MB 04 Meditation For True Relaxation

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. This track is a guided meditation that works specifically with the crossover between meditation and sleep and tips to avoid 'forcing' the mind. The 'literal translation' version from a Thai Buddhist teacher. No end sound.

Transcript

So from this moment forth you should make a firm intention to align your mind with the pathway towards Nirvana. Sitting for meditation cross-legged with your right leg on your left leg, Your right hand on your left hand and the index finger of your right hand touching against the thumb of your left hand with your hands resting palm upwards on your lap, Lightly and gently. 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. Never squeeze your eyes closed, Make sure there is no pressure around your eyes and fill your mind with happiness and joy so that your mind feels refreshed, Pure and clean inside free of any sort of worries or anxieties whatsoever. Let go of all of these things, Allow your mind to be empty and imagine that inside yourself is just an empty space without any organs or tissues, Without any muscles or bones just like an empty cavity inside yourself, A hollow space within you empty inside rather like a crystal tube or a diamond pipe, Bright and clear inside yourself. Today as we meditate we'll take the opportunity to look at meditation and how it affects our needs for taking rest because once we understand the principles of meditation according to all the things we've learned from the DMC channel that the triple gem is located within ourselves, The Buddha gem, The Dhamma gem and the Sangha gem. We know that these three jewels inside ourselves are our true refuge, The highest refuge for all of us with no other thing comparable or superior to these refuges, The Buddha, The Dhamma and the Sangha jewels. These three jewels are located within us, They are subtle bodies of enlightenment inside ourselves beautiful and serene, So perfect that it's hard to know what to compare them to in the outside world. Attaining these inner bodies we have to refine our mind to make the mind as refined as those inner bodies themselves. The mind has to be as refined as them in order to perceive and experience them first hand. Thus the mind needs to be very refined indeed, As subtle as the triple gem itself in order that we can attain it even to be able to see or feel those inner experiences. Therefore our job as a meditator is to refine the mind to a point where we can experience the subtle inner reality. In our everyday life down to the present day we have been preoccupied with making our living, Looking after our household and family and these have been the things that have caused our mind to become coarse. Because we have used our mind to think, Speak and take action, Therefore the mind becomes coarse and once it is coarse it is unable to reach the triple gem inside us. Everyday life habituates us to such coarseness of mind as a result of all the struggles, Conflict and hardship we have to deal with in life. This is how our mind becomes because when we have to struggle, When we have to have the words and actions to get by sometimes we pick up the negative emotions from our colleagues at work who are for the most part coarse of mind anyway. Therefore when we come to meditate our mind becomes gross. Gross and coarse because it is always caught up with all the thoughts of the workplace. It is always appropriate to deal with coarse phenomena by coarse methodology. If we are dealing with subtle things then we have to use subtle methodology. If we use methodology to fit the issue there is nothing we cannot improve. We choose methodology appropriate to the issue we are dealing with. Knowing that the mind is subtle we must use subtle methodology. It is a methodology which is not the same as for things in the outside world. In the outside world we have to think but when dealing with the mind it is important that we don't think. For the work of the outside world it is necessary to speak but for the inner work we say nothing. For the work of the outside world it is necessary to move around but for the inner work it is necessary to remain still. For meditation it is imperative that we don't attempt to think, Speak or do anything. We mustn't have any expectations about what we are going to see because it is unlikely that we are just going to see the triple gem by accident. We have to make the mind subtle first. Therefore for the period of our meditation we can forget completely about thinking, Speaking or doing anything. Simply allow your mind to remain in stillness at the centre of the body, At the seventh base of the mind, Which is located at the centre of our stomach, About two finger breaths above the level of the navel, In the centre of our body. This is the place where our mind wakes and sleeps, Where it is conceived and where it dies. We must bring our mind, Which normally wanders all over the place, Back to this point in the centre of our body, In a soft and gentle way, Resting it there consistently, Lightly and gently the whole of the time. If we can rest our mind here in a light and gentle way we will have a feeling of expansion inside ourselves. Our eyes shouldn't stare down at the centre, They should look ahead as they normally do, Because they have nothing to do with the process of meditation. We will have the feeling as if there is an expansion and spaciousness inside ourselves, Which gives us the feeling as if our body seems to melt away into the atmosphere around us. Sometimes we may like to imagine a bright object there, Such as a bright sphere or a bright Buddha image in our centre. But the way we imagine such an image should be in the same vein as already mentioned for resting the mind at the centre, That is, Gently, Softly and continuously, As if we were looking at a commonplace object such as a rose. Something we don't 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 are used to thinking of. Whatever we choose we should imagine it continuously, In a light and easy way. If we reach the perfect equilibrium in our meditation, We will have a sensation of lightness and expansion at the centre of our body. We will find that the inner experience expands outwards. This is the right way of doing things. However, If we have the feeling in our meditation that something is blunt or stressed or narrow or forced, Then we shouldn't force ourselves to go further with meditation that feels like that. Better that you open your eyes then close them to start again. We have to go to our meditation gently, Lightly and patiently with our mind at a standstill at the centre, In a subtle and gentle way, With our mind bright and clear at the centre. In the beginning you may not see very much, But it doesn't matter, Because if our mind is simply at a standstill at the centre, Before long we will have the feeling of lightness and expansion, Bringing us a feeling of contentment in our meditation. We'll feel that we'd like to stay with this feeling for a long time. We won't have any feeling of boredom with our practice. If you find that this is how your meditation is going, Then there's no need to change your methodology. Because the stopping of the mind is the secret of success, The great abbot of Wat Phak Nam, Prat Mungkorn Teh Booni, Maintain that this stopping of the mind will lead us to progress from the beginning stages of meditation up to the attainment of our handship. There's no need to analyse or have a mental commentary on your meditation. Don't try to make meditation happen, But allow it to happen by itself. Allow your mind to become peaceful of its own accord. Don't try staring at the centre of your body, And don't try using your eyes to see the object of meditation. There's no need to analyse or reflect on what you're doing. Just simply maintain your mind at the centre, Gentle and in comfort at your centre. And if you like, You may repeat the sound of the mantra to yourself. Samma arahang, Samma arahang, Samma arahang. You can repeat the mantra or not as you wish. If you find repeating it helps you, It means that you can keep on repeating it over and over again to yourself, Until your mind comes to a standstill at the centre. Once your mind starts to come to a standstill, Then the sound of samma arahang, Or the mantra, Will die away by itself, Almost as if you forgot to maintain the mantra. But if your mind is not still and wanders to other matters, Then you will need to keep up the mantra. But if your mind is no longer wandering and there are no more thoughts arising, You can let the mantra die away. You don't need to maintain the mantra anymore. Continue merely by maintaining your mind gently and in stillness at your centre. Eventually, Spontaneous brightness will arise by itself, Continuously at the centre of the body, As soon as your mind overcomes the five hindrances. As for those who have seen brightness at their centre to the point that it remains in the mind, Even though we might lie down to go to sleep at night, Sometimes it feels that it will remain bright all night long, Bringing us a feeling that we hardly need to sleep anymore. Some people worry about this, Thinking that if they miss out on their sleep because of the inner brightness, Before long, Especially in the morning when they get up and have to go to work, They will be worried they have not had enough rest. Because conventionally speaking we are told we need six or eight hours of sleep a night, And so when we have brightness in sight, Keeping us awake at night, Sometimes we are afraid we have not had enough sleep and will look pale and washed out in the morning, Lack confidence in decision making at work. But you shouldn't go thinking like that. Conventional knowledge only works for conventional people. It is only recommended that we need six or eight hours of sleep at night, Because most people don't sleep very deeply. They spend all night turning over in their sleep, Waking and going back to sleep again, And their mind is not really resting when they are asleep. In fact, Their six or eight hours of sleep actually doesn't involve very much rest for the mind at all. But this is the norm for the majority of people. But for us, Who know the secret of meditation, The case is different. Because the nervous system and the mind is already rested by the fact that meditation has relaxed us at a much deeper level. Through our meditation we feel refreshed and sometimes, Even though we meditate, We may fall asleep for an hour or two in a night. In fact, That is ample for the mind that is subtle. We will wake up without feeling need for additional rest. So we have to let go of our preconceived ideas about our sleep needs. There is no need to worry about so-called conventional wisdom. The level of refreshedness from sleeping with brightness inside is superior by a long way to sleeping with darkness inside. If we close our eyes at night to brightness inside, Then even a little rest counts for a lot. We will be filled with joy and happiness the whole of the time. The body adapting of its own accord. It will demand only the bare necessities of rest. Maybe two or three hours will be enough. But from the inside it will feel ample. Even as one is lying down to take one's rest, For those with a basis of meditation experience, There will be a sensation of one's consciousness being attracted through an expanding centre inside our body. Some may be afraid of that feeling. Some even try to resist the feeling and wake themselves up. Because they are afraid of the apparent feeling of falling down inside themselves, As if they are going over a humpback bridge or suddenly dropping like an aircraft in air turbulence. In fact, There is no need to resist the feeling. On the contrary, Such a feeling is a sign of progress in one's inner experience. It's our mind being drawn inwardly towards the pure tama elements inside ourselves, Rather like being drawn towards a huge magnet inside ourselves. We will be attracted inside and have a feeling rather as if we are moving, Even though we might be lying on a stationary bed. But there's no danger in it at all. Don't let such experiences grip you with the fear of death, Because there is nothing really to worry about. If ever you come across such a sensation, You shouldn't change your position, Because only good things will come of such an experience. So you should go with it. It's not everyone who has such a good experience, Of the six billion people in the world, Is only a handful who ever attain such an experience. It shows that our mind is starting to become pure, And that our self-training is beginning to give fruit. In fact, This is the nature of the mind when it starts to become refined, That it will attract us inwards towards a more refined dimension. It doesn't make a difference if you are sitting in meditation or lying down, If your mind is refined and focused at the centre. So don't go worrying about it, And don't open your eyes when you come to this point, Or try to resist the sensation. You should go through with it, Remaining impartial, Not worrying where your consciousness is being attracted to, Because in any case it's not going to harm you. For harm to come to a person, They have to be ill first. We mustn't judge ourselves by the assumptions of conventional people. However, For those touching on such an experience, You should be proud of yourself that your mind has become as refined as that. If your mind is not refined, Then you have no experience of inner brightness. However, Equipped with such inner brightness, You will be able to relax more deeply than the majority of people, And be able to sleep more deeply. You will get more benefit after the short time you are asleep. You will lie down at night with the feeling of expansion within yourself, As the happiness inside is expanding and perfusing throughout your body. Equipped with a mind full of happiness, You can maintain contentment, Whatever situation you find yourself in. Thus, With a proper understanding of these issues, You can make more efficient use of your meditation time. You won't waste time trying to use force to make your meditation progress. If the image is not clear to you, Adjust the subtlety of your mind rather than trying to adjust the clarity of the image directly. Accept whatever you have to see inside. Whatever there is to see, Just observe it without trying to interfere with it. For anyone who is tired or sleepy or stressed, Allow yourself to fall asleep in your meditation for a moment, And then, When you wake up, Continue with your meditation. If you have itches, Then scratch. If you have a lot of thoughts coming into your mind, Open your eyes and close them again. If you have aches and pains, Then change position. All of you can manage to succeed in this meditation if you put your mind to it. All of you will be able to find answers to the case studies for yourself before long. Thus, May all of you be fulfilled in your wish to attain the triple gem inside yourself. Now, Each their own meditation practice in silence for a few more moments until we come to the appropriate time.