Guided Nondual Meditation with Michael Taft
Welcome. Okay, so now let’s start by checking in with ourselves, simply take the climate report in your being proper now. What’s it wish to be you? Go inside. What are your ideas like? What are your feelings like? What’s your physique really feel like? What’s your soul really feel like? What’s the cosmic climate inside there like? And no matter is happening let that be okay. So that you’re each checking in very, very clearly, very distinctly, with a whole lot of granularity. What’s it wish to be me proper now? However you’re additionally letting or not it’s that means, not attempting to vary it, or management it, or reject it, or choose it. What if it was simply okay to be the way in which you might be proper now? What in case you even liked the way in which you might be proper now with none modifications in any respect?
Okay, good. Now I need you to think about meditating like a cloud, an extremely fluffy white cloud towards a vibrant blue sky. That cloud is shining vibrant, nearly as whether it is illuminated from inside, and it’s obtained that sort of factor the place it seems like a mountain of marble floating within the sky. An unlimited white marble mountain floating within the sky that’s a cloud. And simply image this cloud as clearly as you’ll be able to or really feel it in case you can’t image it. Simply think about, no matter which means to you, a cloud however I’ll use visible language vibrant, vibrant white, monumental like a complete mountain within the sky, and but simply floating there. Clouds can weigh hundreds and hundreds of tons and it’s simply floating there, vibrant white towards an excellent huge blue sky.
And also you see the cloud is slowly being pushed by the wind in direction of you, increasingly majestic, increasingly monumental, increasingly good, shining white. And as you’re respiratory out and in, simply pay very shut consideration to that lovely white cloud, fluffy white cloud, permitting your whole physique to loosen up as if it have been floating like a cloud. So that you’re noticing the floatiness of the cloud, and also you’re taking up a few of that property, the sense that the physique is so gentle that it may possibly float, so relaxed that it has nearly no construction in any respect, however is as a substitute only a discipline of associated particles quickly floating collectively right here. And simply discover as you retain picturing this cloud very, very clearly, tremendous vibrant, brighter and brighter in your thoughts’s eye, the sky wider and bluer, shining blue towards this nearly completely white cloud.
Discover your whole physique releasing and enjoyable and letting go and opening in order that motion turns into unattainable, every little thing relaxes so deeply that it’s unattainable to maneuver. Your eyes are relaxed so fully that they only come to a relaxation, your jaw is relaxed in such a means that your higher and decrease tooth should not touching however you are feeling such a rest occurring that there’s nearly a sensation that your lips are getting simply barely bigger due to additional blood stream. You may really feel them enjoyable that a lot. And all rigidity goes out of your arms and arms, they change into similar to moist ropes, simply dangling there with zero rigidity, they’re unattainable to maneuver. They are going to stay unattainable to maneuver as a result of (17:21)- they’re so livering there, like a spaceship fabricated from platinum, shiny towards the blue sky, permitting your whole torso to launch and loosen up and let go. A lot so that you simply really feel like a wave of power transferring by way of your physique as numerous issues loosen up and open and release and launch. And you may simply really feel that wave of power permitting you to loosen up much more, much more deeply, much more fully. Once more, to the purpose the place any kind of movement turns into principally unattainable since you’d should tense as much as do it, aside from respiratory, it’s nonetheless simple to breathe. Though you might discover that turning into quieter and quieter over time as effectively.
After which really feel that lovely power, the enjoyable power, permitting your legs to launch and open, your toes to loosen up. And once more the sense that your toes are tingling, or truly barely hotter, as extra blood flows into your toes. And your whole physique turns into completely relaxed, so relaxed that it begins to really feel actually good to only stay very nonetheless as a result of the physique has discovered a sort of full stillness and the thoughts begins aligning to that. As a substitute of the thoughts kind of shoving the physique round, the stillness of the physique is now starting to be mirrored, rising stillness within the thoughts.
And the picture of the cloud begins to be mirrored within the thoughts in such a means that the thoughts appears like a floaty cloud, very relaxed, lighter than air, tremendously good, totally awake.
Okay, so I need you simply to note the respiratory now. On every in-breath you are feeling nice, enjoyable, therapeutic, clarifying power coming into the physique. The physique likes to breathe, that in-breath is like consuming meals with all its oxygen. In order that turns into very nice on the in-breath. And on the out-breath the thoughts flows out the nostrils and turns into only a cloud, simply vapor within the sky. And that is simply the thoughts returning to its pure state. Noticing now, as you proceed to breathe on this nurturing air after which respiratory out as a sort of vapor, that the cloud disperses. And all that’s left is sky in order that with every out-breath the thoughts returns merely and naturally to its unique skylight high quality with none effort.
Inhaling, in such a nice means, feeling the relief the pleasure, the pleasantness, the readability, the power flowing by way of the physique. And on the out-breath, the thoughts simply flows out to return to its pure state of skylike vastness and openness.
So let’s proceed that for a couple of minutes collectively right here.
Permitting every in-breath to be nurturing, every out-breath to return the thoughts to house, completely huge, open, uncongealed house. If it needs to re-congeal, okay, it may possibly occur on the in-breath with the nurturing high quality, however then, on the out-breath, once more it simply falls open to change into the sky with none effort in any respect, zero effort to try this.
Okay, the physique turning into increasingly wholesome, increasingly relaxed, extra and
extra nonetheless, super stillness descending with this actual sense of ease and pleasantness and openness and being nurtured, and the thoughts, in an analogous means, simply enjoyable and turning into increasingly huge and open, increasingly relaxed and relaxed, tremendously awake, tremendously relaxed.
Now simply let the physique dissolve too. On the out-breath, the physique turns into sky as effectively, not merely the thoughts, the physique too. All ideas change into sky, all feelings change into sky, all common physique sensations change into sky on the out-breath, sky.
In the meantime, on the in-breath, discover the sensuous contact of the air throughout the physique, the pleasantness of sitting this manner. Discover no matter feelings are arising in all their element.
Permit the ideas to be completely current in all their vivid show in the event that they’re visible or sonic. Symphony-like high quality in the event that they’re verbal. Every part there in all its magnificence on the in-breath after which on the out-breath it simply all dissolves into sky.
So relaxed you’ll be able to’t transfer. Discover any tingling high quality within the physique on the in-breath, that sense of power within the physique, or Prana, a way of chi, sense of piti, sense of vibrant life power within the physique on the in-breath. And really feel its numerous rhythms, its patterns, the locations the place it’s stronger or weaker, the locations the place it’s scrumptious, possibly different locations the place it’s extra atonal. On the in-breath all that’s current after which the out-breath that simply disappears into sky.
Letting go of it totally till it returns on the in-breath, coming again to sky, huge expanse, vast open on each out-breath, completely with out effort. It simply falls again open on the in-breath. Chances are you’ll discover maybe ideas are occurring. In the event that they’re visible discover all the brilliant colours and shapes, in the event that they’re verbal discover all of the burbling sound. However it might even be the case that due to coming again to the sky so usually possibly not a lot thought is occurring. It nearly can’t occur. It’s not an issue if it does simply observe its magnificence but when it’s not there simply observe the great thing about the silence and stillness earlier than returning as soon as once more to huge, open sky-like high quality of thoughts.
From time to time, you might discover that you’ve already merely dropped right into a a lot deeper state of relaxed openness, the sky even wider and extra boundless. So that nearly a sort of forgetting happens the place we overlook for there to be time, forgot the boundaries of the physique.
Once more, if feelings are current, really feel each element of that within the physique, no matter qualities that emotion has on the in-breath actually really feel it very clearly, very deeply. It’s a physique sensation, someplace in your face, your throat, your torso, someplace, your stomach. After which on the out-breath all of it simply dissolves into–and vanishes–into vastness. After which possibly it’s there once more on the in-breath and we see its magnificence but once more. Even when it’s a really tough emotion discover no matter is gorgeous in regards to the sensation just like the phenomenology of it may possibly nonetheless be lovely.
Identical factor with common physique sensations, possibly you’re noticing some numbness in your legs or one thing, actually discover what’s lovely about that; the main points of it, the beautiful textures and contours of that on the in-breath. Once more, even an disagreeable bodily sensation can have a stupendous phenomenology after which it simply falls into open sky on the out-breath. Noticing maybe, much more power on the in-breath, much more awakeness, much more readability, however particularly that tingly, buzzy power. A really nice frequency out there within the palms of your arms, the soles of your toes, maybe in your smile. After which dissolving on the out-breath into simply sky once more, all the time again to only huge openness.
Even ache within the physique turning into simply sky on the out-breath. After which on the in-breath, we don’t resist the ache in any respect, not in any means. We let or not it’s there fully in its full expression with none holding again and see what’s lovely about it.
The breath turns into much more attention-grabbing as a result of on the in-breath the room round us turns into very clear, very vibrant, full of coloration, form, kind, texture, sample, tremendously lovely. And on the out-breath, it simply dissolves into boundless house nonetheless there and but boundless house. And the sounds of the room round us numerous hums and buzzes and breathings and stirrings, swallowings, shiftings, all of the sounds are lovely on the in-breath. And on the out-breath it simply turns into boundless, timeless house, conscious, totally relaxed.
Then we begin to get this very humorous sense, this very odd instinct, that within the depths of the readability of our personal exact wisdom-seeing of this, the in-breath and out-breath aren’t any completely different. And the great thing about all these phenomena is not any completely different than the open house. The 2 are collectively as one factor huge, open sky completely dissolved into nothing. And this beautiful expression of all that’s showing, it has no heart and no boundary, it has no floor, and but, there’s nowhere to fall to.
And we notice that the meditation is simply doing itself, the respiratory is simply doing itself, and all this beautiful expertise is simply doing itself, even the sense of me doing something is simply one other look that dissolves into sky after which seems once more after which dissolves within the sky, till the sky and the looks should not any completely different, not any completely different…or, if there’s a distinction, they’re merely two sides of the identical coin.
In order that we see that each look, our emotions, our ideas, our physique sensations, the others round us, the room round us, the sounds, the sights, it’s each extremely lovely, totally beautiful, and completely spacious and awake on the identical time. Floating on air like a cloud.
And we start to note that every look has a spot,all of the appearances, all the various appearances in each second has its proper place.The tough ones, nice ones, every has their very own good spot, their proper place on this second. And so they’re all balanced in such a means that the entire look and awakeness is gorgeous and balanced and entire. Each half belongs with nothing ignored or left over.
It takes every bit of this second to finish the puzzle of every second, nothing ignored, nothing doesn’t belong, every little thing as a substitute, totally beautiful and totally sky on the identical time.Tremendously lovely and floating like a cloud, on empty air on the identical time. Wakeful and on the identical time totally relaxed. You may’t make this second extra good than it already is.
Good, now be a part of me in chanting the Prajnaparamita mantra
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Let’s finish the meditation there.
Dharma Speak, Q&A
So, the Paradox is that every little thing is current and likewise sort of not current on the identical time. And it’s very–like I used to be saying final week–it’s quite common that we actually, particularly as starting practitioners, emphasize that not current half, that vastness, that openness, that readability. Whenever you actually get a style for it, it begins to be tremendous scrumptious to seek out this kind of vacancy, vacancy, vacancy. However as I used to be saying final week that’s actually simply midway there. And even lower than midway there. It’s vital and it’s an enormous benefit over being caught up in stuff. You be taught to be uncaught up in stuff. After which simply see openness, openness, openness, simply the sky, simply the sky, simply the sky, simply the sky. And it’s nearly just like the issues of the world appear to fade or dissolve or disappear time and again and over and time and again.
And there’s an actual launch, and an actual letting go, and an actual satisfaction and reduction that comes with every of these letting go’s. However ultimately, that turns into its personal sort of place to cover. It turns into its personal sort of useless finish as a result of then the remainder of your life is simply chasing this deeper and deeper nothing that you simply simply sort of need to retreat to discovering. , I’m going to maintain going to only increasingly nonetheless bodily areas with fewer and fewer individuals with much less and fewer occurring, so I can simply try this. After which, you simply sort of–that’s it. If that’s your path, or no matter, cool. Go forward and try this however so far as I’m involved–once more that’s higher than, I don’t know voting to remove individuals’s liberty, or no matter. So it’s a superb factor on that degree nevertheless it’s nonetheless solely partially there so far as I’m involved as a result of what about every little thing? What about every little thing? , what in regards to the feeling of your physique? And the way in which feelings run by way of you? And what in regards to the ideas? And what in regards to the world round you? And the others round you? And the colours and lights and sounds? And all that?
Is that every one that simply there to be nothing? Or is it, worse but, is it like some sort of deluded fantasy that’s pulling you away out of your scrumptious nothing and it’s truly sort of evil? Which is admittedly widespread viewpoint. Or do you see that it’s by no means separate from that sky of vacancy? It’s by no means ever, ever even for a millisecond completely different. Or whether it is completely different, it’s completely different as a result of it’s this, you realize, effulgent, radically lovely show and the opposite factor is kind of non-display. However they’re arising collectively. They’re by no means aside and that–seeing that factor–is beginning to come again round to wholeness once more.
It’s not simply that we shut ourselves in a cave after which see nothing eternally. We come again out. However we come again out remodeled. I imply the nothingness, the vacancy, the sky is extremely vital as a result of then you definately see the world and your self because it actually is it’s like hanging like a dream in vastitude, proper? Each a part of it’s exquisitely lovely. Each a part of it’s precisely in its proper place for that second. And the following second it may be in one other place. However each a part of it’s essential to fill the puzzle of the second. If you happen to took any of it away it might be incomplete. So it’s like excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent, even whereas repeatedly altering. Every second is excellent. And it’s excellent not as a result of it’s void, although that’s there, however as a result of even all the looks is–it’s obtained a spot, so to talk, within the mandala, proper? It’s situated. And all of them are vital. And so that’s–that’s coming again round to fullness. We don’t simply need vacancy we need to come again round, all the way in which again round to fullness and full expression.
In any other case, I imply to place it in sort of a humorous means, what are you even doing right here? Why’d you even get born if it was simply to enter nothingness? You could possibly have finished that with out a physique. And that’s one other factor that arises with this that’s so attention-grabbing–is even there’s the sense that even–not solely are you your self in the precise place however every a part of you is in its proper place on this second, although that may change within the subsequent second and so there’s a sort of lovely bouquet of selfhood that’s there simply the way in which it’s, even when a few of the flowers are useless or dried or strewn on the ground or it’s a bizarre association. On this second that’s precisely the precise association. It’s entire. It’s full. There’s nothing lacking. There’s nothing to vary in that second.
I’m going to learn a quote, a really unusual quote, which is I’ve to learn from this piece of paper and besides for many who I used to be speaking to this afternoon, if anybody can guess who that is or you realize who it’s, even higher, I’ll be impressed.
“I need to be taught increasingly to see as lovely what is critical in issues; then I shall be a kind of who make issues lovely. Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth! I don’t need to wage struggle towards what’s ugly. I don’t need to accuse; I don’t even need to accuse those that accuse. Trying away shall be my solely negation. And all in all and on the entire: sometime I want to be solely a Sure-sayer.”
Michael: Does anybody know who that’s?
Questioner 1: Marcus Aurelius?
Michael: As a result of I exploit the phrase amor fati, you’re simply guessing. Yeah, no it’s Nietzsche truly. However speaking about amor fati that every little thing, you realize, that our destiny the fati half is, in essence, not solely one thing that we settle for, I’m gonna settle for my destiny, proper? No. It’s one thing that we truly love and see the great thing about. And that that stance is accessible to us it doesn’t matter what our situation. And in order that’s simply humorous. That’s written in just like the 1860s however he’s speaking about what we’re working towards right here tonight in a really direct means simply noticing that every one that’s arising is precisely as a substitute it doesn’t matter what it’s, there’s a sort of perfection to the second. And that we don’t merely sort of grudgingly settle for it, oh that’s you realize that’s my lot however quite discover it lovely and even find it irresistible.
I believe maybe he’s speaking about one thing a bit extra, sort of, cognitive. However nonetheless, the temper is there of like understanding the well-platedness of every little thing in every second and likewise the truth that it’s obtained this cosmic depth to it, the vastness is all the time there.
So right here’s the experiment; are you able to, for the following 24 hours, see each single factor in your life not as one thing to vary and attempt to eliminate, or one thing to attempt to maintain on to, or one thing that you simply’re ashamed of, or one thing that you simply want was completely different? Oh my God, I’m within the improper marriage, oh my God, I’ve a silly job, oh my God, oh my God–the infinite litany of the way it ought to all be completely different. However moreover, not the sort of nihilistic despair of, effectively it’s not going to ever be completely different so I higher simply buck up and settle for it or kill myself. However what’s past these issues? Are you able to see its precise magnificence simply the way in which it’s? After which, even find it irresistible simply the way in which it’s? Doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t change it, doesn’t imply you’re locked in. However in every second let or not it’s simply what it’s.
For most individuals that, at first, sounds actually unhealthy like, oh my God I’m trapped, after which I’ll be, you realize, I’ll surrender and by no means change something. However what’s bizarre is you’ve already given up and aren’t altering something since you’re caught within the mode of pondering every little thing should change on a regular basis, I’ve to work actually laborious to make, to hold onto good issues, and eliminate unhealthy issues, by no means recognizing that that’s infinite. There isn’t any ending that, or successful that. That’s everlasting incarceration.
And so, simply as an experiment, it received’t flip you right into a vegetable, it received’t flip you into, you realize, some sort of agency-less sufferer, I promise, however you don’t should–simply strive it for a short while. What if it’s all excellent? And even altering it’s excellent however the temper is; it’s lovely, and I even find it irresistible. And it’s not an concept. I can see that it’s lovely, and I actually do find it irresistible.
The sort of meditation we did is one option to discover that since you see this whole house that’s there and the entire vibrant show and completely placed-ness of the looks placidness nevertheless we are saying that, so try this. And see if it turns you into an agency-less sufferer or in case you truly begin to sort of really feel higher.
So questions or feedback? Or simply reviews about your meditation? Questions on different issues? Simply opening up the ground right here.
Questioner 2: I’m unsure if I’m correctly distinguishing between the formless jhanas and samatha with out an object. Okay I believe possibly I used to be doing samatha with out an object and pondering that it’s jhana.
Michael: Certain, they’re intently associated clearly fifth jhana is Infinite house, sixth jhana infinite consciousness. We’re sort of doing them on the identical time consciousness and house. I’d say that they’re not fairly the identical factor as a result of normally a jhana is sort of dualistic, kind of me over right here trying on the Infinite house, me over right here trying on the infinite consciousness. And once we do it this different means the place it’s not break up up like that–now possibly some individuals do observe them within the different extra non-dualistic means, it simply depends upon the way it’s taught, and so forth however in one other means it’s like, high-quality they’re comparable.
Good, you’ll be able to even have you realize a temper the place the house will flip to love a degree of nothingness, similar to the seventh jhana, though we’re not attempting to make that occur. And also you sort of should–you’ll need to maintain that if it was a jhana. And if it simply happens in non-dual meditation you simply–if it’s there, it’s there and if it goes away, it goes away, proper? So we’re not attempting to do a scientific transferring by way of, nor does it result in these different, you realize, essentially to nothingness or to non-perception and notion or these sorts of different levels, proper? So I’d simply say they’ve some similarities for positive and many individuals suppose that–bear in mind initially they’re not known as jhanas, they’re known as ayatanas, which implies realms. And so, some individuals suppose that every one of–they speculate–that Mahayana Buddhism comes out of this concept of realms, so individuals doing not simply the unique Buddha ayatanas however sort of spreading out from there as a result of when you uncover ayatanas yow will discover a complete bunch of them, and so on, and so on. So it’s attention-grabbing, proper? Far more attention-grabbing than saying effectively are these precisely the identical or not I don’t know we’re sort of doing one thing completely different however actually a few of the territory we’re crossing over there may be fairly comparable, proper? Yeah, it’s cool, proper?
What else? How was that meditation for you? What’s in your thoughts? Are you a clean cloud floating in an open sky? I really feel like I’ve succeeded. I’ve pummeled you all into silence, I all the time be ok with that.
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