Hey it's Doug.
Got another great meditation for you today.
I need you to
Get seated,
Get ready,
Sit up tall,
Bring those eyes to close,
Gently breathe in
And out through the nostrils and while you're finding that perfect meditation
Position,
Which just means being comfortable and sitting up straight,
I'm
Gonna give you a little story.
That's right,
It's story time with Doug.
I want
You just to bring into your mind's eye an image that to you represents an
Unfinished piece of art.
How would that best be depicted in your mind?
Now
Chances are if you're from the West,
You imagined an empty canvas on an easel.
Now that's partly because the medium we are most used to relating to art is that
Of painting and so we think of an image and we think of an empty image.
But it's
Also because how we see the world in the West is quite different from the East.
We
Imagine art being something that we slowly create out of nothing,
Brushstroke
By brushstroke,
Layer of paint on top of layer of paint.
Now in the East they have
A slightly different image of unfinished art and it's best represented by an
Unhewned stone.
Now I'd never heard that word but effectively it's the raw
Material,
Something like a jade stone but in its natural form.
You see in the East
They see art as something that comes from what you take away,
What is uncovered or
Revealed.
It's almost as if the statue or the story was always in there,
It was
Hiding,
Waiting for an artist to let it break free.
Interesting right?
Now I
Believe this is also how we conceptualize becoming the best version
Of ourselves.
In the West we think about building on habits and traits and
Practices and skills and I think that has its place but what about the habits
And traits and practices that cover up and stop us being who we could be?
In
This meditation I want to deal with this second group.
So arm yourself with a
Chisel,
We're going to get chipping away at these elements that cover our real
Self and in doing so we're going to reveal our divine self.
So as you sit there just breathing in and out,
I'm going to ask you to reflect on a few
Different things,
Things I believe to be covering your divine self right now.
One
Of the biggest elements I think that takes away from who we could be,
This
Divine being,
Is that of fear.
The irony of our times is that we live in a time
That has never been safer in history and yet anxiety is through the roof.
Now
We worry about some legit things but also some really trivial things,
Things
Like what does someone else think of us?
Maybe what others say about us?
What about the fear of being seen to be different?
Maybe you fear failing,
That's a
Really common one and here's a crazy one,
Sometimes we even fear succeeding.
Do some of these resonate with you?
Maybe you have a few more to add to the list.
As we go through that list of fears that are in our lives that we can agree are
Trivial and don't really matter,
I want you to use the next breaths to see if
You can carve this fear element away from your divine being.
Chip away at it and place that fear to one side.
See what it's like just to be without that fear.
Now after this meditation
You're welcome to put it back but just let's see how it feels to not be worried
About what others think,
Not to be worried about what others say,
Not be
Worried about being seen differently,
Not be worried about failing,
Not be worried
About succeeding,
Not being worried about saying what's on our mind,
Not being
Worried about being our divine self.
As you breathe,
Nice and calmly keeping
Yourself in that relaxed state,
Just imagine what your life might look like
Without fear.
Okay,
Well done.
Now that little statue of you and your divine self is kind of
Noticeable now.
We can see the outline at least but let's continue to carve
Away,
Taking aim now at the elements of desire.
This want,
This need in our life can also impede our divine self.
The want for
External objects,
The frivolous items we know don't serve us.
Often the only
Purpose to these things is to let others know that we are better than them.
The
Desire for more and more things,
Things we buy to cover up what's inside,
Attempting to plug this spiritual hole with the material good.
Our less than
Perfect desires that lead us towards things that feel good in the short term
But don't serve us in the long term.
All the wants we fill our lives with that make us feel inadequate as we are
Now.
The promise that when we get that thing then we'll feel whole and if we can
Just just get hold of it then we'll be okay.
This externalizing of who we are,
The want for fame,
Fortune,
Status,
These three
Horsemen of misery.
Again you may resonate with some of these things or
Maybe you have your own desires,
Things by your own definition are holding you
Back from being everything you could be.
So again we begin to use the breath like a chisel,
Chipping away at these
Desires and discarding them.
Shedding your soul of these and feeling the
Contentment of your life as it is now.
With each breath can you recognize the simple pleasures that come from your
Experience,
From your heart and your mind?
Can you begin to enjoy this moment?
With each breath can you reflect on your ability to love and to care for others?
Your ability to dream and help others?
Can you use this calm state and your breath to recognize that everything you
Need is within you?
And these needs only need to be discovered,
Not purchased,
Not
Chased.
Can you feel the wholeness that comes from not wanting external things?
And then can you remember this famous quote,
Not wanting something is as good
As having it.
Great work.
So hopefully you can feel a lightness that is already coming as you
Shed yourself of fear and desire,
Two of the biggest elements that hide our
Divine self.
Let's now come to the last aspect of this hindrance to our soul,
The
Last bits of rock that are covering the best person we can be.
Now these are
Dense pieces of rock and by that I mean they're full of ignorance and delusion.
So I want you to think of all the ways you avoid thinking.
Contemplate this
World that is full of distraction.
Maybe you love to play games on your phone,
Watch Netflix as much as possible,
Search a bit of YouTube,
Listen to podcasts on
Spotify.
Now there's nothing inherently wrong in these things in themselves but
We live in a world now that is designed to make sure you're never bored again.
But at what cost?
How much does the entertainment we consume compete with the divine self and
Its thoughts?
How many nagging thoughts from our conscience get drowned out by
The latest trend or hashtag?
When last did you just have a moment to listen to
Your thoughts as opposed to the thoughts of everyone else?
How can we hope to reach our divine purpose without listening to our inner
Voice?
Can you use this precious time we have together,
Integrating the next few
Breaths to listen to that inner voice,
To enjoy this freedom from entertainment,
To
Enjoy the comfort of not knowing,
Of hearing words that are our own,
Not just
The vapid words of someone else?
Can you enjoy this time without the cacophony of
Tech and influencers screaming for your attention?
And in this silence,
In this
Quiet,
Can you begin to hear yourself,
Your ultimate guide?
Listen to your
Breath.
Listen for the secrets of your own wisdom.
They are hidden here.
Welcome the boredom.
Welcome the quiet.
Listen for your voice.
Your masterpiece is now complete in your mind's eye.
Take a step back and begin to appreciate it.
Notice how you feel in this moment,
Free
From fear,
From desire,
And from ignorance.
Behold it.
Embrace it.
Study this person
That lives beneath this stone.
Begin to notice how free you feel.
Remark on the
Story it represents and where you may end up if you could embody it.
Take note
Of your potential.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and go fulfill that
Potential today.
Namaste.
