away all by itself, Almost as if we forgot to maintain the mantra. But if our mind is restless and wanders to other matters, Then we need to stick with the mantra. But if our mind is no longer wandering, And there are no more thoughts arising, We can just let the mantra die away, Since the mantra has already served its purpose. We continue merely by maintaining our mind gently and in stillness at our center. But if this seems to be too much structure and the mind is already slowing down, We can just remain within ourselves for a few more moments in silence. So we continue to keep our mind gently on track at the center of the body. If our attention wanders away, We bring it back again each time. If the inner object disappears, We can conjure up a new one. If it changes, Then we just follow it in its new form. If we find when visualizing, We still cannot resist the temptation to use our eyes to stare down at the center of the body, We might try the technique of imagining that the center of the body has enlarged outwards in size, All the way to the horizon. And it is so large that the whole of our body actually fits inside the center of our body, Instead of the other way around. And our awareness remains in stillness at the center of this juxtaposition. We may find that our mantra tails off completely, And we are content to sit in silence, Which is yet another vindication of the pioneering advice that stopping is the secret of success. Because when the mind grinds to a standstill, There'll be a feeling of opening up, Of expansion, As if breaking free from narrow confines. There'll be a feeling of lightness and contentment in the mind. The body will seem to enlarge until it disappears, Merging with the atmosphere around it. All that will be left is a sense of stillness, As if we were floating at the center of an infinite space. When they reach this point in the meditation, Some people have no idea of what to do next. Because it's like being airborne, But having lost our bearings or our sense of direction. We may find we don't even know where the center is anymore. If this happens, We just rest our mind anywhere that seems comfortable, And the mind will continue its journey to one-pointedness, Technically known as ekakata. Ekakata are still, Firm, Soft and comfortable, As the mind reaches toward ever-increasing purity, Until the underlying light of purity starts to show through. At this point, Some people experience joy that they have managed to overcome the hindrances, Energy that can manifest itself in various ways. But we continue to remain in stillness, Just pretending we're not interested, Until the mind picks up on the inward attraction that will draw it through the center. Or we may perceive a tiny pinprick of light that is the source of the internal brightness, As small as a single star in the firmament, Or in some cases it may be larger than this, Shining with a mirror-like brightness, Which is the manifestation of one-pointedness, Although the mind experiences it with the smoothness of equanimity, Paving the way for the arising of further attainments inside, Along an inner pathway that can be referred to as the path of purity or the path of liberation. In some meditation lineages, They teach the meditator to reject anything that arises in the mind. But at this stage in our meditation, The inner experience is worth cherishing, Worth our special attention. To discard experiences we have attained at this stage would be like rowing a boat until reaching the shore, And then pushing off and rowing back again, Infinitely repeating our journey. So we economize our effort and cherish the inner experience to the point that we can take it deeper. So we continue with our meditation in this way for a few more moments now in silence, Until we come to the appropriate time. So before making a start on your meditation, Make sure you've adopted a posture that is stable, Comfortable and at ease. If you're sitting in a chair, Then let your feet rest flat on the floor. If you're sitting on a cushion on the floor, Sit upright with a sense of dignity and graciousness, Like a Buddha under your own tree of enlightenment. Let your hands rest easily, Allow your eyes to close gently. At first, Sense your own body in the here and now, And consciously soften any obvious tension. Let the eyes and face become soft. Let the jaw loosen. If you like, You can roll your head in a circle, To release any tension in your neck, To let it find simple upright voice. Let your shoulders drop, And your arms and hands rest easily. Feel contact through your thighs, Legs, Feet to your seat on the earth. And notice how completely the earth supports you, And how you can let go and sit on the earth with presence and dignity, Fully supported. Let the belly be soft and the breath natural, And let the heart be soft as well, To receive whatever arises with a spirit of kindness and compassion. And now with this embodied presence, Bring your attention to feel the sensations of your breathing. Take a few deep breaths. Take as long as you need to scan down through the whole of your body, Making sure each and every muscle is as relaxed as possible. All the way from the top of your head, Down to the tips of your toes, And relaxing all the muscles in between. Release any further tension, Until it feels as if your whole body has melted away into the atmosphere around you. Put aside any worries or concerns in your mind, Any thoughts of the past or the future. Remaining as much as possible in the present moment, With the here and now. And to relax your awareness further, Conjure up a relaxed, Joyful and happy state of mind. When you're ready, You can let your attention come to rest somewhere within this empty space of your body, And reconnect with the present moment. Reconnect with the sense of peace inside yourself, By bringing the focus of your attention gently down to a place inside you, Somewhere around the level of your solar plexus or diaphragm, And anchoring the mind in place, Either reconnecting with the peaceful feeling there, Or picturing inner brightness. Something like a full moon, A twinkling star, Or a sparkling diamond. If your mind wanders, Just bring it back to the inner object. Sense where you feel your center most easily, Allowing your attention to rest on the center. Let your centering be natural, And feel the sensations arising at your center. Relax your mind and sense the center. If your attention is soft and careful, Your center will also feel soft, And you'll be aware of even the slightest phenomena at the center, While allowing the mind to become quiet, No more than a whisper in the background. But mostly we just feel the center, Rest in it, Return to it, Again and again, This center. If the object disappears, You can conjure up a new one. If the object changes, Just follow it in its new form. If thoughts bother you, Simply ignore them, Or run interference by imagining you hear the sound of that traditional mantra, Repeated silently in the mind, With the words Samma Arahang, Over and over again, Coming up from the center of the body, Until the thoughts are pacified. So, Continue with your meditation, Focusing inwardly, Lightly and gently, For a few more moments now in silence. After a while, Your attention will most likely wander, Which is perfectly natural. Whenever you notice this, No matter how long or short it's been, Simply bring the attention back to the center, No judgment, Just a gentle return, Like training the puppy, Sit, Stay, And then the puppy goes away. But we bring the puppy gently back to this center, This moment, Again and again. Entering and sustaining meditation practice in this way, Is one of the most beautiful ways to remind ourselves that wakefulness, Love and ease are here within us. When we listen, We remember who we are, Our own true ease and love has the chance to manifest. In the busyness, Complexity and stress of our lives, A regular sitting meditation practice is enormously helpful. It reconnects us with the stillness inside. It centers us. It brings us a sense of ease. As we sit in meditation, It allows the inner wisdom of the body and heart to show itself. It allows us to live our life from a deeper understanding. Similarly, Mindfulness is a quality of presence and ease. It is a wakefulness that knows what's here. Mindfulness comes together with implicit kindness and spaciousness. Seeing what arises without judging. Mindfulness recognizes it all and rests in a kind and spacious heart. So sitting with the graciousness, Ease and kindness, Something that if we can practice a little daily, Will become a way to return to ourselves, To center ourselves, To connect with our heart. It could become like bathing or cleansing, Calming our heart and mind until we come to time for some loving kindness meditation. So reconnecting with the inner experience we've built up so far, We continue to maintain our awareness at the center of the body. Whether it be a sense of illumination on the inside or a feeling of well-being or inner images. We place our mind gently at the center of this inner experience, So gently that it seems to pull us into the center of the body. Melt away, Almost like the touch of a warm fingertip on newly fallen snow. Melting away at the point of contact. With solid becoming liquid and liquid becoming vapor, Expanding outwards, Allowing us to expand the benefits of our meditation in a way that's known as a loving kindness practice. Loving kindness meditation is an ancient and wonderful practice, With the potential to open our hearts and transform our life. We plant the seed of loving wishes over and over, That they may grow and sprout in ourselves and our lives. The evocation of loving kindness is what matters, As an antidote to fear, Anger, Confusion, Or a closed heart. The Sufi poet Hafiz once wrote that fear is the cheapest room in the house, And he'd rather that everyone lived in better conditions. Accordingly, Loving kindness meditation opens the doors and windows of the heart. Like water on a stone, Sometimes the droplets of loving kindness, Even in the places of greatest difficulty, Begin to wear away the closedness, The hardness of the heart. They begin to nourish that sweet current of love that exists here inside each one of us, By gradually nurturing loving intentions of the heart. In loving kindness, We often deploy positive affirmations, And we can modify these phrases in any way we need. So they speak from our own heart. Traditionally, We start with ourselves, Because without loving yourself, It's almost impossible to truly love others. Sometimes this is difficult for people. Our possible sense of unworthiness may make it difficult to offer love to ourselves. And yet there is not a single being in the cosmos more worthy of loving kindness than the one right here, Ourselves. At first, This meditation may feel contrived or awkward. It can even bring up its opposite, Feelings of irritation and anger. If this happens, It's especially important to be patient and kind toward yourself. Allow whatever arises to be held in the spirit of loving kindness and affection. Resting at ease, We pick up from the inner experience at our center. As we bring to mind the simple phrases, May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well in body and mind. May I be safe from inner and outer dangers. And may I be truly happy and free. And as we recollect these phrases, We infuse ourselves, Our life with the spirit of loving kindness, Allowing the feeling to permeate body and mind. And now we can expand our inner experience further outwards, Beyond ourselves, Toward the group of people who we already love a lot. With the same simple phrases as we imagine this group, Holding their image at our center, While permeating them with feelings of loving kindness, And the intention that, May these loved ones be well in body and mind. May they be filled with loving kindness. May they be safe from inner and outer dangers. May they be truly happy and free. As we continue with loving kindness meditation, We can gradually begin to include others, Friends, Neighbors, People everywhere. And with a feeling for all the people around us, We let the heart of loving kindness open with the affirmation. May all these neighbors be well in body and mind. May they be filled with loving kindness. May they be safe from inner and outer dangers. May they be truly happy and free. When the heart naturally opens with loving kindness, Then in time you can even bring in those who are difficult for you. Additionally, They say even eventually to include our enemies. So as we bring in the difficult people, We'll feel the natural tendency of the heart to close, To armor itself. And the suffering of closing the heart. Finally, We'll sense that in the end it's not worth it to live with a closed heart. And even those who are difficult may be reached by our loving kindness. May even these difficult people be well in body and mind. May they be filled with loving kindness. May they be safe from inner and outer dangers. May they be truly happy and free. We let the feeling of loving kindness and the openness of the heart spread further now. As if the loving kindness of the heart could extend in every direction, Around the whole of the earth and beyond, Toward beings far and near, Young and old, Human and animal, Seen and unseen. We let the heart radiate loving kindness in every direction, To touch and hold beings in every form. As we feel the sense of loving kindness grow and expand, We can offer the simple phrases and intentions. May all beings everywhere be well in body and mind. May they be filled with loving kindness. May they be safe from inner and outer dangers. May they be truly happy and free. So we continue spreading the loving kindness to friends, Community members, Beings far and near, Perfecting this practice of loving kindness and the planting of the seeds of good intentions as part of our meditation. And as part of the way we move through the world, With a loving heart in all we do and in all we encounter, Opening up the heart to flow more easily the last few moments of our practice together. So let's take some time together to find that inner light within. Usually we'd feel really lucky even to get to search for that light. But today we have the option to become the light by looking in the right place in order to find that light within us. It's not too far away. It begins by simply taking the time to relax our body, Finding a comfortable position, Whether we're sitting on the floor or in a chair. As we close our eyes softly, Gently, Naturally, As if we're going to sleep. Remember not to rush. Taking it easy. Everything we're looking for is already right here inside us. And our meditation effectively begins to bring benefit the moment we begin to relax and bring our mind back to the present. So there's no rush. There's no hurry. All we need to do for now is relax our body. Because this is the foundation of a smooth and easy meditation. So let's adjust the best we can, Finding the position that feels like it's the most comfortable for us. That helps us be mindful, But relaxed at the same time. Relaxing, Releasing tension from all our muscles, From the top of our head, All the way down to our feet. Taking a moment to scan, To observe whether we are fully relaxed. Reminding ourselves that it's time to rest. To rest our body and to decompress our mind. A good way to help us relax and make sure that our body is as calm and relaxed as possible is simply by breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly a few times. Breathing in the relaxation and following the breath, Softly and gently, Feeling our breath as it's soothing, Relaxing, Calming. As we exhale, We allow all the tension, Any tightness, Any hidden stress that might be lingering in our body to fade away and disappear. Leaving us with nothing but a feeling of relaxation, Allowing us to feel lighter and lighter. This is the power of simply relaxing. And we take a moment to appreciate how relaxing simply breathing can be. The more we relax, The sooner the process of physical disconnection will take place. The sooner can begin the new process of connecting to our inner happiness, Our inner peace. All we need to do now that our body is more relaxed is take a moment to smile to ourselves and appreciate the relaxation that's starting to take hold within us. Welcoming it and feeling proud of ourselves that we are able to give ourselves this opportunity because most of us give all our attention and time to everyone and everything else. But right now, Let's give ourselves some of that attention and time by pampering ourselves with some much deserved TLC for a while to become a better version of ourselves, Not just for our own benefit, But for everyone in our lives. Our only responsibility for now is our own happiness, Our own relaxation, So we can luxuriate in putting everything else on one side for now. All our responsibilities, All our commitments. Right now, Let's just focus on the present. We begin by bringing our mind to where it feels comfortable within us because we all have a special place that our mind wishes to go, Where it wants to rest, Relax, Recharge. But to bring our mind to that special place, We can start however we like, As long as that method helps us to be mindful and comfortable. For some of us, We may like to repeat in our mind a mantra such as Samma Arahang. We might try using that mantra and just repeating that mantra like a lullaby or like a peaceful song, Helping us to call the mind back to the present softly and gently. Or for some of us, We might like to visualize. We visualize in a way that we're not focusing on how clear the image is, But we just try to stay with the image consistently and comfortably, Easily and naturally. For example, We can imagine a bright sun in the sky or the warmth of the sun, But as if we see or feel it inside us, Feeling warm or bright from the inside, And staying with that feeling or image with the innocence of a child. In other words, Not overthinking it, Just going with whatever feels natural. We can imagine for however long we like, For as long as it feels comfortable, Because in the end, Whether it's the mantra or the visualization, They're just tools to help us stay present, To stay calm and relaxed. So we can use whatever tool we feel works for us and follow what makes us feel comfortable. We need to find that balance for ourselves, Where it's neither too tight nor too loose, But in that sweet spot where it feels just right for us, Where we feel okay with it, Where we feel like it's natural and easy to stay in our meditation zone. It all depends on how we feel. If our mind is becoming quieter, We'll feel that we don't need anything more and we can just let go and be still. We might try to achieve this, But in the end, The stillness within us may not last that long, And that's okay, Because we have to just be a good observer. Meaning that when the stillness disappears, There's no need to panic or get frustrated. We just go back to the method that we were using before, Or try a new method that returns us to mindfulness and comfort. And before we know it, We'll be back to feeling calm and still again. Eventually, Those periods of stillness will last longer and longer. But for now, All we need to do is follow through with whatever is helping us to stay calm, Whether it's the mantra, The visualization, Or both. Every moment that we feel calm and relaxed is important for our meditation, Because it's bringing us closer to being brighter, More positive, Because these moments of relaxation of body and mind are a breeze of clarity that helps to push away the clouds from our mind, To clear the clutter, To reveal the source of happiness within us. Something that's always been there within us, But which can only manifest when we relax, Release, Let go, To allow us to feel and see what's already inside of us. This whole process can be initiated easily enough simply by following whatever allows us to feel comfortable, Whatever allows us to feel content. We just stay with the feeling of relaxation while being ready to adjust if it disappears. We follow the comfort, And that comfort will take our mind to where it needs to go, Allowing our mind to rest, To relax, Gradually and naturally. So, All we need to do now is to stay with this feeling calmly, Gently, Contentedly, While we continue to follow the rest of this meditation together in silence. So, We continue to maintain our mind calm and relaxed, As we feel a positivity growing within us little by little. In the meantime, We should not overlook even a single moment of relaxation because every moment of relaxation of the mind is a miracle, A watershed moment, A tipping point, Just like a glimmer of brightness, No matter how small, Already starts to push back the darkness. These moments of relaxation of the mind indicate that our mind is beginning to break free from the negativity, Free from greed, Anger and delusion, And these moments make space in our mind for something new, As we relax, As we release, Allowing the burden we've been carrying to drop, Allowing the negativity to fade, Making room for us to feel happier, More positive, No longer allowing the darkness to conceal the brightness within. When our mind starts to let go, We feel a different kind of positivity within ourselves, And as we do that, Our vision can expand, And we can see and appreciate phenomena more than before we meditated, Or we'll be able to re-examine the problems that we have in life in a new light. We are limited only by our own vision, Or because our mind is clouded, Making it hard to really see things clearly. So when we meditate, Our vision will expand, And we'll be better able to interact with the roots of real-world problems. And as we meditate even deeper, Not only does our vision expand, But it gets a more powerful perspective, Which allows us to see the same situation more thoroughly. Even though we may feel superficially like we're already a good enough person, We'll start to notice things we can improve still further. But as we practice meditation, It's like the wind that's going to push away the clouds, And reveal that happiness that's inside of us. So we continue in this way for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation. So adding little by little to the positive feeling inside us, We become increasingly able to spread our positive intentions, Or our loving-kindness from within. So let's take a moment to share our positive intention, Wishing for everyone, Ourselves included, In ever-widening circles, That all beings everywhere be happy, Be healthy, And also be able to find and practice for inner peace, So that everyone can become the best version of themselves. So we start from within us, Spreading this good intention from our center, Thinking of our loved ones, Expanding the good intentions outward to everyone around us, No matter who they may be. We should resolve to be part of the solution to peace in the world, Rather than part of the problem. So we spread these peaceful feelings of loving-kindness, Helping our mind to become brighter, More positive, By this simple but powerful practice. And once we've made this wish, We can come back to ourselves, Come back to where we feel comfortable, Come back to where we feel mindful and relaxed, And feel the positivity within ourselves, While continuing to observe and absorb the positivity from within us, As we sit together for a few more moments in silence. So let's close our eyes for some meditation together. Taking a moment to adopt either the traditional cross-legged position on a cushion, Or sitting on a chair. In either case, We should straighten our spine, And sit as if there were a thread connecting the crown of our head with the sky. We relax our shoulders and push up toward the ceiling with the back of our head, Imagining someone pulling gently on that thread. We relax our shoulders, Letting them just hang. Our chest is open, And our back is upright. The main thing is to feel comfortable as we start to relax our body. Discomfort may come in many forms, Whether it be physical sensations, Such as an itch or a pain, Or psychological sensations, Such as muscle tension that comes with anger. Sensations that are physical in nature are external in origin. Sensations that are psychological in nature are internal in origin. If there's an ache in our knees, That's external in origin. But if we feel flutters in our belly, That's more likely to be internal in origin. So we let our awareness float freely through the body, Roam over the body, Not trying to direct it. Sensation may settle on internal or external sensations, Causing our awareness to shift. But we just let go of any tightness or any emotion we associate with that tightness, Whether it be irritation, Frustration, Or fear. So having relaxed our body, We turn our attention to relaxing our state of mind. At the same time, We might finesse our curiosity about the body's capacity to treat feelings with a sense of equanimity, A balanced mind, Not preferring one or the other feeling, As we continue to make sure our entire body is relaxed. In addition, We see if we can infuse our hearts with a sense of being joyous and refreshed. We ensure our mind is pure and clear. The emotions we feel may be composed of internal sensations or thoughts in the mind. Relaxing the mind is letting the thoughts in the mind settle, While remembering to trust that wellspring of creativity that lies within us, As we reconnect with something larger than our puny sense of individual ego. Imagine inside us is just an empty space, Without any organs or tissues, Muscles or bones. Almost like a hollow cavity within ourselves, Or as if our whole body has disappeared completely, Leaving only a great empty space, But a space that we recognize as being our own. And at this point, To act as an anchor for the mind, We might imagine an inspiring picture which we cherish at the middle of our body. We remember our chosen image as well as we can, Bringing our attention back to it often, Becoming more and more familiar with it. When we think of holding it in the middle of the body, It will be easy. This image will be similar to the real internal image, Which will develop spontaneously when our mind is already at a standstill. But initially we make do with one that we approximate to. But even the image that we start out with is designed to make our hearts pure, Clear and still. If we visualize it often, Get familiar with it, Placing the mind in the middle of the body will become easier, As if it's by second nature. This image at the center will displace random nonsense, Unproductive or unskillful imagery, As we become familiar with the more uplifting image we have chosen, Displacing images that might trigger depression, Obsession or worry. Displacing the clutter of images from daily life that vex us right from our time of waking, Until the last thing at night, That try to shape our lives, Hijack our mental bandwidth, Distancing us from skillful images such as that of the crystal ball or inner brightness. So we redress our inner imagery to something more skillful, By keeping inner brightness front and center in our mind. As for possible thoughts in the mind, These are really just like internal talk. And just as we learned how to observe sensations that were internal in origin, We now learn how to observe internal talk that happens whenever a thought arises. Otherwise we might get lost in internal talk or daydreams. We might hear ourselves planning for what may happen later in the day or even next year. Internal talk can also dip into the memories that tie events together to create a sense of coherence in life. We might hear our own judging mind criticizing us or others for supposed failings. Becoming aware of the judging mind in meditation will help to prevent us losing much of that mental energy to things such as blame and shame. So we just listen to any internal chatter with equanimity. That in itself will go a long way toward healing. As we bring our mind back each time to the center of the body, And continue with our centering practice lightly and gently for a few more moments now in silence. So we continue to keep our mind gently on track at the center of ourselves. If the attention wanders away from the center, We patiently bring it back each time. No matter how many times it takes to get the mind to settle there. If the inner image disappears, We can think of a new one. If the inner image changes, We just follow it in its new form. At the same time we allow the inner chatter to settle into silence. Internal imagery shapes our lives continuously. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning, Until the time we close our eyes again at night. Sometimes even when we dream, It is the images that we've collected up during our waking hours that come back to haunt us. We may not think it's a big deal, But especially in the final moments of our life, The images we've become used to will return to us when we are weak with illness. When we can no longer move our body, When the body is weak but our mind is still active. And if we've never trained the mind, We'll easily succumb to the worst of the images, Which will not serve us well at this important time of transition. However, If we have trained the mind in visualization, By centering in meditation, The crystal ball we visualize, The goodness we have done, In a time of crisis, Whether it's accident or illness, The images we are familiar with will reappear. And at that time when our life flashes before us, They will ensure that we go out on a good note. In times of crisis, Our inner awareness will act like a life raft, Which we can hold on to, Leading to a place that is bright, Joyful, Without fear of death, Or anything untoward. Which is why we need to be selective about the sort of images we collect up in our mind, Avoiding the sort of images that are difficult to unsee. And even in our habitual surroundings, Being selective about the sort of things we look at every day. So we need the center of our body to be like an album of skillful images, Especially those from our own lives, On perpetual repeat. So we continue to cultivate our mind gently at the center of our body, With our inner imagery for a few more moments, Remaining quietly with our inner imagery for a few more moments, Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation. So we continue to keep our mind gently on track at the center of our body, Remaining with whatever sort of inner experience we have built up over the course of our meditation so far today. When our mind becomes completely still, It will become much clearer, And we'll be able to enter upon a place at the middle of our body more comfortably, Expanding the awareness, Together with loving-kindness, In all directions, With the center of the body as its epicenter. Today, As we spread loving-kindness, We'll put special emphasis on the giving and receiving of forgiveness, Since it's said that hatred can never be overcome by hatred, But only by love can hatred be healed. And it's been believed since ancient times that forgiveness can truly free us from the past. Although forgiveness may arise spontaneously, It can also be cultivated intentionally. So there's an ancient and systematic wisdom tradition that teaches us the heart of forgiveness. Through the spirit of forgiveness, We can transform our lives. But before we can do this forgiveness meditation, We need to be clear about what forgiveness means. Forgiveness does not in any way justify or condone harmful actions. While we forgive, We may also say, Never again will I allow this to happen. We can do whatever is necessary to prevent further harm. Forgiveness does not mean that we have to seek out or speak to those who've caused us harm. We may choose never to see them again. Forgiveness is simply an act of the heart, A movement to let go of the pain, The resentment, The outrage, And the burden we've carried for so long. It's an easing of the heart and an acknowledgement that no matter how strongly we may condemn the suffering inflicted by another, We will not shut that other being out of our heart. We've all been harmed or betrayed, Just as at other times we have betrayed others or ourselves. In the words of the poets, If we could read the secret history of our enemies, We would most likely find sorrow and suffering enough in each person's life to disarm all our hostility. For most people, Forgiveness is an ongoing process. When you've been deeply wounded, The work of forgiveness can take years. If it goes through stages of grief and rage, Sorrow, Fear and confusion, In the end, As we let ourselves feel the pain we carry, Forgiveness comes as a relief, A release of the heart. It becomes apparent that forgiveness is fundamentally for our own sake, A way to no longer have to carry the pain of the past. It's like, For as long as we don't forgive our former captors, They still hold us prisoner. Releasing the sorrows of the past allows us to move on in this world in a free, Unburdened and gracious way. Fundamentally, The act of forgiveness is for ourselves. It may be for the harm you've done to yourself or another, Or it may be for the pain that you've carried for too long. It is an act of courage. Sometimes the courage needed for forgiveness comes naturally. Sometimes the meditation brings up its opposite, And we feel all the pain, Anger or resentment we still carry. It shows us the work of the heart. So trust yourself in this. Go gently into the practice of forgiveness. There's no need to be judgmental or struggle. It's a practice that can be done a hundred times, And little by little it will free us from the past and open our heart and let us move on with our life. So we become aware of the limitations we experience when we keep our heart closed. Realizing it doesn't have to be this way, We now begin by extending forgiveness in three directions. The first direction is forgiveness from others. As we sit quietly, We let ourselves reflect that there are many ways that we've caused hurt and harm to others, Betrayed them, Abandoned them, Caused them suffering knowingly and unknowingly. And feeling the pain we still carry from this, We release the burden of sorrows and regret. Perhaps we caused pain out of our own fear or confusion, Anger or hurt. In this moment, We ask those others forgiveness, Taking all the time we need. Just as we ask others forgiveness, So too we need to forgive ourselves. In the second direction of this practice, We focus on forgiving ourselves. Just as there are so many ways in which we have hurt and harmed others, Betrayed or abandoned them. Similarly, We have hurt and harmed ourselves, Betrayed or abandoned ourselves, Caused suffering knowingly and unknowingly. So acknowledging the harm we have brought to ourselves, We feel the pain we still carry, Feel our own sorrows and regret, And sense that finally we can release this burden. Asking for an extending forgiveness for the many ways that we have hurt and harmed ourselves, Knowingly or unknowingly, We offer ourselves forgiveness, Treating ourselves instead with mercy and kindness. The third direction of this practice is forgiveness for those who have previously hurt or harmed us. There may be many ways in which we have been hurt or harmed, Abandoned or abused by others, Knowingly or unknowingly. Ways in which we have all been betrayed in this life, And sensing the pain we still carry from those betrayals and abandonment, The ways we've been hurt, We realize now is the time to let go of these sorrows we have carried from our past. Sensing that we can now at last release ourselves from this burden, If not entirely, Then at least in part. By extending forgiveness. Extending forgiveness for the many ways others have hurt or harmed us, Betrayed or abandoned us. Whether it be out of those other people's fear or pain, Out of their anger, Hurt or confusion, We recognize these causes now and extend a readiness to offer forgiveness. Realizing that we've carried this pain in our hearts for too long, Until we now feel a release from the burden and anguish. Since forgiveness cannot be forced, It cannot be artificial, We simply continue to practice and let the work of the heart and deep wisdom guide us until in time we can let forgiveness become a regular part of our practice. Letting go of the past and opening ourselves to life again. Since for as long as we are alive, It's never too late to free ourselves and move on with an open heart. So we continue our forgiveness practice in this way for the last few moments of our practice together in silence. 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 enfold 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. So 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 the 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. 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 any time 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, So in your own time, Just gradually close your eyes, Bring your attention back to yourself, Adjusting your back and your legs to be comfortable, Allowing both of your shoulders to drop to their natural height, Allowing them to rest naturally, Taking your time to bring your attention back, Making sure you feel relaxed, By adjusting your posture and relax, All the remaining muscles of your body, Right the way down to your feet and your toes, Observing carefully to make sure your circulation is unimpeded, In its flow through your legs, And also that there's no tension around your calves, Knees or thighs, The way that your hands rest in your lap, Should be without any tension, Relaxing your elbows, While observing throughout the whole of your body, Making sure you're comfortable, And even the way you've closed your eyes, Should be as gentle as possible, Feeling nothing but the gentle flow of your breath, Breathing in gently to the deepest point, Before breathing slowly and smoothly out again, Making sure we're releasing any residual tensions from within us, Taking note of the flow of the breath, As the whole of our body relaxes as much as it can, Just as if our whole body is filling up with a sense of awareness, With our senses becoming clearer, The deepening sense of silence within us, A silence that surrounds us, As it also merges with our inner space, The more we relax, The easier it will be for us to withdraw from the external senses, Allowing our awareness to start on a deeper journey toward the inside, It starts from a place of observation, Somewhere within our inner space, And a place that feels comfortable for us, A place that seems to anchor the mind, And if it helps to relax us further, We might imagine ourselves at the center of a large open space, As if our whole body has disappeared, So all that matters is our ability to relax the body and free the mind, As we lay the foundation of stillness and contentment within us, Anytime we experience an interruption, We can just remind ourselves to make a fresh start at that point within ourselves, Reminding ourselves that we're just taking the time, To rest in body and mind, Letting go even of the feeling that we are doing a formal practice, So the mind can withdraw completely into ourselves, Allowing us to let go, To be comfortable within ourselves, The more time we take, The more we'll learn about ourselves, And the more we'll be able to notice the changes, So we take our time to allow the body to become more comfortable, Freeing up the mind, As if in the midst of relaxing surroundings, We feel secure and safe, Without any worries coming up in the mind, Allowing the inner awareness to be undisturbed, As if we are protected inside our own sanctuary, We may still be aware of the way our breath runs gently back and forth within our body, And we allow our breath to bring the awareness back within the space of the body, Down to the deepest point of the breath, At a place somewhere around the center of our body, Reaching with our awareness to the turning point of the breath, Is like coming home after a long day, And having reached this point, It's as if we can let go of all the other burdens and issues in the mind, Because this place at the center is like a home for the mind, A place where it can go in order to rest, And for as long as the mind is associated with this place, It becomes re-energized and purer, The whole feeling of the mind will become more relaxed, With a sense of lightness, Stillness within the mind, Freeing up the center space, Freeing it from all its normal preoccupations, To create a space within us, By which we feel cleansed, As if our center space, Is filling up with a sense of positivity, Kindness and joy, And inner grace, All these things originating from a sense of stillness in the mind, Allowing the body to relax still further, Allowing our awareness to become localized, In the middle section of our body, Allowing the awareness to rest, With a light and gentle attention, If we need something to anchor our awareness in place, We might make use of one of those traditional methods, Such as visualizing a picture of the sun inside of ourselves, Or any other object that comes easier to us, We might make use of a mantra, Hearing the sound of words such as Samma Arahang, Or any other uplifting short phrase or affirmation, That we find easier to remember, And hearing the sound of the mantra, That comes up from that central place within ourselves, All the time, We take note of the gentle feelings within ourselves, Soft and gentle, Without any sign of agitation or frustration, So we remain in stillness, In the middle of our center space, Gently on track within ourselves, For a few more moments in silence, Until we come to the appropriate time, If we find our attention wandering away onto other things, Each time we realize, We gently bring it back to the most peaceful place, Within our center, Resting our awareness in comfort, With our attention at that point, Lightly and gently, Either with visuals at our center, Or with an awareness of the feeling of the mind's contact at that point, Observing gently, While allowing the mind to go deeper at that point, Whether it's using some sort of bright visual object, Or the sound of the mantra, Or simply observing what is already there, Whenever interruptions come up in the mind, We do our best to let go of them, To come back from the distraction each time, And if the inner object changes, Then we just follow it in its new form, Continuing to observe lightly and gently, Engaging with that lightness of mind, That allows us to rise above the things that might otherwise pull us down, A lightness that frees us from heavy thoughts, And allows us to trust in our own inner refuge, Simply engaging with ourselves on a deeper level, Will foster the courage to develop ourselves further, And not to be afraid of overcoming our limits, By rooting ourselves in the here and now, While letting go, The present moment can be our gateway to well-being, By letting go of the past, And embracing the future without expectation, We'll be able to pick up on the peace that dwells in every part of our lives, That allows us to locate ourselves in our life situation, With hope and proactivity, As we discover that true wisdom comes not by deviating from nature, But by more closely observing and harmonizing with the laws of nature, So we continue in this way, 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 gently on track at the center of ourselves, With a light and gentle attention, At the very center of whatever inner experience, We've built up for ourselves as a result of the meditation so far this session, And if we touch very gently with our awareness, The center of the inner brightness, Or the feeling of well-being within ourselves, Then we'll notice that there seems to be a magnification, Or multiplication of that positive energy, Expanding outwards from the center point, In a way that fills up the whole of our center space, Expanding with a sense of comfort and stillness, Enlarging a sense of calmness and peace energy within ourselves, And as we extend this energy throughout the whole of our body, We might make the gentle affirmation at the center of ourselves, That may we be well and happy, May we be free from suffering, Before allowing that energy to expand beyond ourselves, Outward into the world around us, In ever widening circles, Reaching out to all the living beings around us without exception, Sending the same feeling of loving kindness to all of them, With the intention that, May all these living beings too be well and happy, Be free from suffering, Live together in peace and harmony, We allow the extent of our loving kindness to spread further and further afield, Until it becomes large enough to extend across the entire surface of this planet, Reaching all living beings without exception with the wish, That may all living beings everywhere be well and happy, Free from suffering, Live together in peace and harmony, That world peace might become a reality within our own lifetimes, And if we have particular loved ones who we think might benefit from the uplift of our loving kindness, We might extend loving kindness toward them in particular, Thinking of their names or their faces at the center of our body, Extending loving kindness toward them, For the last few moments of our practice together in silence. So we'd like to start by finding a comfortable position for yourself in meditation. If you're sitting on the floor then with your right leg over your left leg, Your right hand on your left hand, And with the index finger of your right hand touching against the thumb of your left hand, With your hands palm upwards on your lap. If you're sitting on a chair then sit with your back fairly straight, And find a position of poise for yourself, By which you feel alert and yet relaxed, Not leaning too far forward nor too far back, Not leaning to the right nor to the left, And make sure your eyes are only very gently closed, Never squeeze your eyes closed but close your eyes. Close your eyes gently in much the same way you'd close your eyes to go to sleep. Make sure there's no heaviness on your eyelids. If you notice that your eyes are closed too tightly, Or if there's any heaviness around your eyes, Then you may need to open your eyes and close them again more gently still. From there you can slowly scan down through the whole of your body, To make sure each and every muscle in your body is as relaxed as possible. Relaxing the muscles of your face, The muscles of your neck, And letting your shoulders drop to their natural height. Your upper back should be fairly straight, More or less at a 90 degree angle with the floor, And with your head and your neck upright. Scanning further down by relaxing your torso, Both of your legs, All the way down to your feet and your toes, Until you're fairly satisfied that no part of your body remains with any sort of stress or tension anymore. If you do notice anywhere where tension still seems to linger on, You can do your best to relax it as far as possible, Allowing you to let go of your body, Let go of any concerns about your body, Allowing you to turn your attention inward to focus instead on the feeling inside you, Allowing the relaxation of your body and mind to lead you back to the present moment. And we turn our attention to relaxing the mind, Conjuring up a sense of happiness and joy in the mind, And allowing that sense of refreshedness inside us to perfuse the whole of our body and mind for a few moments, Washing away any worries or concerns, Unburdening our mind to leave a sense of lightness and expansion and wholesomeness, Just putting aside all the things that belong in the past, Together with whatever will be in the future, And for a few moments we remain in the here and now, Which is a useful way to take back control of our own mind, Which in the present day is a luxury and a gift in our lives, So we need to embrace any opportunity for this. As we gradually bring our state of mind toward a state of bliss and ease and relaxation, With the same simplicity of bringing a gentle smile to our face, Noticing how a smile might relax the muscles of our face, And extending the same feeling to our whole body and mind, Like some sort of special medicine that doesn't cost a penny. And as with many things in meditation, Approximating to happiness will pave the way to actual happiness. Just by reconnecting with the feeling, It's like bringing ourselves back from the normal stresses and worries of our lives. Otherwise our life can be something that's no longer truly our own, Almost as if we were sleepwalking through life, Or functioning on autopilot, With no awareness of the present moment. But if we're able to stay in the present just for a few moments, Immediately we start to heal ourselves, Both in body and in mind, And paving the way toward more subtle inner experience. And the secret of meditation is to do it with joy, With contentment, Because generally anything that we don't take pleasure in will not lead us very far. And when we feel relaxed and refreshed, Both in body and in mind, Very gently and using no effort at all, We allow our attention to settle and to centre to a point within the empty space of our body, Almost as if our whole body had been transformed into some sort of hollow shell. And an object of meditation which is convenient for us, It might be something visual, It might be something that we feel is there, We allow it to slowly gravitate down within the space of our body until it comes to a comfortable place somewhere around about the level of our solar plexus. So it's visual, It might be something bright and clear and rounded, Like the sun or the full moon or a star. If it's more tactile, Then it may be an object that we know is there by its weight and texture, Its temperature. We allow it to settle gently at the centre of ourself, But at the same time letting any thoughts in the mind gradually settle out. Gradually slow down and grind to a standstill until no further thoughts arise in the mind anymore, A state known as the standstill of the mind. If any thoughts should crop up in the mind, We do our best to ignore them. And generally they will die down into silence all by themselves. But if we feel the need to use a mantra as a mechanism to run interference on our thoughts and basically block those thoughts from the mind, We might make use of that traditional phrase Samma Arahang Samma Arahang Samma Arahang over and over again. With the source of the sound coming up from the centre of ourselves, Gradually lulling the mind towards a state that is increasingly free of any thoughts. And the two things hand in hand, That is, The inner object and the sound of the mantra if necessary, Will help to lead the mind to a place of focus within us, While eventually freeing the mind of thoughts. A standstill of the mind means that the mind comes to rest inside the body with no further thinking anymore. Some people think that the mind is nothing without the thinking process. But in fact in your meditation you'll find out that the mind without thought is much more powerful than a mind caught up in concepts. The mind that is free of thought can start to draw upon consciousness at a deeper level. Consciousness that we might call the gut feeling of the mind or the inner wisdom of the mind. And once we switch on to these things, It will be like a sense of illumination within ourselves that literally sheds light on the mysteries of the world around us. Because wherever there's light, There will also be knowledge. Wherever there's knowledge, No ignorance can creep in. And all the other impediments to such knowledge, Whether it be a sense of greed or fear, Hatred or delusion, No longer have a place to hide themselves anymore. Once we've seen how things are for ourselves, Then no one else will be able to persuade us otherwise. So now for a few more moments in silence, We cultivate a sense of intuition within us, Freeing the mind of thought, Allowing our mind to settle at the point of focus within us, Cultivating the mind in this way lightly and gently, Just for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to the appropriate time. If you find your mind has wandered off on to other things, Each time you realize, Just bring your attention back again to the center of your body as before, Bringing your attention back to the center of the body as many times as it takes to build up that sense of continuity between your awareness and that special place at your center. As you continue to cultivate the mind in this way, You'll find that the number of thoughts become gradually less, With or without the mantra. You'll find that the gaps between the thoughts become gradually longer, Until the gaps between the thoughts become longer than the thoughts themselves. And you'll start to be able to see through to what lies beneath the thoughts in the mind, Beneath that superficial layer of rational thinking, Giving you access to more intuitive places in the mind, A deeper level of the subconscious, Gut feelings, Inner wisdom, Until at the point where the thoughts die down completely, Start to have a permanent connection to those deeper functions of the mind. But sometimes when we're new to meditation, We may find that there are so many things popping up in the mind, As if our mind is still busy, Rather like the ocean with one wave after another. But if we're able just to accept that this is how the mind is, Rather than getting worried or upset the way our mind behaves, Then we will starve those thoughts of attention, Simply acknowledging and bringing our mind back to the object inside us, Until gradually we'll start to master the mind, Rather than be slave to our own distractions. But for now we keep our mind on track, Lightly and gently, Keeping our mind in place with nothing more than a featherlight touch, Each to our own practice for a few more moments in silence, Until we come to time for some loving kindness meditation. So we continue to keep our mind at a standstill, At the center of ourselves, At the center of whatever inner experience we've built up for ourselves, As a result of the meditation so far today. For some people it may be like a clear bright sphere of brightness at the center of the body, For others it may be more like a feeling of warmth or well-being, Again centered around the middle of ourselves. But whatever sort of inner experience we have attained, We touch with our attention very gently at the center of that experience. Touching gently with the same lightness of a feather floating down to touch on the surface of some water, So lightly that there's not even a single ripple on the water's surface. In the same way we touch gently with our attention, At the center of the inner experience within ourselves. And soon we'll find that the inner experience of the mind, Whatever form it takes, Will gradually expand outwards in size. Expanding outwards until it's the same size as our whole body, Almost as if we were sitting inside a sphere of our own well-being, Or the sphere of our own light. And we can make a wish to ourselves that may we be well and happy, Free of all suffering. And touching again with our attention at the center of the body, The sphere of well-being, Or the sphere of light, Will spread outwards beyond our own body. Outwards in all directions, Just like the moonlight shines outwards from the full moon in the night sky. Or just as a block of ice spreads coolness in all directions around itself, Into the surrounding atmosphere. The same way our loving-kindness spreads all around us. Extending a sphere of loving-kindness outwards into the room in which we're sitting for meditation, As we make the wish that may all living beings here in this room be well and happy, Free from all suffering. And we can extend the loving-kindness further still, Outwards from the center of the body, To encapsulate the whole of the building in which we are sitting for meditation. With the wish that may all living beings here in this building be well and happy, Free of all suffering. And we spread the loving-kindness further still, Outwards into the neighborhood. With the wish that all beings in this neighborhood be well and happy, Free of all suffering. Further outwards to the whole city around us. And if you find it easier, You might imagine it as a map seen from above. Extending loving-kindness almost in bird's-eye view. Spreading loving-kindness outwards to cover the whole map of the city, And all the directions all around. There's no part of the city not touched by the coolness and radiance of the loving-kindness. While again making the wish that may all living beings here in the city be well and happy, Free from all suffering. We can spread loving-kindness beyond the city limits to the whole country, Outwards to the borders, In all directions all around. Spreading loving-kindness without exception to the very borders of our country, In all directions all around. Again making the wish that all beings in this country be well and happy, Free from all suffering. Before extending loving-kindness to neighboring countries, Outwards in all directions to the living beings without exception, With the wish that may all living beings be well and happy, Be free from all suffering. Outwards to the whole continent, Every country on this continent, So that our loving-kindness spreads its coolness and radiance to the citizens of every country, With the wish that all living beings on this continent be well and happy, And free from all suffering. Outwards to every continent of the world, Whether it be Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America, Australia or Antarctica, There's no corner of the world not touched by the radiance and coolness of our loving-kindness. Extending loving-kindness to every place on the surface of our planet, Again with the wish that every living being without exception, Whether on the land, In the air or in the sea, Be well and happy, Free from all suffering, Allowing all beings to live together in peace and harmony, So that true peace may prevail on our planet. And we can also extend loving-kindness in all directions, Outwards into the universe, To the front and the back, Right and left, Above and below. Extending our loving-kindness outwards into the universe around us, With the wish that wherever there be living beings, They too be touched by our coolness and radiance of loving-kindness. In this way we extend loving-kindness without limits, Without exceptions, To the galaxies and the cosmos around us. And in the days of old there were certain ascetics who used to specialize in the spreading of loving-kindness, Retiring to the seclusion of the forest in order to meditate. One particular ascetic used to favor the practice of loving-kindness especially, Practicing it on a daily basis, By day and by night. Whenever his mind was at ease, He would spread loving-kindness, Sometimes in the eastern direction, With the intention that may all living beings in this direction, Even from the smallest creatures, Two-footed, Four-footed, With many legs or no legs at all, Be pervaded by my loving-kindness. On another day he might spread loving-kindness in the same way to the western quarter, To the northern quarter, To the southern quarter, Upwards or below. And by spreading loving-kindness consistently and regularly in this way, He found that when he slept, He slept in happiness, Slipping into deep meditation. It would bring him joy the whole of the time and he would have a dreamless sleep, Or if he did dream, It would be of auspicious things. On waking, He felt refreshed, Free of sleepiness, And he always had a radiant complexion because of his practice. If there was danger in his midst, It would never harm him. And he was loved and respected by humans and non-humans alike. He was able to enter upon meditation easily, And attain higher meditation with ease, Because he was able to let go quickly of external events, Bearing no anger or grudges towards anyone. His mind was bright at the center of his body the whole of the time. And as a result of his loving-kindness practice, The forest where he lived soon became abundant with fruit. Even humble animals that were sworn enemies, Like deer and tigers, Coming into the vicinity of the forest, Were able to coexist in harmony. Because even their minds responded to the purity and clarity of the loving-kindness meditation. So having spread loving-kindness in this way, We can condense our awareness back down again to the center of our body, Taking careful note of the brightness, The clarity, The feeling of peace and joy at the center of the body, And the sense of well-being. Remembering this feeling as well as we can, Because this feeling represents the state of progress in meditation that we have made up until now. And if we can remember this feeling as well as we can, The next time we sit down to meditate again, We can start again from this feeling. Start by conjuring up this feeling, And we can continue to make progress next time from where we left off. So for the last few moments of this meditation, We take a few moments to make a mental note of the state of our progress in meditation, Remembering the feeling as well as we can for a few more moments now in silence. We would like to start by finding a comfortable position for yourself in the meditation. You might sit cross-legged on a meditation mat, With your right leg on your left leg, Or you can sit on a straight-back chair, In either case. Your right hand should rest on your left hand, And the index finger of the right hand should touch against the thumb of your left hand, With your hands resting palm upwards in your lap. Close your eyes very softly, As if you were only half closing your eyes. Similar to the way you might close your eyes to go to sleep. So never squeeze your eyes closed, And try to make sure there's no pressure around your eyes. And you might like to make a scan down through the whole of your body, To make sure each and every muscle in your body is as relaxed as possible. Starting at the top of your head, Scanning down through your body, Relaxing each and every muscle as you go. When your body feels relaxed, You can turn your attention to relaxing your mind. The best way to relax your mind is to imagine that you're filling yourself with happiness and joy, So that your mind feels refreshed, Pure and clean inside, Free of any worries or anxieties whatsoever. So we let go of all these things, At least for the time that we're meditating, Allowing our mind to become empty, And imagining that inside yourself is just an empty space, Without any organs or tissues, Without any muscles or bones, Just a hollow cavity inside yourself, Or as if your whole body had been transformed into a sort of transparent bubble, With nothing on the inside. And within this empty space of our body, We might cast our mind back to the picture we talked about a few moments ago, Of the bright sun shining in the sky, Or something equivalent, Like a full moon, A shining star, A crystal ball, Or something like a sparkling diamond, Whatever comes easiest to you. And bear in mind that it may be more of a feeling than a picture. Some people say they feel the picture more than they see it. But in this particular case, We allow that inner picture, Whether it's clear or vague, Whether it's more of a feeling, To gently gravitate down within the space of our body, Until it comes to a place somewhere around about the middle of our tummy. This place inside us is particularly important, Because it's a place where the mind can become peaceful for a change. It's a place where the body and the mind can come into balance. In effect, It aligns with the turning point of the deepest breath. And it's also a place of wisdom within our body. So although the habits of our mind might be to wander all over the place, But now we give our mind a place it can come back to in a soft and gentle way. By resting it with that picture inside us, Lightly and gently, Consistently the whole of the time. And if we are very gentle, If we do it in just the right way, Then to conjure up a feeling of expansion inside ourselves. And by saying that we see something inside us doesn't mean that we use our eyes to see it. We see it with our mind's eye. And the actual eyes in our head still look ahead as they normally do, Because they have nothing to do with the process of meditation. But if we touch very gently with our mind's eye, With that picture inside us, We'll start to have the feeling of expansion and spaciousness inside ourselves. Leaving us with a feeling that our whole body seems to melt away into the atmosphere around us. If we reach a sense of perfect equilibrium in our meditation, We'll have a sensation of lightness and expansion inside ourselves. But if we have the feeling inside us that something is narrow or forced, Blunt or stressed, Then we shouldn't force ourselves to go further down that path in our meditation. It's better that we open our eyes and start all over again in a gentler way. If our mind wanders away from the center, We simply bring it back again each time. And if the inner picture disappears, Then we just conjure up a new one. If the picture changes, Then we just follow it in its new form. It's almost like a special TV screen that we have at the center of our body, Which gradually warms up to give us a clearer and clearer picture inside us. So in the beginning, You may not see very much, But it doesn't really matter. Because if our mind is at a standstill at the center of our body, There'll be a sense of contentment that arises in our meditation, Whether we see something or not. And we feel like we'd like to stay with this feeling for a long, Long time. Any sense of boredom with the practice will disappear. And it's telling you that you're on the right track in your meditation. In the meantime, There's no need to analyze or have a mental commentary on what's going on in the mind. And we also have to resist the temptation of trying to make meditation happen. Because in effect, The meditation will happen all by itself. We allow the mind to become peaceful all on its own, Without trying to stare at the center of our body, Without trying to use our eyes to see the object of meditation. Just simply maintaining our mind at the center gently and comfortably. If you have thoughts coming up in the mind, Then do your best to ignore them. And generally, They will become less all on their own. If the thoughts are too many simply to ignore, You might continue with that mantra recommended before by hearing the words Samma Araham. Samma Araham. Samma Araham over and over again in the mind. If you find the mantra useful, Then continue repeating it over and over again to yourself, Until your mind becomes more free of thought. And generally what happens is that as your mind starts to become more independent from the thoughts, The sound of the mantra will die away by itself. Almost as if you forgot to maintain the mantra. If your mind is not quite still and it's still wandering to other matters, Then it's possible that you need to keep up with the mantra. We continue by maintaining our mind lightly and gently in stillness at the center of ourselves. And often there'll be a sense of brightness or increasing illumination in the mind, Something that stays with us during the meditation and sometimes even beyond that. Some people get up from their meditation, Go on to other things, And the brightness still stays with them, Even to the point that they can lie down to go to sleep at night and the brightness is still there. At their center, As if it will remain bright there all night long. It often makes us realize that the amount of sleep that we actually need may not be as much as we thought. The mind is energized and refreshed from the inner brightness. You may feel that we need only a minimal amount of sleep each night. Because mostly people feel they need six or eight hours of sleep each night only because they're not sleeping very deeply. Because they're spending all night tossing and turning in their sleep and their time of rest is not really very deep relaxation for the mind. And sleep in combination with meditation allows us to relax on a deeper level. Almost as if the nervous system is already relaxed and rested by the time we go to bed. And although we may need an hour or two of sleep each night, We find that this is ample for the mind that has already touched a level of subtlety. We find that the rest that we do have at night, Even if it's a little, Counts for a lot. Because it brings a sense of joy and happiness to the mind the whole of the time. The nature of the mind when it becomes more refined is that it attracts our awareness inward into a more refined dimension. And it's something that can happen to the mind whether we're sitting in meditation or lying down, Whether we're walking, Standing or attending to other activities. For as long as our mind is focused gently at the center in contact with that inner energy and it's creating a sense of refreshedness in the mind the whole of the time. But for now we continue to magnify and multiply the mind at the center of ourselves, Touching gently in that central place, A place of brightness or comfort, A place where the feeling of relaxation is strongest on the inside. Ishwara meditation just for a few more moments in silence now until we come to the appropriate time. Again if your mind wanders off onto other things each time you realize gently bring your attention back again to the center of your body as before. Bringing it back for as many times as it takes to build up that sense of connectedness between your mind and that special place inside you. That it doesn't happen instantly for those of us who are new to meditation is not much of a surprise because our mind has built up a certain set of habits in our lives. Because of all the struggles and conflicts, Hardships that we deal with on a day-to-day basis the negative residue of all these things gets caught up in our mind meaning that it doesn't come easily for us to iron out all the ruffles in the mind. As we start to create a new set of habits in the mind, As we start to iron out those negative emotions, Little by little it becomes easier. Little by little we are able to start to work with the mind in a way that goes deeper than just thinking. It's almost like dealing passively with the mind, Dealing with the mind only by a featherlight touch. Working with the mind without expectations, Simply interested in how subtle the mind can become. Gradually working towards refinement in the mind just by letting it be. So we work with the mind lightly and gently, Bringing it back whenever it wanders, Working with whatever inner objects the mind displays for us, With acceptance and understanding and compassion for ourselves. Lightly and gently letting the thoughts die down into silence just for a few more moments now until we come to the appropriate time. We allow our awareness to focus back down to the center of ourselves, Making sure that our body and mind are still as relaxed as ever, Engaging with the sense of brightness on the inside. It helps the whole of our body and mind to shine forth with the light of love and peace, Beauty, Happiness and joy. We engage with that special point at the center of ourselves that emanates a sense of light, Feeling of well-being and loving-kindness. More and more, Brighter and brighter, Spreading out from the center to the front and behind, Right and left, Above and below, Shining forth pervading us with the light of love and peace, Happiness and joy, Pervading our hearts and our minds, Throughout our body and outwards across the land to cover people, Buildings, Homes and villages, Towns and cities, Fields and forests, Mountains and valleys, Lakes, Seas and oceans, From horizon to horizon until it covers the whole of our planet. Being a loving-kindness that extends deep into the ground, Allowing the light to pervade deeper and deeper, Embracing lives in all the layers of rocks and soil, Stones and dust, No matter how insignificant they may seem, With the wish that all living beings may be well and happy, May be free from suffering. We continue to share this light of love and peace, Happiness, Beauty and joy, Deeper into the water of the sea, Deeper down to the ocean shores, Allowing that light of loving-kindness to perfuse the ocean waters, With the wish that all the aquatic beings be well and happy, Free from suffering. We share this light of love, Peace and joy more and more, Allowing the light to expand without limit, Embracing all, Nurturing all, Healing all, Forgiving all without end. More and more we allow the inner light to shine forth, Extending deeper into the sky, The atmosphere, Outwards into the universe, With its stars, Planets, Suns and moons, Expanding outwards into the entire galaxy, The seas of stars, Reaching out to the entire universe, With the wish that all beings living in this universe be well and happy, Be free from suffering. We extend that light of loving-kindness to every living being in the universe, With the wish that there may be peace amongst people, Peace amongst nations, May we witness lasting peace, Love and care in all hearts and minds, To bring peace to our planet within our own lifetimes. We allow the unbounded light of loving-kindness to shine with an all-embracing light more and more without end. As we are spreading our loving-kindness, We might cast our mind back to the example in ancient times of an old hermit who used to retire to the seclusion of the forests for meditation, Who also had the habit to favour the practice of meditation on loving-kindness, And he used to practice loving-kindness meditation by day and by night. Whenever his mind was at ease, He would spread loving-kindness, Facing east with the intention that may all living beings in the direction in front of me, In the eastern quarter, Even the smallest creatures, Two-footed, Four-footed, With many legs or no legs at all, Be pervaded with my loving-kindness. May all living beings enjoy happiness and be free from suffering. The next day he might spread loving-kindness in the same way to the western quarter, To the northern quarter, To the southern quarter, Upwards or below. And he spread loving-kindness in this way in all directions, Consistently and regularly until it became his habit. And the results of his loving-kindness practice came back to him in many ways. Whenever he slept, He slept in happiness, As if slipping into deep meditation. The loving-kindness would bring him joy the whole of the time, And he would have a dreamless sleep. If he ever dreamed, Then it would be of auspicious things. And on waking, He would feel refreshed, Free of sleepiness. And he always had a very radiant complexion because of his practice. If there was ever any danger in his midst, It would never harm him. And he was loved and respected by people, Celestial beings, And forest creatures alike. He was able to enter upon meditation easily and attain the absorptions quickly. His mind coming to a standstill swiftly, Because he was able to let go of external events easily. He never bore any anger or grudges towards anyone. And his mind was bright at the center of his body, Brighter than the sun at midday. And as a result of his loving-kindness, The forest became abundant with fruit. Even animals that were sworn enemies, Like deer and tigers, That came into the tindy of the forest, Were able to coexist in harmony, Because their minds were pacified by the loving-kindness they felt towards one another. So these are some of the fruits of spreading loving-kindness, Which appear even during the present lifetime. So for the last few moments of our meditation, We take the awareness of the brightness that has arisen in our minds, Remembering the feeling as well as we can, For a few more moments in silence. So if you'd like to start by finding a comfortable position for yourself in meditation. Some of you might prefer to sit cross-legged on a meditation mat, With your right leg over your left leg. Or you can sit on a straight-back chair. In either case, Your right hand should rest on your left hand, And the index finger of your right hand should touch against the thumb of your left hand, With your hands resting palm upwards on your lap. Close your eyes very gently, Just as if you are only half-closing your eyes, Similar to the way you might close your eyes just before going to sleep. So there's no need to squeeze your eyes closed, And make sure there's no pressure around your eyes. Because if your eyes are closed in a gentle way, Then the rest of your body will follow suit. But in any case, At the beginning of a meditation, Generally we scan down through the whole of our body, Making sure each and every muscle is relaxed. From the top of our head, Down through our face, Relaxing the muscles there, Our jaw, Our shoulders, Both arms, And our hands and fingers. Continuing on down, We relax all the muscles of our torso, Especially the muscles across our tummy, Before relaxing both legs, All the way down to our feet and our toes, Till our body is comfortable enough for us to forget about it. Allowing us to turn our awareness inwards, To focus instead on the inner feeling within our body, The sense of warmth and well-being, And inner space that we would normally refer to as our state of mind. In order to relax our state of mind further still in preparation for the meditation, We allow our mind to fill with a sense of happiness and joy, Allowing our mind to feel refreshed, Pure, Clear and bright, Free of any sort of worries whatsoever, Letting go of them all completely. Forgetting about all the things in our everyday lives, So that our mind can become completely still. And at this point, We might imagine that inside our body is free of any organs or tissues and muscles or bones. Or as if inside our body is just a hollow cavity, Rather like a transparent bubble with nothing on the inside. And we allow the focus of our attention to come back within the space of this empty body of ours, Somewhere inside us that feels for us like the point of greatest contentment, Without worrying too much about the precise position where we've focused our mind. Allow our attention to rest at the point that feels the most comfortable for us, The place that feels the easiest. And later as the mind relaxes further, Then the mind will find its way to where it really needs to be. But in the meantime, If we get the place just right, We'll feel as if the solidity of our body is melting away into the atmosphere around us, Dissolving into a feeling of lightness, Or as if we were sitting alone in empty space, As if our body has disappeared altogether, Or leaving just a feeling or a sense of awareness. Some people don't know what to do next when they reach this point in their meditation where the body seems to have disappeared. But in fact, All that needs to be done is to continue to rest the attention at whatever point feels the most comfortable for us, Starting off with the mind located there. And as body and mind come more into balance, Then we'll start to realize that the mind is automatically realigning itself with the actual center of the body. And especially when starting out, Some people find it helpful to anchor the mind by imagining a bright, Clear object, Possibly the size of a pinpoint, Or like a star in the sky, As if that image appears at the point inside ourself where the mind has come to a standstill. In which case, We should keep the object in mind, Gazing at it continuously and softly, Never attempting to stare at it, Almost as if we were looking at it out of the corner of our eye, Almost unintentionally. And if we can observe it gently in this way, Without using too little or too much effort, Before long, The image will start to become clearer all on its own. However, If we use too much force, Then it will disappear. If we use too little effort, Allowing ourselves to become distracted, Then we'll find that the image will also disappear. So either way, Too much effort or too little, The inner object will disappear. So our task in learning to meditate is to find the optimum amount of effort by which we can hold the object in mind the whole of the time. And this is the real skill that we have to build up and work upon in the course of our meditation. All we have to do is simply allow our mind to remain free of thought at the center of ourselves. Free of thought means maintaining a state of mind without any questions or doubts arising in the mind, Almost as if we were an inanimate piece of putty, Unable to think, Or like someone who's never had any thoughts on their mind before. Because such freedom from thought is an invaluable aid to our meditation progress. If you find that you're unable to think, Then this will stand you in good stead, All the way from starting out in meditation to much more advanced stages. Because the sort of inner experience arising in meditation comes from a place in the mind that's beyond conceptual thinking. It's the sort of knowledge that arises from a mind that is free from thought. A sort of knowledge that is pure and bright, More intuitive in nature. A knowledge that arises almost directly from the mind, Rather different from the modes of learning that we're normally used to, Where we have to study and memorize, Read and write to increase our knowledge. The sort of knowledge we're talking about is the wisdom that comes independent of thought. In fact, It can only arise when the mind is completely free of thought, From a mind that is at a standstill. And it's a sort of wisdom that arises along with a sense of inner brightness in the mind, Almost as if that brightness allows us to see more than before, Uncovering the hidden truths within the mind, Helping us to understand more accurately about the realities of life in the world. The sort of knowledge that we can acquire from the inside. So it's not something that we need to use our unusual study skills to develop. And the starting point for us is to focus our attention anywhere within the body. And later when the mind becomes settled, It will make its way to the actual center of the body all by itself. As the mind approximates more closely to the center, It will give us a feeling of being alive and awake on the inside. Completely different set of feelings than we normally encounter in the mundane one of events in our life. Using only a very gentle attention to keep the mind in place, Almost like an intention on the off chance that it will bring our mind closer to the center of the body. But once we start to recognize a sense of what it feels like to be at a standstill with the mind at our center, It'll be easier for us to return to that point and stay there the next time around. But for now we keep our mind in the center of the body. Keep our mind on track at the center of ourself while keeping our mind also free of thought if possible. Applying our mind lightly and gently at the center of ourself for a few more moments in silence until we come to the appropriate time. Keep our mind on track at the center of the body all the time. Lightly, Gently and continuously. For some of you it may be best to imagine a visual object at your center. For others it may be better simply to rest the attention at the center of yourself while observing whatever arises spontaneously. If you're imagining an inner object it may be something like a bright sun, A full moon, A star or a diamond. Or it might be something simpler like a flower. Because any image can serve as a point of reference to anchor the mind at the center of the body. But when imagining the object we need use only the very gentlest of effort. And if you find you haven't yet struck the right balance when focusing, Perhaps using too much or too little effort, Then your body will tell you about it. Too much effort and you'll end up with tensions across your eyebrows or across your shoulders. Or you might even end up with a headache. If you find that your fingers are curling up or your abdomen is tense then it's likely that you're trying too hard. Or if you succumb to boredom or you find yourself looking at the clock. And again these are signs that you haven't struck the right balance. There's no need to struggle on if you have these sort of symptoms. But rather readjust your technique, Relax yourself and find a sense of ease in your meditation. Find a way of meditating that you feel you enjoy, Where you're enjoying the journey more than thinking about the destination. Once you're back on the right track the telltale signs will be a sensation of bodily lightness and of expansion within yourself. Your mind will feel light, Pliable and easy to work with. And you'll feel that time passes more quickly than it really does. You may feel that you don't want the meditation to come to an end. Or as if you'd like to extend the length of your meditation, Almost as if you're glued to your meditation mat. And when your meditation is going well, Your body will automatically set itself up into a position of poise. Where the body seems to inflate itself into the most elegant and upright of postures. You'll feel contented with your meditation, Almost with a smile on your face. And all these are indications that you're on the right track with your meditation technique. On the contrary, If the more you meditate, The more upset or depressed you feel. And this would show that we've not done the right adjustments on our mind before meditating. If you feel meditation is causing you to age prematurely, Then you need to recalibrate your meditation technique. But in the meantime, Don't lose confidence of success in your meditation. And train yourself continuously while being observant of all the things which aid or obstruct your progress. Once you've found the right balance, Body and mind will become clear and bright. Simply putting our mind at the center of the body will cause the mind to feel as if it can go deeper. Connecting with the pure elements inside ourselves. Almost as if that inner experience is already awaiting us inside our body. So all we need to do is train ourselves continuously and avoiding any lethargy that might put us off getting down to meditate in earnest. And if ever we have a day when our meditation seems to be going particularly well, Then we should extend the length of time for our meditation. Because it's on that sort of day that all the effort we've invested in our meditation up until now has been made worthwhile. So we should continue our meditation if we feel our meditation is going well and shouldn't limit ourselves to fixed ideas about the length of time we need to meditate. Because if we can make some sort of breakthrough in our practice, It will stay with us for the rest of our lives. But instead of just remembering the experience, We should also try to remember the method by which we reach that experience on any particular day. So that we can retrace our steps on subsequent meditations. So the secret of meditation is to adjust whenever we feel that we have strayed from the path while keeping the mind radiant the whole of the time. If we feel sleepy, Fatigued or tense, We find ourselves on the brink of nodding off, Then we should try to catch ourselves just at that point. We feel aches and pains and we just change posture. If the stream of thoughts in the mind is unending, We can either use the mantra or just open our eyes and close them again softly. In the meantime, We practice our meditation and try to make meditation a habitual part of our daily routine, In order to touch upon the transformative inner experiences that lie within. So for now, We each do our own meditation practice in silence for a few more moments now until we come to the appropriate time. So we'd like to start by closing your eyes very gently, Adjusting your posture so that your back is very straight, So that you're breathing easily and your circulation is unimpeded. Rest your hands gently in your lap with the right hand over the left hand and the index finger of your right hand touching against the thumb of your left hand. If you're sitting on a meditation mat, Then you'll be sitting in a half-lotus position. If you're sitting on a chair, Then it's best to be on a straight-backed chair. As long as you're not going to fall asleep halfway through, Then the meditation should go successfully for you. And we follow our breath deep down inside the body. And while scanning down through the whole of ourselves, Relaxing each and every muscle as we go. So starting with the muscles of our forehead, We relax any tension there. We make sure our eyes are only very gently closed, Rather than closing our eyes tightly. We let the muscles of our face become soft. We relax our jaw, Being particularly careful not to clench our teeth together. From there, We relax our neck and shoulders. Letting our shoulders drop to their natural height. Relaxing our arms, Forearms, Our hands and fingers. So that the way our hands rest in our lap is as light and gentle as possible. And continuing on down, We relax the whole of our torso, Whether it be our chest, Trunk, Or our abdomen. And then relaxing both legs, All the way down to our feet and our toes. Until we feel satisfied that no part of our body remains with any sort of stress or tension anymore. If there are places where tension still seems to linger on, Then we do our best to relax that tension as far as possible. Allowing ourselves to turn our attention inward, To relax our state of mind in just the same way. But the way we relax our mind is to put aside temporarily any worries or concerns pertaining to our life. Almost as if we were sitting alone in the world, Like a person with no past and no future, But entirely focused in the present moment and on the task in hand. We conjure up a sense of well-being within ourselves, As if well-being were made up of tiny particles, Particles of happiness and joy, That seem to grow and spread inside us, To fill the whole of our body and mind. Leaving no space inside ourselves for any other sort of thought. And when we feel relaxed and refreshed, Both in body and in mind, Very gently and using no effort at all, We can imagine the whole of our body to be nothing but a hollow cavity or an empty shell. Alternately, You might prefer to think of your body as being like a transparent bubble, With nothing on the inside. And within this empty space of our body, Somewhere around the level of our diaphragm, Is a place where the in-breath will go to the deepest point inside, Before turning around to come back out as the out-breath. It's exactly the same point that we are particularly interested in, As a focus for the mind. This turning point for the breath, Where the breath pauses just for a moment, Between the in-breath and the out-breath. You can also think of this place as being like a source of peace from within. And the more we allow our awareness to familiarize itself with this point, The more the mind will start to pick up on that sense of peace and tranquility from within. All we need to do to build up that familiarity with the center of the body, Is to gently maintain an inner image of the mind. Or an inner feeling that we have conjured up at that point. Maybe a picture such as that of the shining sun I mentioned earlier, Or anything bright and clear, A diamond, A star, A full moon, Whatever comes easiest to us. And maintaining this inner object in this way, The mind will gradually find its equilibrium, As it rests gently at the center of the body. The point inside ourselves has some special qualities. It seems to be the source of peace from within ourselves. Sometimes it even feels like the source of all that is alive inside us. And certainly it has the quality of always being bright. And our subjective feeling, Our sense of interception, Can pick up on that brightness as we train the mind. But the way we can approach that ability to pick up on the inner brightness, Is by concentrating more on the inner feeling, On what we feel rather than asking questions why. And allowing that brightness to grow and spread within us. With the mind centered softly in the process of our meditation. Every time the mind is at the center of the body, It's like reconnecting with that inner spark of life. The task of our meditation is to maintain our attention gently, Inside the body. Allowing the mind to return to where it needs to be, To re-engage with its natural and pure state. If we get the balance just right, If we hit upon the sweet spot in our meditation, Then we'll have a sense of expansion outwards from that central point. And we allow the volume of brightness to expand and enlarge, Outwards towards an endless horizon in all directions all around. Enlarging without limits, Radiating forever outwards, Amid the feeling of contentment. And although the point at the center of ourselves may remain always the brightest place, But the brightness radiates outwards without limits. It's almost like a diamond-like point of brightness at the center of a general illumination within us. Diamond-like sparkling in the center, Full moon brightness on the periphery. We allow the brightness to envelop us, While touching our attention gently at the most precious diamond-like brightness at the center of ourselves. Sometimes in the context of Tibetan tradition, We may have heard the chanting OM MANI PADME HUM. The diamond brightness at the center of the lotus. And with our meditation also, It's as if the very center of ourselves is a diamond-like point, From which the lotus can gradually blossom outwards. We allow our mind to rest gently at the center of the body, While remaining connected with the brightness all around. Immersing ourselves in this inner feeling, A sense of serenity, Youthfulness. And although in the back of our mind, We may be aware that our physical body has to deteriorate over time, But there's a sense of the mind always being forever young, For as long as it's in touch with this inner sparkling brightness. So we engage with that brightness more and more, Magnifying, Multiplying the inner light of serenity, While reminding ourselves that our time of meditation on each session should be the best time of our day. So we continue to maintain our mind at the center, Gently observing the inner bright diamond sparkle at the center of ourselves, For a few more moments now in silence until we come to the appropriate time. We find our mind wandering off on to other things, Each time we realize we simply bring our awareness back again to the center of the body as before, Bringing it back for as many times as it takes, To build up that sense of connectedness between our mind and that special place at the center of ourselves. If we're new to meditation, We need to be quite persistent in bringing the mind back, Not being put off if it's a hundred times or a thousand times that we need to bring the mind back into place. But each time we bring the mind back, It'll become a little bit easier to keep it at the center the next time around, Until having the mind in place becomes almost second nature to us. In practice, The key to keeping the mind in place is to strike the right balance, Using neither too little nor too much force to keep the mind in place. Sometimes we think we need to hold on firmly to the mind to get it to do what we want, But actually we need a slightly more open-handed approach, Something similar to holding a small bird inside our hands. Hold it too tightly and it will smother the bird, Too loosely and it will slip between your fingers. Somewhere in between is a sort of happy medium by which the bird can remain safe, Within our cradled fingers. And it's finding this sweet spot in our meditation that is really the key to the mind being able to go deeper at the central point. If thoughts return, We do our best to ignore them. If there are too many to ignore, Then we can make use of that traditional mantra, Hearing the sound of the words samma arahan, Samma arahan, Samma arahan, Coming up as if from that central point, With a silent but resonant quality to the sound. We continue in this way, Lightly and gently, For a few more moments in silence, Until we come to time for our loving-kindness meditation. So we continue to maintain our awareness at the centre of the body, To hold the time lightly, Gently, Continuously, Picking up on that sense of diamond-like brightness, And the enveloping moonlight around the periphery. And by placing our mind very gently at the centre of that diamond brightness, We can share the brightness further outward still. For the benefit of all around us, The way we can share that inner brightness as a loving-kindness is initially to allow the brightness to fill the whole of ourselves, With the wish that we be well and happy, Free from all suffering, And with the full force of forgiveness for ourselves. From there we can allow the brightness to spread wider still to those around us, Outwards into the environment around us, Almost as if we were a sentinel of all that is bright and wholesome on this earth. Because if a single meditator can bring brightness and wholesomeness to our planet, You can imagine how bright and beautiful the world could become if everyone in the world reconnected with that inner light. So we expand our brightness outwards, Initially to the whole room in which we're sitting for meditation, And wider to the whole building, To the whole neighbourhood, Almost like an aura or a halo that we are extending in all directions all around, Outwards to the whole town or city, Wider on the level of the borough, County, Country, Eventually to the whole continent, And all the continents of the world, Until our brightness extends across the entire face of this planet, With a sense of compassion and forgiveness for all, No matter who or what they may be, Until the brightness feels infinite, Growing and expanding wider, Together with its brightness throughout the world, With the wish that everyone on earth can one day reconnect with their inner light, While remaining mindful of the precious nature of this opportunity all of us have taken in giving ourselves to reconnect, Giving ourselves the chance to reconnect with that inner brightness for ourselves. We continue to gently maintain the mind at the centre, Harnessing that inner diamond brightness, And spreading it outwards as the full moon brightness, As far as we can for the last few moments of our meditation practice in silence.