Welcome to the Awakening Wisdom podcast.
My name is Helen Selmassey,
Also known as Zangdan Lamo and it is my pleasure to welcome you here today to share with you wisdom,
Inspiring stories,
Meditations and also at times to introduce you to special guests.
Welcome to this meditation on experiencing emptiness.
Today we will explore the nature of our thoughts,
Emotions and perceptions,
Observing how they arise,
Change and pass away.
Through this practice we will begin to see their transient interdependent nature,
Helping us to cultivate a deeper understanding of emptiness.
Begin by finding a comfortable seated position.
Let your spine be straight,
Shoulders relaxed and hands resting gently on your knees or in your lap.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth,
Letting go of any tension in your body.
Take your time.
Feel into your breath,
Deeply through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth,
Feeling a sense of deep relaxation on the exhale.
Now bring your attention to your breath and notice the gentle rise and fall of your abdomen as you breathe in and out.
There's no need to change your breath in any way,
Just simply observe it as it is.
Allow yourself to be fully present with each inhale and each exhale,
Letting go of any distractions.
Stay with your breath.
Observe the breath just as it is.
The rise and fall of the abdomen.
Now as you continue with your breath,
Gently shift your awareness to your thoughts.
Notice if a thought arises,
Whether it's a memory,
A worry or an idea.
When a thought comes up,
Simply observe it without judgment.
Notice how it appears in your mind,
Stays for a moment and then fades away.
When the thought comes up,
Simply observe it without judgment.
Notice how it appears in your mind,
Stays for a moment and then fades away.
Understand that each thought is like a cloud passing through the sky of your mind.
It comes,
It goes and the sky remains.
Allow yourself to experience the space between thoughts,
The quietness that is always there.
Keep an awareness,
Observing your thoughts.
Observe them without judgment and notice how they appear in your mind,
Stay for a moment and then fade away.
Experiencing each thought as a cloud passing through the sky-like nature of your mind.
Coming and going and the vastness of the sky remains unchanged.
Now bring your attention to any emotions you might be feeling.
Perhaps there's a sense of calm or joy or anxiety or restlessness.
As with your thoughts,
Observe these emotions without trying to change them.
Notice how they arise within you,
Perhaps triggered by a thought or a sensation and then how they begin to shift or fade.
Recognize that emotions are like waves in the ocean of your being.
They rise,
Peak and eventually recede,
That they are not permanent.
That they are part of the ever-changing nature of your experience.
Don't try to change them or manipulate them,
Just notice how they arise,
What has triggered them and how they begin to shift or fade.
Aware in your body,
You may feel these emotions and realize that they have no permanence.
Shift your awareness now to your perceptions.
These could be the sounds that you can hear.
Perhaps sensations in your body or even the sense of space around you.
Observe these perceptions as they come and go.
Perhaps you hear a sound in the distance or feel a sensation in your body.
Notice how these perceptions arise,
Stay for a while and then disappear.
Understanding that perceptions are like reflections in a mirror,
That they appear but they do not define the mirror.
They are part of the interconnected web of experiences that form your reality.
Now bring your attention to the transient interdependent nature of all these experiences.
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Perceptions,
Reflect on none of these experiences are permanent or interdependent.
That they arise due to various causes and conditions.
And that they pass away or fade when those conditions change.
Just as a thought may arise from a memory,
An emotion from a thought,
Or a perception from an external stimulus.
Everything is interconnected and impermanent.
Allow yourself to rest in this awareness of emptiness.
Emptiness here is not a void but a recognition of the fluid interdependent nature of all things.
Notice how in this space of awareness there is no need to cling to any particular thought.
Emotion or perception.
Everything is allowed to be as it is.
Arising and passing away naturally.
Allowing everything to be as it is.
Rest in the spaciousness of this moment,
In the openness of your mind,
When everything is interconnected and free.
Rest in the vast open space of this moment,
Where there is no centre and there is no edge.
Where all phenomena is interconnected and free.
Everything is just as it is.
Arising and falling away naturally.
Gently bring your attention back to your breath.
Take a few deep breaths.
Feeling the ground beneath you and the support of your seat.
And whenever you are ready,
Slowly blink your eyes open.
Bringing this awareness of emptiness into your everyday life.
And as you go about your day,
Remembering that everything you experience is part of this transient interdependent flow.
And may this meditation help you to see the true nature of your experiences,
Bringing more peace and clarity into your life.
Thank you for listening and may all beings everywhere be happy,
Free from suffering and no peace.
Thank you also to my production team and until next time.
Namaste.
