Nondual Vipashyana on Thought and Feeling
Streamed stay on Nov 18, 2021
We don’t goof round right here. We don’t wait round. We dive proper in. So, what I’d such as you to do is to arrange your house, guarantee that your notifications are all turned off, that nothing anyplace is notifying you, there’s no telephone, there’s no blinking lights, there’s no cell telephones telling you something, proper? All the pieces’s turned off. If you happen to’re watching this on a telephone all of the notifications are turned off. If you happen to’re watching this on a pc all of the notifications are turned off and also you’re in a protected quiet house.
After which from there arrange your posture. So, as typical, sit up good and straight in a approach that feels actually, very nice. So, we would like our physique to be each upright and relaxed, so our backbone is sweet and upright, and our physique’s relaxed. As soon as your backbone is upright and the highest of your head is form of pulling upward a bit bit, simply let your backbone wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, like a younger sapling tree in a wonderful moist wind, only a light wind, only a good gentle wind. And simply transfer round like {that a} bit till you discover simply that proper spot, simply the proper spot, the place the backbone feels completely balanced, completely comfortable, after which come to relaxation there. Once more, very upright prime of the pinnacle pulling up, and the chin tucked a bit ,so by no means is your chin jutting up or out, by no means is your head tilted again, it’s at all times a bit bit, tiny bit tilted down, so the topmost level of your head is admittedly pulling upward.
Okay, after which be certain that your shoulders aren’t tight and hunched ahead. They’re relaxed and again. You have got your palms both on this mudra, like this, proper? The place the thumbs are simply touching, they’re not pressed like that, they’re simply touching. Or you possibly can have every hand resting in your thighs, both like this–flat in your thighs, like that–in that mudra, or similar mudra however on the backs of your palms, flat in your thighs. So, they’re not up such as you see in images. They’re resting comfortably in your thighs, both approach. Okay, so you’ve gotten that mudra or you are able to do this mudra in your lap. So, these are our mudras for meditation. Mudra, in fact, means gesture or hand pose however really in its bigger sense it may possibly imply a pose of your complete physique. However that’s often referred to as asana. So, after we’re speaking about hand postures we name them mudras. It’s fascinating as a result of one of many traditions we’re impressed by known as Mahamudra, the nice gesture, however on this case they’re not speaking a couple of hand posture, they’re speaking about one thing fairly totally different than that. So, that’s a subject for one more time.
In any case, as soon as our posture is ready up I would like you to spend a second to get your intention collectively. Why are you meditating? What are you doing? Meditating, proper? So, we’re not simply form of arriving on the cushion chaotically, we’re sitting on the cushion, after which going, “okay, right here’s what I’m doing. I’m meditating due to x, y, and z.” So, go forward and do this whereas I take a sip of scrumptious peppermint tea as a result of I’m guiding the meditation each occasionally I must take a drink so my throat retains working. Nonetheless, after we are meditating, you usually wouldn’t transfer in any respect. So, in case you watch the early movies I’m actually adamant, as a result of we’re in individual all collectively in an area, that folks keep actually, actually nonetheless. As a result of we’re doing these on youtube, and we aren’t in one another’s dwelling rooms presumably, I haven’t been saying a lot in regards to the motion, however really, as soon as we settle in it’s actually vital to only keep nonetheless. If our physique strikes fairly often which means our thoughts goes to maneuver. And so after we fidget, particularly if we fidget in a form of distracted fidgety approach, that makes our thoughts transfer in a distracted fidgety approach. So we are inclined to need to let the physique develop into very relaxed, not unmoving in a good approach, however unmoving in a relaxed approach, such as you’re so relaxed you possibly can’t transfer. After which that tends to deliver the thoughts into a really relaxed and nonetheless place as nicely for the size of meditation.
So, as soon as we’re arrange and we’ve set our intention then I need to herald a metaphor with which to meditate and tonight’s metaphor goes to once more be the factor hearth. So, I would like you to see–nicely, first I would like you to image your meditation, and this is rather like a poetic metaphor, however I would like you to really feel as in case you are meditating like a hearth. You’re meditating like a raging, burning hearth, however it’s not loopy and chaotic. It burns actually easily and actually cleanly and it’s a form of complete purification, proper? This hearth is simply consuming all difficulties. It’s consuming all negativity. It’s consuming all obscurations.It’s consuming all ignorance. It’s consuming all distraction. It’s consuming all fidgetiness. It’s consuming all our tough unfavourable self-talk. The fireplace is simply burning, and burning, and burning, and completely consuming that which could in any other case block or get in the best way of our meditation.
And right here there’s simply this stunning, vivid, completely clear, clear hearth that’s simply stuffed with vitality. And that vitality is pure, and that vitality is vivid. The vitality is evident. That vitality is providing you with a lot life help. It’s like this life vitality elevating up and simply exquisitely expressing itself as this flame, and also you would possibly even see it–if you wish to consider the largest form of hearth–you would possibly even see it as a form of a solar, proper? Or meditating like a solar. So, an image of a solar in entrance of you. Within the solar, once more, it’s burning vivid with the sunshine of pristine consciousness. It’s radiant and pure with the sunshine of Buddha thoughts, and it’s completely cleaning and purifying. It’s eradicating each form of impediment, eradicating each form of obscuration, eradicating each form of issue, eradicating the whole lot that’s not wholesome, and therapeutic, and loving, and candy, and exquisite in your world, and in your thoughts. And it’s simply this solar–this burning solar of fireside in entrance of you is beaming a form of complete love, and complete kindness, and complete acceptance in the direction of you. It’s very nice, it’s not one way or the other scorching or tough, somewhat it feels nice. It feels nearly like–the way it feels to you is like how the solar feels to a plant. It’s life-giving, it’s completely stuffed with help, and it’s providing you with a form of large pleasure simply to have this burning solar in entrance.
And also you discover that when the solar is current it additionally brings confidence, and it additionally brings playfulness, proper? There’s a form of actual pleasure happening there that has these different qualities like confidence and playfulness. The solar of enlightened knowledge, this hearth of your personal deepest pristine consciousness.And now, on an in-breath, take that in. And as an alternative of the standard spots I would like you to let that solar drop all the best way to the bottom of your backbone. Let that solar simply sink all the best way into your perineum, and the backbone there, and really feel that flame burning vivid.
And this stunning flame of enlightened knowledge, once more, it’s cleansing out your physique. It’s eradicating any form of toxins, or something that doesn’t belong in your physique. It’s eradicating any form of overseas beings. It’s eradicating any form of vitality blockages. It’s eradicating any unhealthy something, and it’s simply purifying your complete physique. And you’re feeling your physique start to loosen and open, and you are feeling the fireplace going by each channel, each nerve system, all of the cardiovascular system, all of the fascia, all of the muscle, even contained in the bones. And it’s burning, and burning, and burning out something that’s diseased, or damaged, or previous, or that isn’t serving your full well being. And as an alternative it’s simply completely filling your physique with this sort of radiant knowledge, pleasure, love, but additionally therapeutic and power. And so simply really feel that now for a minute.
Good. And now, respiratory deep, discover that that fireplace begins arising your backbone. And it’s nearly just like the backbone itself is a form of a torch, a flame that’s burning completely, cleanly and with none smoke ,and in reality it begins to shine actually vivid like daylight. So though the bottom of your backbone is form of the place it’s all coming from, the entire backbone itself is lighting up and turning into increasingly more good, and increasingly more highly effective, and increasingly more stunning, and increasingly more awake. And your complete physique at this level–this hearth within the backbone is popping your complete physique from a flesh physique right into a physique of sunshine, physique of simply pure gentle, and this gentle physique has numerous colours and exquisite reflections. And this burning hearth of knowledge, the beautiful flame of the Buddha nature, the completely clear gentle of pristine consciousness, and your complete physique’s made from simply that.
So, that’s our opening visualization and now you, on this spot, you possibly can let go of the visualization if you need. And I would like you to only now start to permit consciousness itself–as a result of your physique is simply made of sunshine, so consciousness doesn’t really feel caught in your physique in any respect, you’ve gotten this huge spacious consciousness. Consciousness may be very giant, and really straightforward, and open. After which, coming into that consciousness you discover the breath, the rising high quality of the in-breath, though the air goes down, there’s a sense of rising up within the in-breath after which the form of dropping high quality within the out breath as we breathe out. And so with this very huge consciousness, very, very open consciousness, completely pristine ,clear, vivid, awake, we meditate on the approaching and going of the breath. Let’s simply do this collectively for some time right here.
And at this level we’ve let go of the imaginative and prescient totally, and as an alternative, we’re simply resting as open consciousness. And I would like you to guarantee that though you’re not focusing exhausting on the breath, like making an attempt to get each element, you’re staying with it constantly, you don’t miss a second of that breath. You’re not, once more, you’re not focusing sharp, you’re letting consciousness keep huge however the breath comes into consciousness very easy. It’s very straightforward to note and so don’t miss a second of it. Discover the start of the in-breath of the top of the in-breath, starting of the out-breath and the top of the out-breath, stick with it constantly with none gaps.
Now, let’s proceed to stick with the breath right here, however now as an alternative of simply noticing the start and ends of the breath, I would like you to stick with the entire breath, once more simply with open straightforward spacious consciousness, not drilling down on the breath, or making an attempt to carry on to it or something, however merely permitting it to be in consciousness. Repeatedly noticing each second of that in-breath
and each second of that out-breath, not lacking any a part of it, not the slightest half. Staying with it constantly, staying with it constantly. That is very straightforward for consciousness to do until we begin chasing off after some fantasies or no matter. So simply preserve permitting consciousness to note each second of the breath.
Okay. Good. Now let’s gently change to our shamata with out an object. So, we let go of the breath and easily relaxation as this spacious huge consciousness in itself, proper? So, consciousness merely rests as consciousness and consciousness is just not doing something. If ideas come up, it isn’t concerned in these ideas, emotions come up, it isn’t concerned in these emotions, sights and sounds, physique sensations come up, it isn’t concerned with any of that. Moderately it’s merely resting in itself. The metaphor is prefer it’s like a king or a queen on their throne, this royal personage on their throne, merely resting, and if it goes tries to–in the event that they attempt to exit to do something or meet something, as an alternative they only loosen up, and are available again to resting. There’s no involvement with something, okay? Moderately, merely consciousness resting in itself. And also you’ll discover a form of stillness in that consciousness, and that’s what we’re in search of–is simply permitting that stillness to get increasingly more nonetheless. Every time consciousness begins to get entangled in something, simply drop that and are available again to consciousness resting in itself. It feels very, superb. It’s simply this broad, open, very clear, very awake spaciousness that rests in itself, uninvolved in something.
Okay. Good. Now we’re going to do a variation on this that’s really actually fascinating. And so, we’re nonetheless doing our shamatha. We’re nonetheless resting as huge spacious consciousness. However now I really need you to permit consciousness to note the contents of the thoughts. As a substitute of not being with them, now consciousness could be with the contents of the thoughts, however remaining utterly defused from them. So, beforehand we have been simply dropping the ball. Anytime we picked up a thought we simply dropped it. Now the ideas are allowed to return into the thoughts and consciousness is noticing the ideas however not getting inside them, not chasing them, not having want for this thought and aversion to this different thought. We’re merely, it’s nearly like consciousness is solely observing thought arising and never interacting with it in any approach however nonetheless actually clear about its arising and passing, its motion, and so forth. Merely permitting this completely nonetheless consciousness to note this motion of thought. That is referred to as resting the thoughts in its pure state. So let’s do this now.
It’s very straightforward to get caught up within the considering, so don’t let that occur. We’re resting as this huge spacious nonetheless consciousness however simply permitting the ideas to return and go. We’re not trying away from them. We’re letting them merely come up in consciousness and cross an consciousness with out stepping into them in any respect.
Okay. Good. So, that was an additional shamatha step in there, and a special form of shamatha that we haven’t executed earlier than referred to as resting the thoughts in its pure state. And now we’re going to maneuver into some vipashyana. And this week we’re going to return to doing vipashyana that we’ve executed many instances in these meditations which is vipashyana on considering, proper? So, keep in mind in vipashyana we’re seeing the vacancy of some specific arising, so now that we’ve been seeing these ideas come up, now I would like you to note that the ideas are empty. What does it imply that they’re empty? You see that they’re ephemeral, dreamlike psychological constructions. There’s nothing extra ephemeral and constructed than a thought, so simply discover. Let’s begin out noticing the audio portion of considering just like the blah blah blah and simply discover that it arises within the house of consciousness, and vibrates within the house of consciousness, and passes within the house of consciousness. And the entire time it arises and it’s empty.
Bear in mind empty doesn’t imply it’s not there. Oh, it’s there, however it’s only a form of show, proper? It’s a development. In order that’s the distinction between a constructing and the surroundings in a play. You have got the again, the surroundings, it’s not likely a constructing, it’s identical to a picture of a constructing, and so it’s simply made from plywood or one thing, and it’s only one aspect, or perhaps even paper, however the thought is that. These ideas are arising, they usually’re utterly like–nearly like mist, or like clouds, or like goals, they usually by no means agency up into these stable objects. They’re completely ephemeral and we’re noticing that constantly in regards to the ideas whereas not getting concerned within the content material. After we’re doing vipashyana the content material doesn’t matter, it’s the phenomena of the thought and the concept that we see it as empty. It’s like a dream of a thought. So let’s attempt that now.
Good. Now let’s additionally embrace, along with this verbal a part of thought, any of the picture a part of thought. So some folks, and I’m one in every of them, have plenty of considering that occurs visually. And so, if that’s taking place, once more we’re not making an attempt to make it occur, but when that’s coming into the thoughts of its personal accord, then we’re seeing that as empty as nicely. And that once more, that’s identical to some form of picture on a display screen it has no substance in anyway, it’s utterly completely nebulous and ephemeral. And so we’re seeing the visible ideas as nebulous and ephemeral. We’re listening to the visible ideas as nebulous and ephemeral. And so they’re completely empty, and also you discover how a lot of a reduction that’s.
Discover that there’s a way of reduction when the ideas don’t have a lot weight, and don’t appear so stable and actual, however somewhat we discover their complete constructedness, their utter empty, vaporous high quality. It’s an actual reduction, and but the ideas are nonetheless there. We’re not eliminating them and even altering them. We’re simply noticing this property about them referred to as vacancy. Discover how psychological photos, creativeness, and verbal ideas are only a form of film that performs within the head. It’s acquired sound and footage, it performs in your head, and it’s potential to only get misplaced inside that each one day. Actually, that’s what many people do, however it’s additionally potential in meditation like this to step outdoors that film and somewhat than being incited and believing it, simply discover, such as you would possibly do in case you have been watching a film on a television display screen at residence. Generally you’re misplaced within the story however typically you again out and also you’re identical to, “it’s only a film, it’s simply on a display screen” and that’s what we’re noticing now with the vacancy. There’s simply psychological photos and psychological discuss taking place and we don’t should be concerned in it in any respect. We will see its vacancy, we are able to see that it’s ephemeral and constructed.
Now let’s do the identical factor with feelings. So we are able to let go of trying on the ideas now, and as an alternative discover in case you’re having any emotions of any form come up. It might be frustration, might be delicate nervousness, it might be a pleasant feeling of pleasure, it might be a form of a wonderful feeling of affection or one thing like that. All emotions are welcome. All emotions are utterly welcome, and on the similar time I would like you to note that also they are empty. Once more, that doesn’t imply they’re not there. They’re utterly there, and but on the similar time they’re a form of development. They’re a form of ephemeral, nebulous, je ne sais quoi, proper? We’re simply noticing their ephemerality so if there’s not plenty of feelings taking place, then simply preserve working with ideas. However in case you are noticing even delicate tiny background feelings, tune into that ephemerality, tune into the constructedness, the vacancy of the feelings. And see, after we’re doing this, you don’t get entangled within the content material. It’s not like, “oh, I’m feeling unhappy, I’m wondering why” that’s, we’re not doing that. We’re feeling the disappointment and simply noticing its vacancy, discover that it’s a form of ephemeral, constructed occasion taking place within the sky of consciousness.
Okay. So, no matter’s arising, we’re simply seeing its vacancy. How have you learnt you’re actually seeing the vacancy of emotion? As a result of the emotion gained’t seize you so tightly. It gained’t trigger you to be fairly as reactive. You’ll begin to–though it’s nonetheless there, and you continue to really feel it, there might be much less…it should form of…it’ll be much less sticky. It’s simply arising and passing and that’s it’s ephemeral nature, and also you’re not getting so caught up in it. And so there’s a form of reduction.
Okay. Good. Now we’ve checked out thought and feeling, let’s have a look at the vacancy of the sense of being you in any respect, so your story. Who you’re, your historical past, your work, your loved ones, what you’re making an attempt to do, what you care about, all of that. When that form of stuff comes up, simply enable your self to note it as a psychological development. And now, additionally discover that it’s solely composed of thought and feeling. So, we’ve already labored with ideas, we’ve already labored with feelings. And so all this sense of your story, that’s going to be ideas and emotions, all of the sense of who you’re as an individual, it’s a form of agglomeration, a mix of thought and feeling. And once more, it’s not that it’s not there. It’s not that it’s nothing. It’s positively there in one thing, in a method. And in one other approach, discover it’s merely a psychological development, and it’s simply arising and passing, like a dream. After which often we grasp on to this very tightly, our story of ourselves, however I’m not asking you to eliminate it. I’m simply asking you to let or not it’s completely with none greedy, completely with none holding onto it. Simply discover, it’s like making an attempt to carry on to a film, or maintain on to a dream, that simply you possibly can’t do this with it.
And so simply enable this sense of self that comes up, sense of being me–I like this factor, I don’t like that factor, that is going nicely, this isn’t going nicely, I’m having a tough time with this, I’m not having a tough time with this, oh, that’s as a result of I, or I hope this different factor occurs–all these form of ideas. The ideas that come up within the thoughts of a being, an individual like that. We’re simply gonna discover that each one of that’s completely ephemeral, completely nebulous, completely dreamlike, completely like a mirage, completely and, utterly, and completely, and without end–completely empty. Once more, don’t get entangled within the content material, simply discover it come up and cross, as utterly empty. What a reduction it’s to note the entire persona construction, the entire story of me is rather like a form of dream, like a magic image present, arising and passing. And we don’t should react to it in any approach.
Okay. Good. Now let’s let go of that vipashyana, the vipashyana on thought and feeling, and the sense of self, and are available again to the flame. The flame of enlightened consciousness, and now the flame is coming collectively. It’s rising from the pelvic area and arising, coming collectively within the coronary heart, and also you discover that the flame is photo voltaic, it’s like a solar, and it’s burning brighter, and brighter, and brighter. And this flame of completely pure, completely pristine, Buddha-level consciousness is radiating out, identical to the solar radiating out. Radiating out, bringing pleasure to all beings, bringing therapeutic to all beings, bringing peace and contentment to all beings, bringing love and kindness and caring to all beings. Simply radiating out–even simply pure life power to all beings.If you happen to have a look at the traditional Egyptian carvings, this, the solar within the sky has rays that come out of it, and on every of these rays, there’s a hand. On the hand, every hand is holding an ankh, and the ankh is the image of life, and this radiate radiant solar in your coronary heart is beaming out this life, and this pleasure, and this peace and contentment, but additionally knowledge, and readability, additionally playfulness, and spontaneity. It’s tremendously stunning, and tremendously clear gentle that’s radiating out in every single place from the center. And this isn’t your bodily coronary heart, that is the center of your personal enlightened consciousness, your personal pristine thoughts. And simply really feel that beaming out in every single place now to all beings, bringing happiness, bringing pleasure, bringing therapeutic, bringing life, bringing love, bringing peace on earth, and on all earths, on all planets in every single place, and therapeutic the setting. And bringing kindness, and caring, and a way of dignity, and equality to even all of the animals on the earth, and each river, and each stream, and each rock, and each plant, and each chook, and each drop of water within the ocean, and each cloud, and each fish, and all beings on your complete earth turning into healed, and joyous, and thriving, once more.
Good. Let’s finish the meditation there. You may discover that even that complete imaginative and prescient is itself only a form of a dream, it’s itself a development of thought and feeling, and but it has a strong sense, proper? You may nonetheless really feel all the enjoyment, and the sweetness, and but it’s additionally ephemeral, it’s additionally empty. Let your self discover that vacancy now. And the way that doesn’t one way or the other make it lower than, doesn’t one way or the other make it nothing, doesn’t one way or the other make it go away, however somewhat we’re simply not caught up in it on this tight approach, proper? We see that it’s merely an expression, merely a development of thoughts.
Good. So, enable your self to maneuver and stretch. Do some cat stretching. Oh, stretch like a cat. Ohhhh! Oh, that is how my cat stretches. Really feel how good that feels to stretch. Let your physique transfer in no matter approach feels actually good proper now. It doesn’t should be large motion, it may be small motion, any form of motion. Simply really feel how good your physique feels to maneuver and stretch. Permit your self to have a sip of scrumptious mint tea. That’s so good.
Dharma Discuss
After which we’ll simply proceed right here speaking in regards to the vacancy of thought and feeling.
You understand, vacancy is a humorous idea. It’s a Buddhist phrase, proper? We don’t often use that phrase in another context, a minimum of not with that which means, in common English. We’d say, the bucket was empty and its vacancy allowed us to place milk in it. Milk in a bucket as a result of we’re on a cow farm, a dairy farm, however that’s not the form of vacancy we’re speaking about right here. It’s a very, completely totally different form of vacancy. It doesn’t imply nothingness or or not-there-ness in the best way that the English phrase vacancy often does. Moderately, it means ephemerality. It means dream-likeness.
Discover I’m not saying dream, as a result of you realize that has a very particular definition of you’re asleep at night time, and also you’re having fast eye motion, and all that. Dream has a really particular which means, though in English we are able to additionally use dream in a much less particular technique to imply, “I dream of sometime shopping for a home” or no matter. It may have extra of the sense of simply any form of psychological visualization, proper? However on this case we’re not even narrowing it right down to even visualization. It simply implies that’s why I’m saying dream-like. It’s like ideas come up, however on this case we’re speaking in regards to the vacancy of ideas, ideas come up however they’re merely psychological constructions.
And what’s so loopy, what’s so unusual, and it’s nearly weird when you consider it, is that most individuals–and me included, for lots of my life–are strolling round with a film taking part in of their heads. It’s acquired phrases and footage, for some folks it’s extra phrases and nearly no footage, for some folks it’s extra footage and only a few phrases, for lots of people it’s form of balanced between them. However there’s this nearly like daydream happening in your head, and also you’re up inside it, such as you’re actually believing it, prefer it’s actual–actual within the sense of like as in case you have been asleep at night time and also you have been having a dream. And you actually assume that that knife within the dream can minimize you, or the meals within the dream can fill you up, or no matter. And so discover as you’re strolling round it’s like, “oh, I like this, and I don’t like that, and I would like a kind of, and I don’t need a kind of, and I hope this individual thinks this about me, and I hope that different individual doesn’t assume that about me, and what if this occurs, and what if that occurs” and all that’s simply churning, and churning, and churning. However after we have a look at it phenomenologically, we see that it’s just a few footage in your head, so psychological photos shifting round like on a display screen, like gentle on a display screen, and it’s additionally some discuss–blah blah blah blah blah, after which it’s emotions too about that stuff, “oh, I get completely happy after I take into consideration that, and I get bummed out after I take into consideration that, and I get all excited after I take into consideration that.” And so, in different phrases, we’re misplaced in a film in our heads. We’re misplaced in a dream in our heads, and identical to in a movie show after we watch a film, we’re having every kind of emotions about what’s happening on the display screen. We get freaked out when one thing dangerous occurs to the protagonist, who we actually like, and we get a way of justice executed when the antagonist, the dangerous man, will get their simply desserts and one thing occurs to them. Or you realize when it’s in a love story, when the lovers lastly can get collectively, you possibly can really feel all this sense of pleasure, or heat, or like some… So, no matter’s taking place on the display screen, there’s footage, and there’s phrases on the display screen, and also you’re having feelings about it, proper? And what’s so loopy is; we’re doing the identical factor in our heads all day lengthy. There’s photos arising, there’s discuss arising, and we’re having every kind of emotions about it. “Oh, that individual stated that factor that makes me afraid, oh this different individual is doing this different factor, oh, I get all enthusiastic about that, oh, this third individual, I see that they’re wearing a sure approach, I’ve emotions about that.” Proper? So, in different phrases, we’re simply–there’s stuff happening on this planet however we’re nonetheless concerned within the film in our head about that stuff.
And what I need to clarify is that that film in your head is completely empty, completely ephemeral, completely like a dream. That’s its emptiness-nature, proper? Oh, it’s empty. I don’t should be caught up inside that factor all day, being run round like a rat race, having that factor flip me each which approach. If you happen to’re–you realize that is the which means of samsara, that is the which means of why the world could be so tough is that–in case you’re caught up contained in the ideas and feeling world, you’ve gotten zero management. I imply, it’s simply controlling you, you’re simply reacting, and reacting, and reacting, and reacting, and also you’re caught up contained in the response. And that’s like being in jail. However not simply common jail, it’s just like the form of jail the place they make you break rocks or one thing all day lengthy. It’s actually, actually disagreeable and but so many people spend a lot of our time locked up inside that.
And what I would like you to see while you discover it with vacancy over, and over, and over. See the constructed nature of that dream, so to step outdoors it and let it do its factor. We don’t should cease it. We don’t should one way or the other hate it, or make it go away. Moreover, we don’t even should make it into a wonderful dream. All we have now to do is simply discover its ephemerality, its empty nature from the surface, simply permitting it to come up in consciousness. And consciousness simply notices that that is just a few thought and feeling arising, we don’t even should get entangled within the content material. I imply, the content material’s there if we’d like it, however most of us, for lots of our lives don’t understand that that thought and feeling world is just not really us. We expect it’s us typically however it’s not really us, and the tightest, smallest, most completely in-bondage, lacking-in-freedom a part of that thought and feeling world is the sense of self, story of me, the place I come from, what I like, who I’m, what my persona is like, what this implies about me, what this implies about my previous, what this implies about my trauma, what this implies about this, that, and the opposite factor. All of that could be a form of bondage.
Your precise being is simply this huge spacious readability, this completely joyous, playful, expertise factor. And it’s spending all its time crawling inside this tiny little field of persona, after which shaking the field round, and the world shakes the field round, and also you simply get increasingly more beat up. Or, like I say typically, it’s such as you’re a tennis shoe in a dryer simply ga-ga-ga-ga-gunk, ga-ga-ga-ga-gunk since you’re simply believing the story of me. After which letting your self get simply knocked round by it. And the loopy factor is that that is the other of vacancy, proper? We’re making that story of me with its ideas, and its feelings, and all its historical past, and all its concepts. We’re making that appear so actual and particularly as a result of it’s me. We wish it. We need to make it stable, and we need to make it lasting, and we need to make folks perceive it. You don’t perceive who I’m, you don’t perceive the place I’ve come from, and what I’ve seen, and it is advisable perceive me as a result of it’s actual, and it’s critical, and it’s like simply… Really feel the vitality round it. It’s prefer it’s the smallest, stiffest, saddest little cage and what’s hilarious is; it’s not even actual. You know how that we predict it’s, it’s only a dream. It’s like an image in our heads, and a few emotions we’re having. However what we actually are is that this huge pristine consciousness that has no boundaries, that has no historical past, that has no story, that’s indestructible, that’s utterly free, completely free. You might be free proper now and simply watch your self say why you possibly can’t do this, why? Oh, due to this thought and feeling. If I say, “look, you’re completely free proper now of your story” after which simply watch your self, “no, however–my story…” and simply, okay, discover that you just do this. Isn’t that fascinating? Isn’t that fascinating? All proper, you seize onto what? I don’t need to surrender my little cell. I don’t need to surrender my little tremendous uncomfortable chilly metal cage. It’s like that may be the worst factor on this planet, however would it not?
You understand, we simply spent a very long time on this meditation noticing the vacancy of that cage, noticing the ephemerality of that cage, noticing the constructiveness of that cage, noticing that it’s only a form of dream-like image present, and that we are able to stand completely outdoors it, completely outdoors it as simply this huge spacious, completely free, cognizance, proper? Playful, spontaneous, easy, cognizance. And naturally, when we have to assume, when we have to have emotions, that’s nonetheless there. It didn’t go away. It’s not like, you realize, we acquired out a jigsaw and minimize open your cranium and took out the flexibility to assume and really feel. It’s all nonetheless there. It’s all nonetheless current. However we’re not caught up inside it, we’re not believing it. We’re not loopy glued up contained in the ping pong ball anymore, proper? We’re freed from the ping pong ball, let go. Let go of the ping pong ball and fly free little chook since you are completely freed from all that. And the way? We simply see the vacancy, simply to see the truth that it’s a psychological development, it’s a film taking part in in your thoughts, proper now, film taking part in in consciousness proper now and that’s not you. It’s not you, okay? In order that’s what I need to say tonight.
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