MC 09 Short Gratitude Meditation On Thai New Year

Meditation from the Thai Theravada tradition following a modernized interpretation of Boran Kammatthana. This live-recorded version of the track encourages the cultivation and expression of gratitude on the occasion of Thai New Year. No end sound.

Transcript

So once again we make ourselves comfortable for some meditation practice. As for so many things to do with habits and values, Then at the root of all these things is our quality of mind. Without engaging the mind on a deeper level than every aspect of gratitude, Forgiveness, That we manifest will be nothing more than lip service or going through the motions. So together with every sort of cultivation in our life, We try to engage with our mind on a deeper level to make all of these things meaningful right to our core. So with meditation every time we make sure our body is relaxed first of all, Scanning down through the whole of our body, Relaxing every part of ourselves all the way from the top of our head to the tips of our toes, Relaxing every muscle in between, To the point that our whole body feels light in weight or has disappeared into the atmosphere around us. So that our body is no longer the source of worry in our lives anymore, Allowing us to turn our attention deeper inside ourselves to that sense of warmth and wellbeing inside us which by any other name we could call our state of mind. And our state of mind should be as relaxed as possible also to set the scene for the meditation ahead. The way to let go is by casting off any of the burdensome things in our mind, Thoughts of work, Friends, Family, Studies for example, May be important but we can put on one side and come back to them later. We don't make any plans for the future right now but stay in the present moment as much as possible. Special occasion of the turning of the year according to the Thai calendar as an opportunity for gratitude, Forgiveness and all the things that make for harmony in the family life. And if we conjure up a sense of positivity in the mind, A sense of gratitude for all the things that we see the value of in our lives, They will arise inside us as a sort of emotion, Tingling feeling inside us. And so positivity, Warm fuzzy feeling inside us which we can allow to grow and spread inside us until it fills the whole of our body and mind, Until the whole of our emotion within ourselves is that of gratitude. From there we might imagine that within our body is just an empty space or a hollow cavity because our whole body has been transformed into a sort of transparent bubble with nothing on the inside. And now would be the time to find a focus for our attention by conjuring up in our mind something bright and clear like a shining sun, A full moon, A star, Crystal ball, Or even a diamond sparkling, Or indeed the feeling of an object such as that is present inside our body. We allow that picture of feeling to make its way gently downwards within our body, Then it comes to the deepest point of our breath, The solar plexus or at the centre of our diaphragm, Using that inner object as an anchor for the mind, To keep our mind engaged with a sense of positivity at the place where it really counts, The very centre of ourselves. If our attention wanders away to anything else around us, It's just a case of bringing it back each time. The inner object disappears, We can conjure up a new one, The inner object changes, We can just follow it in its new form. Little by little it will take our mind deeper, Quality of the awareness will change, Become more subtle, More nuanced, More refined. Till there's a feeling as if our whole body seems to become light and weight, Disappear into the atmosphere around us, Taking the mind deeper. There are thoughts in the mind, We do our best to ignore them, Because meditation is a place of wordlessness, It's a place that gives value to the space between the thoughts rather than the thoughts themselves. So we look for the space between the thoughts. What my colleague was talking about with the stopping of the mind earlier today, It means a state in meditation where the thoughts have died down to a point that there are no further thoughts in the mind anymore, Just a sense of clear awareness, Sense of direct perception on the inside. We cultivate our attention in this way lightly and gently, Engaging more deeply with a sense of gratitude, Perhaps calling to mind the things that we are grateful for, Forgiveness, Perhaps thinking about the things that we might be able to let go at this time of the year. The proviso that we can forgive with no need to forget, Or we can learn from history without being too naive about it. We extend good wishes in this way to ourselves initially and then ever wider outwards into society around us, Fellow human beings, All of whom love their life, Appreciate goodness in life, Irrespective of race, Creed, Nationality, Religion, And all living beings, Not just human beings but all living beings, All who value their lives in the same way. Extend that sense of humanity in ever widening circles, Outwards into the world around us for a few more moments in silence. Thank you.