So this is a meditation on consciousness,
In particular the Tibetan Buddhist view of consciousness and how we can directly experience and explore it.
So settle yourself into a meditation position to start.
You can cross your legs and elevate your cushion if you like,
Or you can sit in a chair with your legs straight out and down.
You can put your hands in your lap with your thumbs touching if you like,
Or you can put your hands on your knees too,
Either way if it's comfortable for you.
And then straighten your spine,
Tilt down your neck a little bit,
Relax your shoulders,
Muscles in your face.
You can mostly close your eyes if that's comfortable,
Letting in a little bit of light which keeps you awake.
Or you can close them all the way if you get distracted,
And open your eyes if you get sleepy.
Start out a meditation with a motivation.
One nice motivation is just to think there's nothing better I could be doing with my time right now than to go inward for a few minutes,
Figure out who I am beneath my thoughts,
Sensory experiences,
And even my personality.
And to do this in order to deepen my own happiness,
My own sense of meaning and purpose in life,
And also my ability to build deep relationships with others,
And even to make the world a better place.
Meditation can help a little bit with all those things.
We'll focus on the breath for a minute before we get into the meditation on consciousness in order to stabilize and settle the mind.
So bring your mind to your breath,
Either at your nostrils as air comes in and out,
Or with the rise and fall of your abdomen.
And if thoughts,
Feelings,
Perceptions,
If any of those arise,
Which they will,
Try and just let them pass by,
That whatever arises in your mind also naturally disappears from your mind.
And there's no need to pull it close and examine it.
There's also no need to push it away.
So when other thoughts,
Feelings,
Perceptions arise in your mind,
In your consciousness,
Just let them pass by like clouds passing through the clear sky.
Your mind is like that clear sky.
So for one minute focus on the breath.
And now we move on to exploring consciousness,
Awareness,
The mind.
See if you can become aware of thoughts again.
Also feelings in your body,
Perceiving sounds light through your eyes.
And then notice how there may appear to be an observer,
That there are thoughts,
Feelings,
Perceptions that come and go,
But what is it that watches those thoughts,
Feelings,
And perceptions?
And just for a short moment,
See if you can feel the difference between those two.
Then try and notice if you see in the mind a clarity,
That there's a clarity to the way that your mind reflects whatever appears within it.
That clarity you might experience like a mirror or like a lens.
Try and see that clarity of your mind,
Just its ability to reflect whatever comes and goes within it.
Then see if you can become aware of a knowing aspect,
And that in addition to reflecting what appears to it,
The mind can also engage with,
Know what appears to it.
This is what distinguishes us from,
Say,
Computers that could analyze something but wouldn't really know it.
That's what it means to be conscious and aware.
So see if you can become aware of that knowing aspect of the mind.
So this is one common definition of the mind in Buddhism,
That the mind is clear and knowing.
So now steer your mind to look at itself,
Consciousness looking at consciousness,
Awareness looking at awareness.
Try to examine that experience of awareness with curiosity and openness.
So does that space seem bright or dim?
Does the space seem small or large?
Is the space of your mind limited to your head or to your body?
As you let your mind widen to encompass the room,
Does it feel as if the mind is the size of the room?
As your mind expands,
Does the mind feel as big as your town,
Your state,
Your country,
The whole planet,
Or even to the solar system,
The galaxy,
The universe?
Does your consciousness feel like it is aware of other consciousness?
Do other people's minds appear within the space of your mind?
Are you aware of them?
Or do you feel separate from them?
And then how does it feel?
Mind experiences itself.
Consciousness looks at consciousness.
Does it feel pleasant or unpleasant?
Does it feel welcoming?
Maybe this is closer to who you really are,
The space of awareness that transcends your identity,
Your personality,
Even your thoughts and feelings.
Pure awareness at the root of your conscious experience,
What it means to be alive.
And if that experience feels good to you,
See if you can remind yourself to remember it during the day when you're caught up with ordinary experience,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
And conflicts,
Urges.
That deeper aspect of your consciousness is actually always there,
Underlying all experience.
And it can be a place to remember and return to to help center you and deepen and stabilize your sense of presence and openness and even joy.
And then you can come out of the meditation.
