Welcome everyone.
My name is Youngye Minjirabhachai and I'm teaching the meditation.
So here we will going to explore some important meditation teachings from what we call the way of bodhisattva.
This ancient text which is taught by Shanti Deva,
I think more than 1000 years before in India.
And this text is really benefit for me,
It touch my heart and as well as many practitioners throughout in India and Tibet during ancient time.
And still now,
This is one of the most famous ancient texts.
And this text's main focus is about loving kindness,
Compassion and buddhi cheetah.
So we will explore the essence of short deep teaching within these few weeks.
So first,
Today I would like to focus on what we call equalization of self and others.
And this practice really helps for me to understand more about others.
And we understand more about others and at the same time we understand about ourselves.
So therefore equalization.
And the main practice of this meditation is to understand that yourself and everybody else,
They sharing one unique quality which is what we call feeling,
Right?
So in the text,
The way of bodhisattva said,
It's like your right and left hand.
So bodhisattva has feeling,
Sensation.
So if you try to do good massage to the right hand and you try to pinch left hand and if someone ask you which one you like,
Both hurts,
I mean both has feeling,
Both has sensation,
So one hurt,
One feeling good,
Right?
Why this both is same?
Both has feeling and that is part of our body.
And wherever there,
There is feeling,
There is sensation,
There is the wish to be happy and don't want pain,
Suffering,
Problem.
So similarly,
Within your body like that,
You can understand with others.
So let me ask you a question.
How many of you want to be happy?
Raise your hand.
You can raise hand in front of screen.
Even though I cannot see you,
I think you raise your hand,
Right?
So that is the common experience,
Common feeling,
The common desire that everybody shares.
Why you come here?
To listen my talk,
Looking for happiness right now.
And while you're listening this my talk,
Maybe you move,
Right?
Maybe you are listening like that way,
You are listening that way.
Why?
Looking for happiness.
This way too long,
Not comfortable.
This way,
Oh,
Little bit good.
Feel little bit happy.
So each movement of your body,
Each feeling,
I mean each breath,
Each eyes blink is looking for happiness.
And then the Buddha said,
This feeling,
Looking for happiness,
Don't want to suffer is the sign of what we call basic innate goodness.
So basic innate goodness meaning we all have this enlightened nature.
We all have wonderful nature.
And this nature is peaceful,
Pure,
Free,
Always with us.
And our true nature,
The basic innate goodness is our true nature.
It has all the quality like awareness,
Love and compassion and wisdom.
So you and all beings are sharing some basic goodness.
But problem is we may not recognize what is the causes of happiness.
The real cause of happiness is to connect with your true nature.
Awareness,
Love and compassion and wisdom.
But sometimes we don't know.
So therefore,
Today the main practice now what we're going to do is first to understand about yourself,
Your feeling.
Then to understand this with all beings and to understand you and all beings are equal.
We all have wonderful nature and we all are looking for happiness,
Don't want to suffer.
So we are wishing that all of us be happy.
Okay?
So let's practice together.
So first,
Please keep your spine loosely straight if possible.
And you can sit on chair or on the cushion on the ground or wherever you are.
Just stay comfortable.
And now please close your eyes.
If you want,
You can close your eyes.
And please feel your body.
And relax muscles within your body.
And please be aware of any sensations.
Maybe gravity,
Lightness,
Maybe relaxation.
Maybe you cannot relax as a tight intentions.
It doesn't matter.
So you can scan your body from head to feet.
And then try to relax muscles in the body.
And if you cannot relax,
Okay.
Allow that you cannot relax.
Give permission that you cannot relax.
When you allow you cannot relax,
That means you are relaxing.
So actually for the awareness,
Relax or not relax,
It doesn't matter.
And now ask a question.
Why I'm doing this meditation?
Why I'm following this meditation guide?
Because you're looking for happiness.
Maybe you're looking for peace,
Meaning,
Purpose.
And that is wonderful.
And that is the self-love,
Self-kind,
Compassion to yourself and care to yourself.
And maybe you're worried about that,
Am I doing right or wrong?
Am I really following this instruction or maybe I'm doing some mistakes?
How can I tell I'm understand these teachings?
You're worried about that.
Why?
Because you don't want a problem.
You don't want an obstacle.
So that is compassion.
You're looking for happiness.
That is love.
You don't want a problem.
That is compassion.
So self-love and self-compassion is right here now.
So please appreciate that.
And I appreciate that,
This feeling of looking for happiness,
Don't want to suffer.
The essence of that feeling is love and compassion.
How wonderful.
And that feeling of looking for happiness,
Don't want to suffer is a sign of my true nature.
Basic,
Innate goodness.
How wonderful.
What Buddha said?
What Buddha said is,
It's like homesick.
If there's a bird flying away from the nest,
No matter how the bird goes,
In the end,
Wanting to return to the nest.
So for us,
The same.
We want to go back to our true nature,
Our real home.
We want to go back to who we are.
So what is our home?
The basic,
Innate goodness.
The Buddha nature.
The original purity.
There are so many names.
So therefore,
Our true nature is free from suffering.
It is peaceful.
It is free.
Therefore,
We want to be happy.
How wonderful.
How wonderful that we have this desire of looking for happiness.
And this desire of looking for happiness is the inner sense that we want to go back to our real home.
And now if you want,
You can open your eyes.
And if you see somebody there,
Maybe your friends,
Family,
People outside of your house or place wherever you stay,
Pets,
Neighbors,
Birds up in the sky,
And they are also same as you.
They are looking for happiness.
Every movement,
Every breath,
Every eye blink,
Just like you.
And they have wonderful nature too.
They all have.
Deeper level,
They all have awareness,
Love and compassion and wisdom.
But sometimes we don't know what is the real causes of happiness.
So real causes of happiness is to connect with our innate quality of awareness,
Love and compassion and wisdom.
So wish that may they have happiness and the causes of happiness.
And not only people nearby you,
Not only people,
Your friends or family circle,
But all beings.
People in your town,
Village,
In your country.
So now please expand your love and compassion.
So your love is wish them to be happy and to have causes of happiness.
May they have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May they free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
And now expand to all beings.
Whoever want to be happy,
May they have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
OK,
Now we already finished meditation together about equalizing self and others.
And then in next week we will explore about the exchange of self and others.
So hope to see you again in next week.
