Relative Peace - Absolute Peace

The title of this meditation describes two dimensions of practice and two dimensions of being.

There's individualized consciousness,

Which is why you have a sense of yourself as an individual with a point of view,

And vast,

Boundless consciousness.

That from which,

And within which,

Individualized consciousness arises,

And into which it dissolves.

What you might call essential being.

Relative peace is about individualized consciousness.

This body,

Heart,

Mind,

Subtle energy system,

Right here.

Relative peace is circumstantial.

It comes and goes.

You have different thoughts,

Feelings,

Moods,

Circumstances,

Events,

And moments of experience.

They all feel different.

Some moments feel peaceful,

And others don't.

Relative peace is impermanent.

You can cultivate moments of peace by consciously relaxing your body,

Calming your emotions,

Quieting your mind,

Thinking more peaceful thoughts,

And so on.

That's a good thing to do.

It's helpful to do that as a daily practice.

It's helpful to be able to recognize tension and release it,

Whether it's physical,

Emotional,

Or mental tension.

Absolute peace has to do with essential being.

This peace is unwavering.

It's always already there,

Because it is the nature of being itself.

It's not a peace you can,

Or need to,

Cultivate,

Because essential being always,

Already,

Is peaceful.

So this dimension of peace is one that you simply need to recognize,

Tune into,

And rest as.

Absolute peace is ever-present,

Constant,

Always there,

Underneath the fluctuations of individualized conscious experience.

As you learn to tune into,

Recognize,

And rest as this unwavering peace again and again,

You begin to see your individualized experience as arising within that absolute peace,

Imbued with that peace.

With practice,

You can integrate absolute peace with your relative point of view.

So peace is felt as ever-present,

No matter what fluctuations arise in your individualized consciousness.

In this practice,

You'll embody relative peace right here in this body,

Heart,

And mind.

Then you'll expand out to a felt sense of absolute,

Unwavering peace.

Then you'll integrate absolute and relative peace.

Finally,

You'll bring a specific tension in your life or in the world into this field of peace,

And allow that tension to soften and release.

So let's begin by sitting comfortably upright,

With the soles of your feet firmly on the Cup your hands in your lap,

With the tips of your thumbs touching,

Lightly.

Lightly close your eyes.

Begin with basic mindfulness,

Just noticing anything that is present in awareness.

You might notice lingering thoughts,

Emotions,

Or sensations.

A first step in relative peacefulness is simply allowing all of that to be,

Just as it is.

There's a degree of peacefulness in allowing yourself to be,

Just as you are.

This is the equanimity of basic mindfulness,

Being calmly present with whatever arises in awareness.

Now,

Feel out into the space all around you,

As a sacred space,

A safe and peaceful space,

Right here.

Call to mind your intention for this practice.

Why is peace important to you?

Peace feels better than tension.

Peace is also deeply healing.

When you embody a felt sense of inner peace,

Relax your body,

Calm your emotions,

And quiet your mind.

That supports and facilitates healing.

Your natural healing response comes online as you relax and feel peaceful.

The effect of embodying peace extends beyond you to all your loved ones,

To everyone you interact with,

And even more widely and invisibly to all beings,

Our whole planet,

And throughout our collective consciousness and all that is.

You are part of a greater whole,

And your state of consciousness contributes to the whole.

So,

As you embody peace,

You bring that to everyone,

Everywhere,

At the level of our connectedness.

You make it more possible for all beings to experience peace.

So,

Consider dedicating this practice to peace for all beings,

Inner peace and outer peace,

For all.

And with this intention in place,

Let's focus down into feeling the sensations of contact of the soles of your feet on the ground.

Awaken sensory awareness here in your feet and your toes and allow them to soften and relax,

Releasing any tension,

Allowing them to melt deep down into the earth.

Feel your oneness with the earth.

There's a deep peace in the frequency of the earth,

The Schumann resonance,

7.

83 hertz,

That correlates with alpha theta brainwaves of relaxation and immersion in the field of the earth.

As you feel down into the earth,

Connect with this frequency of peace underneath all the surface commotion,

This deep frequency of peace of the earth itself.

Thank the earth for this abiding frequency of peace,

Which supports all life here.

This is the frequency within which life here evolved and which restores health,

Vitality and a felt sense of connection.

Feel this relaxed frequency of peace flowing up through your feet,

Up through your shins and calves,

Up through your knees and thighs,

Into your hips and pelvic bowl resting down in your seat.

Feel the weight of your body resting down in your seat,

Resting down on the earth.

You are rooted and grounded in the peaceful frequency of the earth.

Now,

Focus into your palms and fingers resting cupped in your lap.

Awaken sensory awareness here in your hands and allow your hands to soften and relax as if they are melting down into your legs.

Feel the soft openness in your hands,

Connected to the soft openness in your heart.

As your hands relax even more,

Allow your arms and shoulders to relax down,

Releasing any tension in your shoulders,

Your neck and your head.

Imagine and feel as if a string is attached to the top of your head,

Drawing your spine gently upright,

Like a string of luminous pearls.

Feel your spine gently stretched from your perineum and tailbone right up through the top of your head,

Like a stream of light flowing upwards,

Up through the top of your head and opening to the vast clear sky above.

Feel the peace and clarity of the vast open sky.

The peace of vast openness,

Like the sky.

Now,

Tuck your chin just slightly,

Gently lengthening the back of your neck.

Lightly close your lips and breathe in and out through your nose.

Nasal breathing is calming to your nervous system,

As is slightly extending your exhalation.

So,

As you continue nasal breathing,

Effortlessly,

Naturally,

Be slightly more aware of your exhalation and allow it to extend in a way that's comfortable,

Easy and unforced.

Exhalation is the letting go half of the breath.

As you continue nasal breathing,

Rest your tongue upon the roof of your mouth,

With the tip of your tongue touching the gum line behind your upper front teeth.

Soften and relax your tongue here.

Softening your tongue is another calming cue,

Which sends a relaxation signal to the vagus nerve in the center of your brain.

Feel the connection between the softening of your tongue and relaxation in the center of your brain.

Feel that relaxation flowing down through the vagus nerve,

From the center of your brain down through your heart.

Relaxing and releasing any tension around your heart.

Feel this relaxation signal flowing down through your abdomen.

Softening,

Releasing any tension in your abdomen.

Breathe deeply in your lower abdomen,

Continuing to extend exhalation.

As you feel this peaceful relaxation,

Smile,

A subtle smile of inner peace.

Allow this feeling of smiling to shine out through your eyes.

Shining this smile of inner peace.

Release any tension from your eyebrows and your forehead.

Allow the feeling of deep inner peace to wash down from the top of your head,

Down through your brain,

Down over your face,

Down the back of your head.

Down through your neck,

Shoulders,

Arms and hands.

Down through your chest and upper back.

Relaxing,

Releasing any tension.

Down through your abdomen and lower back.

Feeling relaxation flow down through your hips,

Legs and feet.

Feel your body as a whole from the inside,

This vessel of your individualized consciousness.

Open,

Relaxed and peaceful.

Feel this peace flowing out through the pores of your skin,

Into the space all around you.

Feel as if your skin dissolves and this felt sense of peace permeates the space inside and all around.

One space of peace.

Feel this peaceful space extending infinitely in all directions.

You don't have to try to extend this peace.

It simply is extended in all directions.

You can feel it.

Feel this peace infinitely in front of you.

This soft openness extending infinitely in front of you.

Feel it infinitely behind you.

Farther and farther.

Feel this peace infinitely out to the left.

Farther and farther.

Feel it infinitely out to the right.

Feel this peace infinitely above you.

The peace of the clear open sky.

Feel this peace infinitely below you.

The still,

Silent peace of the earth.

Feel out to the edges of this infinite space of peace.

And beyond that.

There are no edges to this peace.

This peace is boundless.

Without beginning or end.

Absolutely peaceful.

Prior to any fluctuation.

Changeless.

Almost like nothing at all.

Yet unmistakable and unwavering.

Rest as absolute peace.

Absolute peace.

Ever present in the background.

Allow it to flow through the foreground.

So there is only this.

Absolute peace.

Within that absolute peace,

There are galaxies.

Our Milky Way.

Our solar system.

Our planet earth.

Absolute peace underlies and permeates all of these evolving and changing systems.

As well as all beings.

Everything arises from and within this absolute peace.

The Schumann resonance is a relative expression of this peace.

The peaceful field of our planet.

The healthy frequency of life here.

Now bring to mind any relationship or situation that is not attuning to this peace.

Any place where this ever present peace is not recognized.

Allow this relationship or situation to rest in this field of peace.

Embraced by it.

So this peace saturates it.

Softens it.

Transforms it with the frequency of peace.

The irresistible power of peace permeates all temporary forms.

Permeates all situations.

This underlying peace wells up and soaks through all situations.

All nations.

The recognition of the peace that is always present underneath the surface commotion wells up,

Saturates and permeates our planet.

All relationships.

Now let go and rest in and as this peace.

There's nothing you need to do.

Simply rest.

Open and peaceful.

Smile with deep peace.

Allow peace to make a deep impression.

Record peace deeply so you remember it.

Bring it with you and share it wherever you go.

Slowly begin to open your eyes feeling the peaceful space within and all around.

One space of peace.

Take a few more moments to sit in this peace.

As this peace.

With your eyes open.

Move through life in peace.

Bringing peace wherever you go.

Thank you for practicing peace.

Well done.