This meditation focuses on our feelings,
Mindfulness of the feelings,
And culminates with a consideration of deeper and more profound feelings that exist within the pure nature of our minds.
So relax your body in a sitting or lying posture,
Taking your deep breaths to refresh the brain,
And allowing tension to leave your body on the out breath.
Stabilise the mind with following the breath,
Mindfulness of the breath,
Focusing on the subtle sensation of breath passing in and out of the nostrils.
This is our anchor,
And when we notice that our thoughts are drifting out into fantasies,
Conceptualisation,
Gently bring the attention back to the breath,
Allowing those thoughts to dissipate.
So we're making a firm motivation that we don't want to follow thoughts,
We want to focus on the feelings in our body and how they're connected with our mind,
And how that can enable us to let go of judgements,
Labelling,
And any preconceptions associated with those,
And enable us to make contact with something deeper within ourselves that is really virtuous,
Wholesome and pure.
There are three basic kinds of feelings that we experience,
Physical and mental pleasure,
Pain and indifference.
Our feelings are associated with the six senses,
And then linked with our mental consciousness.
So with our eyes we might see a bird flying in the sky,
And then that immediately moves our mental consciousness to make a judgement about that bird flying in the sky.
How beautiful,
How surprising,
Or no feeling at all.
In the same way when we taste food,
The perception of the taste is quickly transferred to the mental consciousness which judges whether it is a pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or bland taste.
So when we continue with this meditation we're going to consider what are just bare sensations,
And notice how these connect with feelings of pleasure,
Pain or indifference.
We're getting in touch with our bodies.
And first of all focusing on tactile sensations.
You just feel where you are sitting or lying,
The bare sensations of clothing,
Upholstery,
Perhaps even the sensation of air around our bodies.
And then notice if you are experiencing what you would call discomfort,
Or comfort.
And reflect a little on the sensation of comfort and discomfort.
Notice you experience an itch and long to scratch it,
In the meditation we avoid moving,
So instead we can just observe how it dissipates,
Changes,
Moves,
And rather than labelling it unpleasant,
Difficult,
Uncomfortable,
We can just let it go.
And then be aware also of the neutral feelings,
Indifference,
In certain areas of our body,
Notice touching it,
Whether it's neither comfort nor discomfort.
And notice how we identify with these feelings,
I have got an itch,
This is uncomfortable,
I'm enjoying this.
And then how this connects with the mental consciousness in terms of craving,
Attachment to pleasure,
And the anger that arises when we're in pain.
And when there isn't sensation,
How we become dull and inattentive.
Notice our response to cool and warm.
What a delicate balance there is between comfort and discomfort.
And we can use the sensation of sound.
For instance,
Any kind of judgement on the guidance,
The verbal guidance in this meditation,
Is it soothing and pleasant,
Too much,
Too little,
Just get a sense of the levels of judgement we make in every situation.
Perhaps you are picking up interference on the recording and therefore it's not perfect.
Or you're in an environment which is disturbing your meditation.
So we can mindfully observe the sensation.
And the sensations and related feelings in the body and mind.
Allowing the mind to move from conceptual thoughts like a strong waterfall into a mind that's more like a gently flowing river,
Where the conceptual thoughts relax and are released more quickly.
An snort.
If we are able,
We can allow our minds pure awareness experience,
Deep,
Unmoving.
So take your meditation deep within yourself where we can generate a profound feeling and we have touched the pure nature of the mind.
Where the bottom of the river is clear with hardly any disturbance.
Still.
And from our hearts we can generate in this peaceful stillness a mind of great compassion.
It is great in that it moves beyond personal preferences of friends and family.
Outwards to all beings.
It is great in that there is a recognition of our interdependence,
Our connection.
So even if we are alone we experience the connection of all beings to each other.
All wishing for happiness,
All wanting to avoid any kind of problems,
And all caught up in the endeavour of survival.
Not recognising the interconnection of us all.
This wonderful altruistic mind is within us all.
If we can touch it,
It comes from that deep place of calm.
There is a source of light within us and within the world to generate a strong wish for all beings to be happy and to know how to find genuine happiness and all beings to be free from problems and to know how to be free from problems.
And for all beings to abide in a state of equanimity,
Being free from aversion for any being and free from attachment to any being that creates feelings of pleasure and pain and indifference within us.
And generate the bliss of that great compassion within you.
Thank you.
And when you are ready,
Very gently and slowly open your eyes,
Stretch your fingers and toes.
And feel as if this incredible quality of compassion that has permeated your mind and body has renewed you.
