Welcome.
My name is Celia Roberts and I'm from the Biomedical Institute of Yoga and Meditation.
I'm currently in Myanmar at the Kakku Pagoda where I'm beginning to hear the sounds of the bells draw me into meditation.
I invite you to join me in the tradition of Mahasi U Siddho where we begin to note the breath in the abdomen.
Mahasi U Siddho was one of the most popularised,
The teachers who popularised meditation again in Myanmar,
Burma,
Formerly known as Burma,
And also in the West teaching Jack Cornfield and Joseph Goldstein.
So sit comfortably,
Tall spine,
And begin to notice the breath in the abdomen,
The rising and the falling of the breath.
Perhaps you might notice the breath with the words arising,
Passing,
The arising of the breath,
The passing of the breath.
Be open to all sound,
Letting it pass through your body as a vibration,
Without judgement,
Just noting sound.
Keep coming back to the breath,
Arising,
Passing,
Noticing the rise and the fall of the abdomen.
Keep a concentration firmly placed at this point.
We pass some meditation,
Firmly placed at this abdominal centre,
Noting arising and passing.
Observing sound,
See if you can detach from the observation of the sound,
Letting it pass through you,
Coming back,
Arising,
Passing.
As we detach in a non-judgmental way,
We perceive nothing as either good or bad,
Just as it is.
Arising,
Passing,
Arising,
Passing,
Noticing the breath,
The feeling and sensation of the breath.
Mahasi U Siddho was very,
Very intent on bringing the practical aspects of Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism back to life,
As taught by the Buddha himself.
Mindful of sensation,
Mindful of breath,
Mindful of body,
Mindful of each step.
Be very observant of the rising and falling of your abdomen.
When other sensations come up,
You can note the sensation.
Cool,
Warmth,
Emotion,
Always returning back to the arising and passing of the breath,
Not attaching to any sensation.
At the same time,
Really connecting mind to body,
Body to mind.
Heightening your observational skills between the two.
As thought comes up,
You may label the thought,
Thought.
So much so,
You should become so good at the practice that at some point you can feel yourself thinking.
There is a charge or an electrical energy behind the thought,
A movement of your energy away as the mind begins to think.
So bring yourself into deep stillness and presence by returning your attention back to the breath,
Your thought,
Your concentration into this moment,
Arising and passing,
Arising and passing.
As other sensations arise in the body,
You might notice them.
Keep coming back,
Noting them and then coming back,
Arising,
Passing.
The breath is your anchor.
You place all of your attention at that point.
And finally,
To complete the practice,
Listen for the bells.
Let the sound of the gentle bells pass through your own bodily vibration without judgment,
Neither good nor bad.
Just listening,
Observing.
And then finally,
Observing all sounds,
The sounds of Myanmar,
The sounds of the Kaku,
Pagoda,
The distant sound of traffic and the local singing,
If you can hear that.
And observing the breath,
Arising,
Passing,
Really feeling the breath,
The belly moving,
The breath moving through the belly,
The body.
Arising and passing,
Arising and passing,
Arising and passing.
I wish you well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from dangers,
Fears,
Worries and anxieties.
May you be held in deep compassion and may you be at peace and may your whole life be truly blessed.
Thank you.
