MA 72 Engaging With Levity Of Mind

So,

In your own time,

Just gradually close your eyes,

Bring your attention back to yourself,

Adjusting your back and your legs to be comfortable,

Allowing both of your shoulders to drop to their natural height,

Allowing them to rest naturally,

Taking your time to bring your attention back,

Making sure you feel relaxed by adjusting your posture and relaxing all the remaining muscles of your body right the way down to your feet and your toes,

Observing carefully to make sure your circulation is unimpeded in its flow through your legs and also that there's no tension around your calves,

Knees or thighs,

The way that your hands rest in your lap should be without any tension,

Relaxing your elbows while observing throughout the whole of your body,

Making sure you're comfortable and even the way you've closed your eyes should be as gentle as possible,

Feeling nothing but the gentle flow of your breath,

Breathing in gently to the deepest point before breathing slowly and smoothly out again,

Making sure we're releasing any residual tensions from within us,

Taking note of the flow of the breath as the whole of our body relaxes as much as it can,

Just as if our whole body is filling up with a sense of awareness,

With our senses becoming clearer,

The deepening sense of silence within us,

A silence that surrounds us as it also merges with our inner space and the more we relax,

The easier it will be for us to withdraw from the external senses,

Allowing our awareness to start on a deeper journey toward the inside,

It starts from a place of observation,

Somewhere within our inner space and a place that feels comfortable for us,

A place that seems to anchor the mind and if it helps to relax us further,

We might imagine ourselves at the center of a large open space as if our whole body has disappeared,

So all that matters is our ability to relax the body and free the mind as we lay the foundation of stillness and contentment within us,

Any time we experience an interruption,

We can just remind ourselves to make a fresh start at that point within ourselves,

Reminding ourselves that we're just taking the time to rest in body and mind,

Letting go even of the feeling that we are doing a formal practice,

So the mind can withdraw completely into ourselves,

Allowing us to let go,

To be comfortable within ourselves,

The more time we take,

The more we'll learn about ourselves and the more we'll be able to notice the changes,

So we take our time to allow the body to become more comfortable,

Freeing up the mind as if in the midst of relaxing surroundings,

We feel secure and safe without any worries coming up in the mind,

Allowing the inner awareness to be undisturbed as if we are protected inside our own sanctuary,

We may still be aware of the way our breath runs gently back and forth within our body and we allow our breath to bring the awareness back within the space of the body,

Down to the deepest point of the breath at a place somewhere around the center of our body,

Reaching with our awareness to the turning point of the breath is like coming home after a long day and having reached this point,

It's as if we can let go of all the other burdens and issues in the mind,

Because this place at the center is like a home for the mind,

A place where it can go in order to rest and for as long as the mind is associated with this place,

It becomes re-energized and purer,

The whole feeling of the mind will become more relaxed with a sense of lightness,

Stillness within the mind,

Freeing up the center space,

Freeing it from all its normal preoccupations to create a space within us,

By which we feel cleansed as if our center space is filling up with a sense of positivity,

Kindness and joy and inner grace,

All these things originating from a sense of stillness in the mind,

Allowing the body to relax still further,

Allowing our awareness to become localized in the middle section of our body,

Allowing the awareness to rest with a light and gentle attention,

If we need something to anchor our awareness in place,

We might make use of one of those traditional methods,

Such as visualizing a picture of the Sun inside of ourselves or any other object that comes easier to us,

We might make use of a mantra,

Hearing the sound of words such as Samma Arahang or any other uplifting short phrase or affirmation that we find easier to remember and hearing the sound of the mantra that comes up from that central place within ourselves all of the time,

We take note of the gentle feelings within ourselves,

Soft and gentle,

Without any sign of agitation or frustration,

So we remain in stillness at the middle of our center space,

Gently on track within ourselves for a few more moments in silence,

Until we come to the appropriate time,

If we find our attention wandering away on to other things,

Each time we realize,

We gently bring it back to the most peaceful place within our center,

Resting our awareness in comfort with our attention at that point,

Lightly and gently,

Either with visuals at our center or with an awareness of the feeling of the mind's contact at that point,

Observing gently,

While allowing the mind to go deeper at that point,

Whether it's using some sort of bright visual object or the sound of the mantra or simply observing what is already there,

Whenever interruptions come up in the mind,

We do our best to let go of them,

To come back from the distraction each time,

And if the inner object changes,

Then we just follow it in its new form,

Continuing to observe lightly and gently,

Engaging with that lightness of mind that allows us to rise above the things that might otherwise pull us down,

A lightness that frees us from heavy thoughts and allows us to trust in our own inner refuge,

Simply engaging with ourselves on a deeper level will foster the courage to develop ourselves further and not to be afraid of overcoming our limits,

By rooting ourselves in the here and now while letting go,

The present moment can be our gateway to well-being,

By letting go of the past and embracing the future without expectation,

We'll be able to pick up on the peace that dwells in every part of our lives,

That allows us to locate ourselves in our life situation with hope and proactivity,

As we discover that true wisdom comes not by deviating from nature,

But by more closely observing and harmonizing with the laws of nature,

So we continue in this way,

Just for a few more moments in silence,

Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation,

So we continue to keep our awareness gently on track at the center of ourselves,

With a light and gentle attention at the very center of whatever inner experience we have built up for ourselves as a result of the meditation so far this session,

And if we touch very gently with our awareness,

The center of the inner brightness,

Or the feeling of well-being within ourselves,

Then we'll notice that there seems to be a magnification or multiplication of that positive energy,

Expanding outwards from the center point,

In a way that fills up the whole of our center space,

Expanding with a sense of comfort and stillness,

Enlarging a sense of calmness and peace energy within ourselves,

And as we extend this energy throughout the whole of our body,

We might make the gentle affirmation at the center of ourselves,

That may we be well and happy,

May we be free from suffering,

Before allowing that energy to expand beyond ourselves,

Outward into the world around us,

In ever-widening circles,

Reaching out to all the living beings around us without exception,

Sending the same feeling of loving-kindness to all of them,

With the intention that,

May all these living beings too be well and happy,

Be free from suffering,

Live together in peace and harmony,

We allow the extent of our loving-kindness to spread further and further afield,

Until it becomes large enough to extend across the entire surface of this planet,

Reaching all living beings without exception,

With the wish,

That may all living beings everywhere,

Be well and happy,

Free from suffering,

Live together in peace and harmony,

That world peace might become a reality within our own lifetimes,

And if we have particular loved ones who we think might benefit from the uplift of our loving-kindness,

We might extend loving-kindness toward them in particular,

Thinking of their names or their faces at the center of our body,

Extending loving-kindness toward them,

For the last few moments of our practice together in silence.