MA 43L Unwrapping The Inner Gift (Live)

So we start by adjusting our posture for meditation,

Bearing in mind that when we come to settling ourselves for a beneficial practice,

Generally more haste makes for less speed,

So we take the time that we need to make sure we're comfortable and put in a position by which we're sitting in a relaxed way,

Whether on a meditation mat or on a chair.

By making sure our body is relaxed first of all,

You can consider making sure you're relaxed as being a down payment on the success of the meditation ahead.

So each time we sit for meditation,

The main thing we need to do is to bring two things into balance,

Namely being conscious and being comfortable in equal measures.

So when we start out we focus simply on relaxing our body,

Whether we're sitting on a chair or on a meditation mat,

Because relaxation is at the heart of meditation and only by starting from a certain level of relaxation and calm can our mind truly settle.

We make sure our body is relaxed and even the way we close our eyes should be as gentle as possible,

Naturally as if we're about to go to sleep,

Reminding ourselves that this is a time that we've set aside for ourselves,

Truly to relax,

Recharge and replenish our body and mind.

And once we've closed our eyes in a natural and relaxed way,

We can simply forget about using our eyes anymore,

Because in order to access the inner experience,

In order to visualise in the meditation,

We no longer need to use our eyes,

We simply use our feeling of relaxation and of contentment.

So we take a moment to check in with our body,

To relax and release any tension there,

Making sure our muscles are free of any hidden stress.

And whether we've meditated many times before or whether this is our first time,

We shouldn't overlook the importance of making a body scan in order to make sure each and every muscle of our body is properly relaxed.

So we check the way we've closed our eyes is as gentle as possible and that our eyebrows are free of any tension.

We might try conjuring up a small but contented smile on our face,

As if we are embracing a tide of relaxation,

Which is flowing down through our body,

Relaxing and releasing any tension,

Whether it be in our shoulders,

Our arms,

Our hands or fingers.

We make sure our back and our legs are relaxed,

All the way down to our feet and our toes.

And if necessary,

We may scan back and forth for a few moments just to make sure any inadvertent tension is gone.

And at this point,

We might take a deep and soothing breath all the way in and feel the cool and refreshing air as it fills up our body with relaxation,

Calm and contentment.

Even as we exhale slowly and gently,

We might allow that sense of relaxation and contentment to spread outwards,

Blanketing us with warmth and comfort,

Allowing us to feel calmer,

More relaxed,

A moment as if our body has become weightless and free of any constriction or tension.

And when our body is relaxed,

Our mind will also start to feel relaxed as well,

Because in many ways the two are connected to one another.

But to help our mind become calmer still,

We just need to put aside any mental chatter while bringing our awareness back into the present moment.

There's no need for us to worry or plan,

Because these will only detract from our peace in the present moment.

And although life may demand for us to pay a lot of attention to others around us in the world and their well-being,

Meditation is time for us at least to start with ourselves,

To give time to our inner well-being,

To make sure our mind is in the right place,

A positive place,

A brighter place,

Because for every second that our mind is in the present moment,

Contented and patiently observing,

It's as if it is immersed in that beneficial energy arising from the meditation.

And this is why every step of the way during our meditation should be a pleasure to us.

Every moment of the meditation ought to be one where we are taken into a deeper place of calm and relaxation.

So there's no point in worrying about getting to a destination or a goal,

Because it's more about enjoying the journey,

Enjoying the meditation session every step of the way.

And if we can engage with the meditation in this way,

It will ensure our inner journey is smooth and fluid,

And before we know it,

We will have reached our destination even without realizing it.

So for now we don't dwell too much on where we're going,

Because it will only pull us away from the present moment.

We try to avoid any expectations or anticipation,

While remaining in the here and now,

Simply relaxing for the interim.

And in order to help us to stay in the present moment,

We bring our attention to focus at a single point.

And that point can essentially be anywhere we like,

Whether it's at the center of our body,

Elsewhere in the body,

Or even outside of us if that's more comfortable.

Using the mind by whatever method we feel comfortable with,

Whatever is easy for us to use.

It might be visualizing an imaginary object or feeling one.

It might be observing what is already there,

Or it might be using the mantra.

The key is to apply our mind gently.

And if we're imagining an object,

It might be something like the full moon,

A sun,

Or a shining star within.

We can imagine it however or wherever we like,

As long as it leaves us feeling calm and relaxed.

In essence,

The visualization or the mantra is just a skillful means to keep us in the present moment and to keep us relaxed,

Helping our mind to become calm and still.

And if the thoughts in the mind are persistent,

Then we can call to mind the traditional mantra with the words,

Samma Arahang,

Samma Arahang,

Samma Arahang,

Or perhaps even use an even simpler mantra like the words,

Brighter and brighter,

Clearer and clearer,

Brighter and brighter,

Clearer and clearer.

Every time we repeat the mantra,

It's like a soothing lullaby.

It will coax our mind back to a natural state free of extraneous thoughts while allowing the mind to relocate itself in the present moment.

Eventually we'll come to a point where all we want to do is relax.

And if it's easier for you to make use of a feeling,

Then it may mean that your meditation entails nothing more than allowing yourself to tune into that feeling of relaxation,

Doing nothing,

Simply letting go of every other thing,

Simply allowing your thoughts to grind to a standstill in accordance with the advice that is the legacy of the founder of our tradition,

That stopping the thoughts in the mind is the key to success.

The way we allow the thoughts to come to a standstill is by being relaxed and being calm,

Allowing the thoughts to grind to a standstill on their own through whatever relaxation we feel in the here and now.

The key is just to be content,

Simply to focus,

To appreciate what we have right now and not to worry about what's to come or what's lacking.

In essence we already have everything we need to contribute to our success in meditation.

As long as we feel calm,

Comfortable and relaxed,

All we need to do is to surrender to that sense of patience and calm.

And by patience I mean the patience not to interfere in the process.

In any case before we know it,

This relaxation will begin to grow and expand,

Allowing us to feel more and more content.

Because inner peace,

The gift of true happiness,

Has always been there within us.

And the key to unwrapping that gift is simply to be content,

To let go and to relax.

And that gift of inner peace will gradually unwrap itself,

Releasing inner contentment and the brightness that has always been within us,

Waiting for us to reconnect with it.

So for now we take this precious time together,

Simply to follow our feeling of relaxation,

To allow it to guide the mind back within ourselves.

With every second that passes in our meditation we'll feel a little bit more calm,

A little bit more relaxed,

While our mind becomes clearer,

Brighter,

More skillful by increment.

Before we know it,

The darkness or negativity,

The shadows in our mind,

We would be displaced by contentment,

Calm and brightness.

So for now we keep our mind on track at the center of our body,

Lightly and gently nurturing the sense of peace,

Tranquility,

Freedom from thought within ourselves for a few more moments now in silence,

Until we come to the appropriate time.

We continue to keep our mind on track at this center of the body the whole time,

Lightly,

Gently and continuously.

We find our mind wanders away onto other things each time we realize we just bring it back again to the center of the body as before.

If the inner object disappears we can conjure up a new one,

And if it changes then we just follow it in its new form.

One way we can understand the way the mind works is by a metaphor of an old leaky garden hose that has a lot of holes in it.

So instead of reaching the nozzle,

All the water seeps out of the holes before it ever gets there.

Any water that reaches the end of the hose is very weak and very weak to people.

But if we were to plug all the holes in the pipe,

Then we'd be able to transform that old leaky hose into a power hose and the mind works in just the same way.

We have a lot of distractions pulling our attention off to the past or the future,

To thoughts,

Theories,

Daydreams or any other sort of thing,

And the focus of our attention becomes feeble.

However when we can learn to focus our attention it's like plugging the holes in the pipe.

We recover very powerful,

Very focused attention.

When it gets to a certain level of refinement we would start to be able to call that Samadhi or proper concentration.

The mind that's concentrated in a state of Samadhi can know things on a very very subtle level,

Such as attaining a state of one-pointedness and unification of the mind.

Some people already think they're there when they detect some sort of joy in their body.

But if it's truly Samadhi,

If it's really the state of Samadhi,

Then it will be a state of uninterrupted knowing of the mental object.

So it's not an object that we know through the five senses,

It's not a bodily sensation,

But it's an object arising in the mind,

Sometimes perceived as light,

And becomes possible to know that object uninterrupted for potentially hours at a time.

The uninterrupted knowing means that no interrupting thoughts arise at that time.

No sound around us disturbs us anymore,

No sensation in our body can distract us.

Often we don't even notice the passing of time because our awareness is so completely absorbed onto the object of our meditation.

And this is often accompanied by a natural sense of bliss and joy,

Which is the equivalent of plugging up all the holes in the garden hose.

So for now we continue to cultivate our sense of one-pointedness in the mind,

Keeping our mind on track at the center of the body lightly and gently for a few more moments now in silence until we come to time for some loving kindness meditation together.

We continue to maintain our mind at the center of the body,

Always in the center of the body,

Always at the center of whatever inner experience we have built up for ourselves as a result of the meditation so far today.

Some people the inner experience may consist of a sense of brightness on the inside,

Or maybe more of a sense of wellbeing,

Like a feeling coming from within us.

Some people it may be images,

Large or small,

Inside of ourselves.

But as our mind becomes calmer and more peaceful from within,

We may start to notice that the mind becomes more positive,

Becomes more clear and bright,

Almost as if we can feel the warmth and brightness from within,

Shining outwards like the light of a candle,

All the aura around the full moon,

Simply by relaxing our body and our mind.

It's as if we can remove the shadows from our mind,

The shadows of negativity in the mind.

And as our mind becomes clearer,

Brighter,

More positive,

It will attract things of the same nature into our lives too,

All the things on the same wavelength,

Whether it be positive situations,

Things,

People,

Or opportunities.

And it's why it's said that when your mind is in the right place,

Then the rest of your life will also fall into place.

Now that our mind is brighter,

Clearer,

And more positive,

We take the time to spread this positivity,

Allowing the brightness to spread as if we would spread a smile across our face.

In this case,

It's like an inner smile,

A true smile from within,

That we can spread and share to others.

Because of the potential of the mind,

This positivity can be shared outwards for the benefit of our friends,

Of our family,

Of our loved ones,

Simply by imagining their faces or their names,

Extending that positivity together with a wish that they be happy,

Healthy,

As well as having the chance to meditate,

So that they too can find their own sense of inner contentment and inner peace.

We can imagine almost as if the calm that we feel within,

The relaxation that we feel right now,

The warmth and brightness within us,

Is shining outwards to pervade all sentient beings with that same warmth and contentment.

And as the light of positivity grows beyond ourselves,

Outwards to our family,

Friends,

Others sharing our neighborhood,

Transcending differences and distances,

We feel that we're connected together through this positivity,

By this peace that we feel together.

This is how the world can become a brighter place,

Starting from ourselves,

So from a better you,

It comes to mean a better world for all.

That we continue to spread our positivity,

Good intentions,

Good wishes for ourselves,

For our family,

For our friends,

Wishing them all to be healthy,

Happy,

And protected from any negativity,

Danger,

Sickness now and forevermore,

For a few more moments in silence.

You you