Dwell Guided Nondual Meditation with Michael Taft
Streamed stay on Jan 6, 2022
Hey everyone, welcome to tonight’s stay nondual meditation with me, any individual or one other sitting in a room someplace speaking about one thing. “A considerably one thing shifting a dream like on a fading street” as Lalla wrote in her spontaneous poetry from the Kashmir area–I overlook how way back that was. I believe it was at the least within the 1500s possibly even earlier. (Observe: really the 1300s)
Meditation
Anyway, right here we’re tonight and I might love to start meditating with you now. So let’s go forward and try this. Typically we spend a number of time speaking about our posture, tonight I’m going to simply say “get in a meditation posture. You recognize what to do.” After which different instances, after we get in our meditation posture, I spend a number of time we do visualizations – what we would name ‘useful resource constructing’ or if we had been talking extra conventional language, we would name it some sort of a Yidam follow or Ishtadevata follow, i.e. deity yoga. However tonight what we’re going to do as an alternative is, when you get settled into your posture, we’re simply going to begin. And to begin with I need you to simply examine in with your self in essentially the most normal sense. What does it really feel prefer to be you proper now? Otherwise you’d be asking your self “what does it really feel prefer to be me proper now? What’s it prefer to be me proper now?” And naturally you don’t ask that in phrases. It’s extra like a normal tune in ideas, feelings, the physique… simply checking in with all the pieces. How’s it going? And once more the reply isn’t phrases or some sort of guidelines. It’s simply feeling the way it’s going, tuning in, dropping in. You simply try this briefly.
After which from right here what I need you to do is to think about stuff you’re grateful for. They are often small issues like “I’m grateful for the peanut butter sandwich I had this morning”, “I’m grateful for the scent of petrichor on the bottom outdoors, that after rain scent” or it may be “I’m grateful for air generally” and “grateful for meals generally”. You may make it giant or small, grandiose or sort of micro. However both approach I need it to essentially imply one thing to you. That’s what’s necessary. What it’s, shouldn’t be necessary. What’s necessary is that you simply really really feel gratitude. And so I need you to take a seat right here for a pair minutes citing stuff you really feel grateful for. You’ll be able to visualize them. You’ll be able to take into consideration them. You’ll be able to keep in mind them. And I need you to really feel that gratitude warming your coronary heart, warming your coronary heart area. Simply really feel gratitude proper now. Let’s try this collectively.
And also you may simply discover that as you’re feeling extra gratitude, there may be a touch of a smile coming… the sensation of a smile in your mouth, the place you may really feel sort of weepy–in a constructive approach–round your eyes, and your coronary heart softens, it warms up and it softens and also you begin to really feel that glowing sort of sensation in your coronary heart. So let’s simply proceed picturing, remembering, appreciating issues that we really feel gratitude for. Actually really feel that gratitude.
Okay, good. Now you possibly can let go of the visualization and the remembering and all that. And I need you to simply sit and meditate upon that gratitude in your coronary heart, the gratitude within the chess area. Simply really feel it glowing. Really feel it. Really feel the gratitude. Don’t get into a number of ideas about it. Now don’t suppose lots about it. Simply really feel that nice heat melty coronary heart sensation and actually let it fill consciousness. Let it fill your entire consciousness. And simply sit with it in a extremely relaxed comfy open method.
Fabulous! Now, let’s start our common sequence with shamatha with an object. Simply targeted rest. The thoughts is evident and vivid. And we’re meditating on a selected object. On this case, I need you to be meditating on the physique sensations of respiration. However let’s breathe in a selected approach. You need to make this comfy. You need to make it be just right for you. Don’t do it if it doesn’t work. However what I need you to do is a traditional in-breath after which a extremely lengthy out-breath so long as you’re feeling comfy. So that you’re inhaling usually after which the out-breath is lengthy, lengthy, lengthy. And on that lengthy out-breath, if you wish to make it even longer, you constrict your throat so that you simply’re respiration–you’re inhaling the way in which that it could make your voice sound like that should you had been speaking. So it’s sort of a Darth Vader sound. And that’s referred to as ‘ujjayi breath’ in Sanskrit; ujjayi. And so forth the out-breath, you’re simply holding that a part of your throat somewhat bit tight in order that it’s permitting you to do actually lengthy out breaths. Now I don’t need you to do an out-breath so lengthy that it’s uncomfortable. However I need you to do an out-breath that’s possibly twice so long as you’re in-breath or one thing like that–it doesn’t need to be actual. After which you might be meditating on the sensations of respiration. Okay, so let’s start there. If you wish to, you need to use a label “inhaling” on the in-breath, after which on the out-breath you may need to say it a pair instances “respiration out, respiration out, respiration out, respiration out.” Psychological labels will provide help to stick with it. So, let’s start there.
Good, now on the in-breath I need you to note the tip of the in-breath, after which on the out-breath preserve ready for the tip of the out-breath, finish of the out-breath, finish of the out-breath, and actually discover, actually discover when it lastly, lastly, lastly, lastly ends. Okay, so that you’re feeling the breath throughout however you’re giving additional consideration to the tip of the in-breath and the tip of the out-breath. And that’s going that can assist you stick with it. All this respiration is thru your nostril by the way in which, not by the mouth – all by the nostril.
Now, let’s proceed to meditate on the breath. However I need you to be sure to’re not coming from like a spot inside your head and beaming the flashlight of consideration on the breath. That is from huge spacious consciousness. Think about in a approach the entire room and even the entire sky is feeling the breath. And it’s not likely imagining. Simply discover that consciousness is broad. Consciousness is huge. It’s boundless and that feeling of the breath merely arises inside consciousness. Consciousness is conscious of it naturally. You don’t must focus. You don’t must make it like a highlight. The attention is simply broad and the sensation of the breath rises in consciousness. Nonetheless preserve doing the lengthy out-breaths. However simply discover that you simply’re meditating on the out-breath from this very broad consciousness.
Simply preserve permitting consciousness itself to pay attention to the breath sensations. It’s quite simple. Going much more deeply, much more richly, much more utterly concerned with the breath sensation, however permitting it to simply come up in consciousness that’s already conscious.
Really feel how good that feels to simply permit the breath sensations to come up in consciousness, actually noticing the tip of the in-breath, actually noticing the tip of the out-breath, and doing these lengthy, lengthy, lengthy, lengthy out-breaths. They get very settled and get very nonetheless and really vivid. Consciousness itself could be very vivid, very huge, very broad, very easy.
Feels so good. Now, what I need you to do is permit the breath sensations to now transfer into the background. And permit simply that huge spacious consciousness itself to be within the foreground. I discover this a lot simpler to do with my eyes open. However your mileage could differ. You are able to do this along with your eyes open, your eyes closed, your eyes half closed, no matter works for you. However what I need you to do is ‘simply permit consciousness to relaxation in consciousness’. There are different methods to say this. We are able to say ‘permit consciousness to note itself’ or ‘permit consciousness to deal with itself’ or ‘take note of itself.’ This can be a little deceptive due to course there’s no tightness or consideration in consciousness conscious of itself. However nonetheless, have the attention simply deal with itself. Or one other option to say it’s to ‘merely present consciousness to consciousness.’ All proper, so we’re simply resting in consciousness conscious of itself. Anything that comes up: ideas–we’re not listening to these; emotions–we’re not listening to these; the breath sensations–we’re not listening to these; exterior sights and sounds–we’re not listening to these. If we discover ourselves listening to any of that stuff, we simply launch that focus, we simply drop the ball and are available again to consciousness conscious of itself. That is the least effortful meditation on this planet as a result of consciousness is already conscious. So consciousness is effortlessly conscious of itself and never getting concerned with anything.
Okay good, now, persevering with to simply relaxation as huge spacious consciousness, we’re going to now transfer into vipassana. So there’s a little little bit of effort right here. And I need you to note that we’re going to do it abruptly: All the things arising in consciousness is empty. If it’s a thought that arises in consciousness, it’s empty. If it’s an emotion that arises in consciousness, it’s empty. If it’s a physique sensation that arises in consciousness, it’s empty. If it’s a thought of ‘how I can’t do that’ or ‘that is troublesome’ or ‘I don’t like this’ or ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ or ‘this takes me perpetually’ or ‘I’ll by no means get there,’ these ideas are all empty. Even concepts in regards to the surrounding world – like
the world round you, all empty; sounds of the world round you, all empty; pictures of the world round you, all empty. All the things that arises in any respect in consciousness is empty. Keep in mind, empty doesn’t imply it’s not there. It simply means it’s like an ephemeral projection in consciousness. You simply discover its wispy, ephemeral, nebulous, undefined nature. So we’re resting as consciousness just like the sky, simply this huge, blue, empty, open sky, and all of the expertise that’s arising is rather like wind shifting in that sky–empty, empty, empty, not totally different from the sky and in addition having its personal type of motion, its personal type of wave or ripple. So simply discover the vacancy of all arising and permit your self to, permit consciousness itself to grow to be fairly absorbed with this ‘seeing of vacancy’ which can really feel like seeing wispiness, seeing indistinctness, seeing the changingness, the impermanence, seeing the truth that issues come and go, however seeing that even whereas they’re current. They’re nebulous, vague, dreamlike, rainbowlike pictures.
In case you’re caught up in considering, simply discover the vacancy of considering. Pondering is simply wind in an empty sky.
If feelings preserve grabbing you, you retain getting absorbed into emotion, it’s like taking the entire sky and abruptly cramming it down into an emotion – simply come again to being the sky and
discover that emotion is simply empty. It’s simply wind shifting within the sky – swirling, altering however not likely totally different than the sky and not likely capable of lure the sky. The sky of consciousness is all the time boundless. It’s all the time huge. It’s all the time clear. It’s all the time vivid.
All the things that arises is empty, empty, empty, empty – simply preserve feeling, preserve noticing consciousness noticing that vacancy. The sky noticing its personal winds. They don’t interrupt the sky. They’re not totally different from the sky and but they’ve their very own motion, their very own swirling paths. All the things that arises is totally empty. Maintain noticing that again and again and again and again and over. If you would like you possibly can even use a label like ‘empty,’ ‘empty,’ ‘empty’ to notice these.
Ideas are empty. Emotions are empty. The story of your self is empty. Your persona is empty. The world round you is empty. Concepts in regards to the world round you might be empty. Concepts of time, concepts of house all empty. It’s only a huge sky of consciousness with all these winds arising in it and the winds are all empty. And now I need you to note the vacancy of some significantly
attention-grabbing arisings. Discover now the vacancy of the sense of effort, the sense that you simply’re making an attempt to do one thing – within the sense that you’ve got this intention to make one thing occur. Now once more keep in mind, vacancy doesn’t imply it’s not there. So you possibly can nonetheless have the trouble, you possibly can nonetheless have the intention to make one thing occur, however discover that it’s empty. It’s simply wind within the sky. It’s not totally different than consciousness. It’s in essence unfindable and but you possibly can nonetheless expertise it. However discover that that sense of making an attempt, that sense of effort, that sense of grinding, that sense of doing, it’s all empty. Discover its vacancy. And if you discover its vacancy how gentle it turns into–that means buoyant and never heavy. It turns into very gentle this sense of doing.
Good, so any sense of effort, any sense of making an attempt, any sense of doing–it’s simply empty. Now, discover that the sense of being a doer, the sense of being the one making one thing occur, being the one who’s making an attempt to meditate, being the one who’s making an attempt to take a seat right here, being the one who’s making an attempt to do it proper, being the one who doubts they will do it, being the one, being the one, being the one…that sense of being a doer is simply empty within the vastness of huge spacious consciousness, within the open sky, that good, clear, vivid, awake, conscious sky of consciousness. When the sense of being the doer comes up, the one who’s doing, discover, it’s simply wind within the sky. It’s simply wind within the sky, totally empty.
Good, now discover even the sense of doing a meditation in any respect is empty. That’s simply an concept. Doing a meditation in any respect, anyone doing something, however particularly the sense of a doer, within the sense of me doing a meditation, now that’s all simply an concept. That’s empty, empty, empty wind in an open
sky. That huge crisp sky of consciousness shouldn’t be modified by the wind in any approach. No effort, no one making an effort, no meditation in any respect, all empty.
Now, simply let go utterly again into shamatha with out an object–again into dropping the ball. However discover, nothing modified. We’re not doing a meditation. All the things’s utterly empty. There’s merely an enormous open sky of consciousness that’s already utterly conscious of itself. Consciousness conscious of its personal consciousness with none effort, with none doing. All the things completely empty on this huge sky of consciousness. What is that this? … This has all the time been right here–broad open, totally awake, totally clear, completely pristine. There’s nothing to do. There’s nothing to vary. All the things arising in that is empty of its personal accord, already empty upon rising, no effort required.
Relaxation right here in the Aristocracy, in simplicity and dignity an empress of all of creation needing nothing, doing nothing, unsleeping, completely huge in limitless vacancy.
Pristine huge awake consciousness, completely pure, completely easy, completely restful, completely awake. I’m going to learn some verses from the tibetan grasp Jigme Lingpa that refers to this consciousness:
Awakening thoughts is the essence of all expertise.
He says ‘awakening thoughts’ – I say ‘woke up consciousness’ or ‘awake consciousness’.
Awakening thoughts is the guts of all buddhas, the guts of all woke up ones.
Awakening thoughts is the life pressure of all beings.
Obvious and supreme should not present in awakening thoughts.
Observe or not follow — consideration goes past.
Act or not act — choices soften away.
Empty or not empty — awakening thoughts is past.
Be or not be — there’s a vastness whereby
These variations fade away.
Consciousness — not a phrase, not a thought, no description in any respect —
Has as its axis no corrective, no holding a place.
Its nature is naked, regular, contemporary and unfolding,
A vastness free from all effort and problems.
Relaxation the place there is no such thing as a change or time.
Relaxation proper there in your personal pristine consciousness that has been right here since beginningless time.
[Note: read from Ken McLeod’s “A Trackless Path”]
Good, now simply discover a way of gratitude arising on this awake consciousness – a pure simple open gratitude, a gratitude for all times, gratitude for breath, a gratitude for the chance to meditate collectively, a gratitude for the chance to attach with sacred teachings. And simply really feel that gratitude, simply of its personal streaming by consciousness, arising and streaming all through the infinity of consciousness.
Dharma Speak
Okay good, now let’s deliver the guided meditation to an in depth. However discover that nothing modifications. Pristine consciousness remains to be there, huge spacious consciousness remains to be huge – it all the time is. We’re not making it that approach. The meditation follow doesn’t one way or the other make consciousness huge. Consciousness is of course spacious, naturally boundless, and timeless. So although we finish the meditation, nothing has modified. And keep in mind, we observed that even the sense of being a doer doing one thing is empty. So not solely had been we in quotes “not doing meditation” however now, no matter we’re doing now–like me talking to you, you listening all of that–is completed with none effort. All of that’s taking place with none doer. All of that’s merely arising inside this crisp, clear, contemporary, vivid, vivid consciousness that’s all the time there, completely candy, completely simple, completely open. Nothing to vary, nothing to repair, all the pieces alright simply the way in which it’s. Simply discover that now.
That is nondual or essence custom meditation. A few of these traditions embody the Tibetan traditions of Dzogchen and Mahamudra. There’s Hindu traditions of Advaita Vedanta and in addition nondual Shaiva Tantra. And a few Chinese language Taoist rules, even the Bhagavad Gita, one other Hindu basic, all of those are traditions that made discuss nonduality discuss consciousness barely otherwise, however truthfully, they’re all getting on the identical factor. And once we follow right here we’re getting at that very same factor. And that very same factor is the primacy of consciousness itself, that all the pieces we expertise arises in consciousness. If we’re going to speak in a Buddhist approach, and we don’t need to as a result of we may discuss in a Hindu approach, we may discuss in a Taoist approach, we may discuss in sort of a western secular approach, however only for a minute, we’ll discuss in a Buddhist approach. If we’re going to do this sort of follow we should take critically the thought of bodhicitta, the thought of Buddha nature, the truth that we already possess pristine consciousness, that we already are absolutely awake and buddhas from the very starting. That’s how this meditation works. That’s why as soon as we see the vacancy of the churning of the thoughts. Once more, vacancy doesn’t imply it’s not there. That’s simply one of many meanings of vacancy, however that’s not what we imply. It’s nonetheless taking place, it’s simply that it’s totally different than what we predict it’s. One other that means of vacancy is, we will say ‘oh, that’s simply empty’ and in English that may imply ‘it doesn’t matter’ or that ‘it’s not necessary’ or that ‘it’s false’. We don’t imply vacancy that approach both. We imply that on this primacy of consciousness all the pieces that arises is just like a present, like a magic present, like a picture, like an expertise arising in consciousness. It’s not separate from consciousness and it’s additionally not one way or the other outdoors of consciousness. As I’m all the time saying ‘you aren’t on this planet, the world is in you’ and what I imply by that’s, we now have the concept that we’re consciousness and consciousness is behind my eyes and that’s a mind and the mind is in my head and the top is a part of the physique and the physique is on this room and the room is on this planet round me–that’s the way in which we take into consideration that sometimes. However that mind-set about it’s inside out. It’s the opposite approach round: the mind and the top and the physique and the room and the world round is all inside consciousness. Which means, right here is the attention and all of the stuff that’s taking place is just like an image present, like a magic present, like a film within consciousness.
And don’t take my phrase for it. This isn’t some bizarre summary idea. Simply discover. That is simply what we see once we discover the vacancy of thought and feeling and persona and the vacancy of physique sensation and the vacancy of the world round us and the vacancy of house and time. You’ll then be left with the plain, apparent direct expertise: oh, it’s all taking place in consciousness. It’s like being in a online game. Let’s say you’re enjoying some sort of first-person shooter. And also you’re in that sport and also you’re working across the surroundings and also you’re capturing stuff and blowing stuff up and therapeutic your self and therapeutic others and getting extra ammo–all that stuff that you simply do in one in every of these first-person shooters–getting inside automobiles, crashing the automobiles, repairing the automobiles… getting worn out over and over and respawning on a regular basis. You’re so concerned after which… your canine barks and it simply snaps you out of it. And also you’re like ‘oh, all of that, all of that have is simply taking place within the gentle of this monitor. It’s simply photons on this monitor that’s all it’s.’ Now, that’s to not say it’s nothing. It’s taking place, there’s every kind of data there, there’s every kind of stuff happening. Once more, it doesn’t imply it’s nothing. However it means it’s all simply this move of photons that you simply’re experiencing. In the exact same approach like these digital worlds that we expertise within the laptop or in a online game or on like a PS3 or an Xbox or no matter, these give us a great metaphor for our personal expertise. We get so wrapped up and ‘oh, I’m doing this and I’m me and I’m monitoring my hit factors my well being factors and all the talents I’m racking up and all of the achievements I’m racking up in this sort of sport of life’ after which somebody simply factors out: ‘hey! Discover, that is all only a stream of expertise taking place in consciousness. That’s all it’s. And also you go ‘Ohh!!’ and for the primary time, possibly the very first time, you notice what you actually are. It’s so totally different than what you might have
thought you had been. It’s so totally different than what you’ve been taught you might be and what you might have thought you might be in your entire life. You suppose you’re ideas and also you suppose you’re emotions and the story. ‘That is the story of me and that is the story of the place I come from and what I’ve carried out and all my achievements and what I’m concerned in and what I care about and all that’s there.’ It’s not that it doesn’t matter. All of that’s there. However it’s all simply–I’m gonna combine metaphors right here–it’s all simply photons within the vivid sky of consciousness. It’s all photons within the vivid sky of consciousness.
So, once we do these meditations it’s not about ‘oh me, my thoughts, my physique, my story of me, I’m gonna take a look at consciousness.’ That’s like saying I’m gonna take my flashlight and discover the sunshine. The flashlight is the sunshine. The factor that’s on the lookout for consciousness is consciousness. We don’t want the individual within the loop. The factor that’s on the lookout for consciousness is simply consciousness itself. And within the gentle of that consciousness we discover, the individual is simply this move of exercise, this move of actions, move of ideas and emotions and tales and stuff taking place. And the world is identical. It’s only a move of expertise arising in our consciousness.
And when you see this, you possibly can by no means unsee it. You’ll be able to overlook it, you will get misplaced once more, however it’ll all the time be haunting you perpetually. And also you’ll come again to it over and over and go ‘that’s proper, that’s proper’. Perhaps you’ll be sitting on the seashore and all caught up in your stuff. And also you simply take a look at the ocean and also you take a look at the sky. And there are seagulls simply sort of gliding on the wind and there are pelicans of their formation and simply fantastically hovering proper over the water gliding actually, actually, actually low over the water. After which there are dolphins and there are waves, possibly there’s some surfers–are you able to inform I stay in California?–and, , you’re simply hanging out on the seashore. And also you’ll simply keep in mind ‘oh that’s proper, that’s proper. Consciousness. I’m consciousness’ and naturally, even that’s not an id. We don’t need to reify consciousness, however it’s lots nearer to what we actually are. It’s lots nearer to what we actually are, to that uncooked, clear, vivid, pristine awakeness, awakeness itself. And keep in mind, in Sanskrit the phrase for awake is “buddha” – that’s why they name him that. Once I’m saying awakeness, awakeness, awakeness, I’m saying bodhi, bodhi, bodhi, bodhi–which is one other option to say buddha. So bodhi-citta, bodhi-sattva, the buddha-nature. That’s what we’re speaking about–simply your uncooked consciousness. It’s not arduous.
This isn’t arduous. In case you get caught up in serious about it, you’re doing the unsuitable factor. Simply come again to simply awakeness, proper now. Discover, proper now, that you’re having an expertise. Discover, you’re awake. And spot, that have consists of physique sensations which might be only a sort of move of expertise in consciousness. It consists of feelings which might be only a move of expertise in consciousness, like I saved saying, like wind within the sky. Otherwise you’re having ideas which might be making an attempt to determine this out. It’s a joke. They’re only a move of expertise in consciousness. Similar with the outside world, all of the move of expertise in consciousness itself, all totally empty, totally easy, totally stunning. They’re not totally different than consciousness. They’re consciousness. We don’t need to make a god out of consciousness. Though you possibly can, a number of traditions do. And even should you do make a god out of it, simply discover that that’s empty too. In different phrases, it’s not an idea of god, it’s simply consciousness itself. It’s simply consciousness itself.
Let me learn this verse once more. That is from this nice e-book ‘A Trackless Path’. It’s by my good
good friend Ken McLeod, He’s a Mahamudra and Dzogchen meditation instructor or was once and a really very expert Tibetan translator. So, he’s translating this poem by this Tibetan grasp Jigme Lingpa. And it is a poem about Dzogchen follow – so one in every of these traditions. And he’s making an attempt to speak about how radical it’s to be coming from consciousness and to have that consciousness itself, that pristine consciousness. It’s already there. It’s our–it’s all the time been there. There’s nothing to do. and once we come from this radical perspective, all the pieces shifts. So let’s simply hear this verse once more. And I need you to simply hear. Don’t give it some thought. Simply hear – consciousness conscious of those verses:
Observe or not follow — consideration goes past.
Act or not act — choices soften away.
Empty or not empty — awakening thoughts is past.
Be or not be — there’s a vastness whereby
These variations fade away.
Consciousness — not a phrase, not a thought, no description in any respect —
Has as its axis no corrective, no holding a place.
Its nature is naked, regular, contemporary and unfolding,
A vastness free from all effort and problems.
Relaxation the place there is no such thing as a change or time.
Relaxation the place there is no such thing as a change or time.
It’s a superb verse. It’s a superb individual. And Ken (McLeod)—should you get the e-book which I like to recommend you do—he then talks about methods how we will unpack that verse and perceive what Jigme Lingpa is saying. However discover, he’s saying, there’s a vastness whereby all the pieces is type of there and never there, on the identical time, a vastness whereby even house and time don’t make any sense. That’s the vastness of consciousness. All these traditions agree that the closest metaphor to consciousness–if we need to take into consideration consciousness of being like one thing–is house. It’s like house. Area has no boundaries, house is huge. That’s why I’ve a category referred to as Huge Sky Thoughts, that’s why all these lecturers discuss vastness as a result of it’s like house. And the one distinction is that house itself–we consider that as sort of useless like a brick or one thing–whereas this consciousness house is awake, it’s gnostic. It has figuring out. It’s awake. So all of the issues arising in consciousness are identified, they’re skilled.
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