Live Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Meditation
Let’s begin our meditation this evening by starting out with getting in our meditation posture. In order usual I would like you to sit down together with your knees, if possible, your knees below your hips. In the event you’re on a chair, like, I’m on a rolly chair, you only sit way forward and the chair, not a lot that the chair squeezes like a lemon seed out from between your fingers, and y’know, from behind you. But reasonably you only sit very balanced on the front in order that your knees are down and also you’re just supporting your individual back. But notice, because your knees are down, your back just sits up nice and straight, totally naturally, totally without effort. Or if you may have a meditation cushion; that’s the purpose of that cushion. It’s also possible to lay in your back together with your knees within the air, in order that your back is flat. So those are the positions that we prefer to meditate in, if possible. You possibly can even meditate standing up for those who’re really drained. So get in, or if it feels good, get in considered one of those positions, or truthfully some other position you’re feeling like, which you could stay in for an hour without moving.
After which I would like you to only move around it ‘till it feels very nice, really settled, really calm, really stable. After which what we’re going to do is about our intentions. So what which means is, perhaps ‘set intention’ just isn’t exactly the correct option to say it; remember intention, recall our intention, why are we meditating? What’s the goal overall for our meditation practice? Why can we do that in any respect? So whatever that’s for you, just bring that up now. Remember why you do that.
After which next we’re going to do a resource gathering, a visualization, okay? And a part of why I even have this hilarious ‘cult leader’ t-shirt on is because, the visualization tonight, we’ve never done this, we’re gonna sit like a rainbow, okay? So sometimes we sit like a mountain, sometimes we sit like an ocean, and so forth. Tonight we’re gonna sit like a rainbow. So I would like you to picture this beautiful rainbow, and that’s what this shirt is there for, to show you how to remember what a rainbow looks like. Remember, blue on the inside the arc, red on the surface of the arc and every little thing in between, in between. So that you’re visualizing this exquisitely gorgeous, lovely shining rainbow, okay? And also you’re sitting as for those who’re a rainbow. What does it mean to sit down like a rainbow? Well [sit like] a rainbow, on this case metaphorically, where it’s beautiful. So sit with a way of beauty, of getting beauty. It’s got all the various colours, so it’s not like all condensed down into white light; it’s the complete expression. So it’s sitting with a full expression. Lets say full expression of your already existing Buddhahood, or full expression of awake awareness, full expression of the mind of awakening, right? So, it’s not only beautiful, it’s got this mood of just complete unimpeded, delightful and celebratory expression.
Right? So, sitting like a rainbow. Also, it’s effortless, right? The rainbow just appears. No one paints it, it’s not some sort of effortful creation; it’s perfectly effortless. So there’s a way of effortlessness and there’s also, remember last week where we did the mandala visualization, up and down the central channel? The rainbow accommodates all those mandala qualities as well, right? So you’ll be able to really feel all the various qualities. In the event you did the mandala practice then those are all present for you. After which, I could go on and on, we could do an entire meditation just visualizing this rainbow because that might be very nice. But, the last one I’ll say is that – perhaps it’s two more – the rainbow is just sort of hanging there in space; it’s, it has no weight. So not only is it effortless but it surely’s weightless. There’s this incredibly beautiful display, having no mass, right? It’s just, I mean, scientifically we could probably say the photons making up the rainbow have some sort of mass. But we’re desirous about it metaphorically. It’s similar to this piece of artwork hanging within the sky with no weight in any respect; it’s feather-light. It’s like, utterly, like floating, like soaring with none effort. So we’re sitting like that. After which lastly, the rainbow is an emblem of emptiness, right? Because emptiness doesn’t mean things aren’t there. It’s not a . It’s not after we see a rainbow we see a black void of nothing. We see the alternative. We see this exquisite expression of all the colours and yet you’ll be able to’t touch it, you’ll be able to’t exit and find it, you’ll be able to’t, you recognize; it’s each there and never there. It’s like, sort of like a dream or a vision. It has this empty quality of ‘there and never thereness’ at the identical time. So I would like you to, whatever it means to you, I won’t go over all those qualities again. But just consider essentially the most beautiful and profound things a few rainbow and sit with that, and just visualize this rainbow. Sit like a rainbow. And we’ll do this together for a number of minutes here after which we’ll move on from there.
Good. Now to go slightly deeper into this. As we see the empty nature of the rainbow that permits us to tune into our own empty nature, the indisputable fact that regardless of – in the identical way that the rainbow is each there and never there, it’s crammed with color and yet you’ll be able to’t really find it – in the exact same way, although you may have thoughts and feelings and an expression as an individual, for those who look inside trying to search out the source or the fact of those thoughts and feelings, you’ll be able to’t really find it. You possibly can’t really touch it. And so in the identical way that the rainbow is each beautiful and alive and vibrant and real and at the identical time empty; our self, our feeling of being a separate self can also be vibrant and alive and in a way real, and in one other sense, utterly empty. So allow yourself to gaze upon that rainbow awhile and see its emptiness. The indisputable fact that it’s like hanging within the sky like a dream, a shining dream. And yet you’ll be able to’t, similar to a dream, you’ll be able to’t actually reach out and touch it. In the identical way, you yourself are only hanging within the space of awareness, thoughts, and feelings passing in awareness, and yet there’s nothing to the touch; there’s nothing to achieve out and find. So, the emptiness of the rainbow reflects the emptiness in you. The emptiness of being reflects the emptiness of the rainbow and this could be very, very nice, very beautiful. So sit with that for a number of minutes.
Good. Now from here, because we’re empty and the rainbow is empty, just allow the rainbow to return inside you. In order that as an alternative of being a human body, respiratory and digesting and all of the things that a human body does, and as an alternative of being thoughts and feelings or whatever we imagine ourselves to be; we’re simply a rainbow shining within the sky. That’s all there may be, is a rainbow shining within the sky. It’s violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red; all shining vibrant in an infinite, vast, empty sky. Picture that now, feel that now, be that now.
And really feel the great thing about the colours and the shining light, the effortlessness of it. Absolutely effortless, shining rainbow. Really notice the indisputable fact that it’s weightless, unfindable, and empty, and yet also there; it’s not nothing. And it’s shining with this tremendous joy and wonder.
Okay, Good. Now from here we’re gonna begin meditating on our breath. And so there’s enough contact with body sensation to only feel the breath but here’s how I would like you to breathe, okay? If you should or you should, just breathe normally. But for those who can, what I’d such as you to do is definitely breathe as gently and softly and barely there as possible. So we’re doing a extremely, really, really gentle breath. Now don’t do it so gently that you just, you recognize, feel such as you’re not getting enough oxygen such as you’re not getting enough air or whatever, that’s not the purpose. I just want you to breathe as gently and shallowly as you’ll be able to and have it still feel good, okay? So it’s a really, very soft breath, very barely moving in any respect, okay? Again, don’t do it a lot that you should yawn or whatever, make it be just right for you; but throughout the parameters of comfort breathe tremendously, tremendously gently. After which just allow that wave of the breath to arise within the sky of awareness. We will let the rainbow vision go now. Just allow the wave of the breath to be noticed in awareness rising and noticed in awareness falling. So we’re not on the breath, we’re just letting the breath itself just arise with none effort in awareness and fall again with none effort in awareness.
Good. Now proceed with this. Remembering that after I say the sensations of the breath are only rising in awareness, that’s effortless. Awareness is already aware of the emotions of the breath, that’s how you recognize they’re there. So there’s nothing to do except allow the wave of the breath to be noticed effortlessly by awareness. But after I say awareness I mean that . The vast, spacious awareness during which the sky, during which the rainbow, was appearing before. So it’s just this wave of breath sensation effortlessly arising in an enormous sky of mind; so let’s proceed.
Okay. Now continuing to do that actually gentle breath, if that feels nice to you, I would like you to modify from noticing the breath wave rising and falling in awareness. Again effortlessly, awareness just already knows, already can pay attention to the breath wave. I would like you to do the identical thing with all thoughts and emotions, but especially thoughts. Whether or not they’re visual or verbal thoughts there’s the sky of awareness and pondering is only a trickle of vapor moving through that sky of awareness. It’s like just slightly, little ripple within the air of the sky of awareness. It’s not disturbing the sky in any way and it’s not something to essentially deal with. We’re not, we don’t, we’re not engaging with the content but we still are literally very aware of it. So it’s slightly different than dropping the ball because we’re not only completely disregarding it and just letting or not it’s there. We are literally, although we’re not sharply specializing in it, we’re giving it some attention; noticing it as a spotlight object. So it’s still shamatha with an object, reasonably than on the breath, just very evenly on pondering itself without getting involved within the pondering in any respect. Give that a shot and if that’s too difficult come back to meditating on respiratory.
Notice that thoughts don’t disturb the sky of awareness, the vast sky of awareness in any way. They’re similar to ripples on the ocean or similar to currents of air within the sky. It’s not disturbed. The sky is sufficiently big and vast enough and still enough for those thoughts to maneuver through it, for air currents to maneuver through it without it being disturbed in any way.
Okay. good. Now for those who’re used to meditating together with your eyes open, that is time to try this. In the event you’re not used to it but you should try it out then now’s the time to try this. Just have your eyes open but they’re probably not focused on anything. You’re probably not with them, they’re just open. And so they’re relaxed and never narrowly anything. They’re just sort of relaxed and open. They don’t should be out of focus they usually don’t should be still. Sometimes if we leave our eyes still the visual field will start to vanish based on, you recognize, the retinal cells getting drained. So be at liberty to blink and move your eyes and all that. But they’re just, it’s just relaxed, it’s just a simple gaze.
After which what we’re doing as a meditation now – and I would like you to take heed to this instruction rigorously because I mean it – we’re gonna do nothing in any respect, okay? You’re not focusing but you’re also notfocusing. You’re not doing anything in any respect. You’re not following thoughts, you’re not trying to stick with something, you’re not even actually meditating, okay? You’re letting go even of the thought of meditating. You’re still in your posture, you’re still sitting still but you’re letting go of every little thing–unless letting go becomes a doing, during which case we let go of letting go and just sit. In order that’s what I would like you to do.
Now for those who notice that you just’re getting real caught up in stuff, just let go of it. Or if you should, just be caught up in it until you’re done. But what we’re really doing is letting go completely; we’re not doing anything. And so if you’re caught up in thought, that’s sort of a doing. So we just, the same old thing is to only let go of it. And let go of every little thing. Again, even the concept that you’re meditating, even the concept that you’re purported to change something in any respect. That’s why I say, in a way you don’t should change anything, just sit there. Just sit there and permit yourself to let go. Totally effortless, totally without doing, simply being.
What if there’s nothing to vary in any respect? Nothing to do, nothing to try, every little thing is already perfect, every little thing is already complete, every little thing is already fulfilled. And there’s absolutely nothing to do. Wide awake.
Just resting naturally as vast, spacious awareness with none effort, with none doing of any kind, without even the thought of meditating or a meditator. Not even anybody doing anything. Just natural resting as open awareness. Now, if again if this is simply too difficult or chaotic, be at liberty to return and easily meditate on the breath wave arising and passing in awareness; otherwise let’s proceed.
Good. Now into this vast space visualize again the rainbow shining effortlessly, beautifully, radiantly with all its various colours. See that very, very clearly now.
Just radiantly shining with beauty and joy and variety with these effortless, weightless, unfindable, liquid colours, radiant shining. After which allow them to just fly out. Colours just fly. They dissolve or like, break up and fly in all directions to in every single place; all and sundry on the earth, every being on the earth, every being in the complete universe gets touched by this rainbow light and feels that joy and feels that beauty, feels that radiance and feels that variation, the variety. After which just let that go and be just completely empty again for just one other moment.
Okay, superb. Let’s let go of the meditation there and just allow yourself to open up slightly bit physically, calm down slightly more, move and stretch in whatever way feels really, really good. Possibly you wiggle your fingers and toes or simply sort of allow your spine to wiggle in a way that feels really delicious, or whatever. Have a drink of water, have a drink of tea, or whatever it’s you utilize to wet your whistle at the tip of sit.
Dharma Talk
Okay, so I would like to speak slightly bit about awareness itself. And sometimes people discuss awareness like, it’s a sort of a thing that they’re going to have a look at. So, I would even use language like that sometimes because that’s just how our language is structured, and in reality, all languages are structured this fashion. Some academic stuff from the Twenties and 30s about other languages that supposedly don’t do this, actually that seems to be incorrect. A technique they didn’t really understand the languages thoroughly, so we at all times–our language at all times makes it sound like one thing over here is one other thing over there. And so we are able to often see, it could actually often sound like the thought is, ‘oh I’m over here and I’m going to take a look at awareness over there and an awareness is a thing, some sort of special thing I’m going to see,’ okay? And that’s not what’s occurring with awareness. Because with the intention to see anything, with the intention to pay attention to it, of anything you’ve got to remember, right? And so there’s a funny circular thing occurring, just like the person over here who thinks he’s the notice over there may be in reality–that itself is awareness. So for those who think you’re over here awareness over there then my query is: who’s looking?
And after all, that leads, that’s sort of an inquiry query, right? Like we did the opposite week, we get into inquiry. Because for those who try to take a look at who’s looking you’ll notice that it’s awareness itself awareness. And so you may have this paradox of the–prefer it looks as if perhaps awareness is split into an awareness, over here is awareness over there. And also you realize all of that just isn’t essential, or lets say all of that’s nonsense. There’s nothing over here anything over there in any respect.
Awareness is already effortlessly aware. Awareness has no location so it could actually’t be over here something over there. Or to place it in one other way, to say it has no location is similar thing as saying it’s positioned in every single place. Nevertheless it has no positionality so it’s not looking a method or one other; that’s only a way we talk. And it’s also a way that we’re used to sort of encountering our own visual experience. After we take into consideration positioning our head and our eyes and all that. But that position of the top, within the eyes, or that position of the ears, all of that’s different than awareness itself. Awareness itself has no position, it has no direction. It’s never the case that I’m over here and searching at that special thing called awareness over there. Awareness is just aware of itself, right? And if we desired to give it some thought, each of the sense gates only function due to awareness. So even when I feel like my body is over here and my eyes are pointing over there and I’m the gorgeous after-sunset clouds that are on the market immediately, it’s getting slightly a number of months past the winter solstice, right? So it’s slightly lighter out at the moment and I can see these after-sun clouds. So I’m over here and my eyes are looking over there. All of that, the sensation of being a body over here, the entire perspectival take of eyes over here which can be looking in a certain way at clouds which can be over there; all of that perspective stuff and positionality stuff, all of that’s something I’m .
And so again, all of that’s just arising in awareness, and awareness is positioned in all those places and centered in none of them. Awareness has no center, no edge, and no middle. It’s just all awareness itself. So, you recognize, the thought–sure my eyes are positioned somewhere they usually’re a thing over there–but awareness is in each locations and in every single place in between and is definitely underlying that whole process. And so each of the sense gates might need a sort of positionality, might need a sort of seeming dualism. However the minute we come from awareness and understand that the after-sunset clouds over there and the sensation of eyes over here, perceiving those – all of those are arising in the identical awareness – that dualism collapses, right?
There’s still difference, there’s still the sensation in a single a part of awareness and the clouds in the opposite a part of awareness, and all that. So difference just isn’t annihilated. We don’t intend to make it into the grey goo scenario, the oatmeal scenario where every little thing is only one thing and there’s no difference, because after all there’s difference. There’s the sensation of being a body, there’s the colours of being after-sunset clouds, right? There’s a rainbow as an alternative of a void and every color of the rainbow is different than the opposite colours. So difference just isn’t annihilated and at the identical time every little thing is joined within the, in awareness itself.
And after all, I don’t want you to make awareness itself into some sort of object. Awareness just isn’t an object, right? It’s empty like every little thing else – remembering that doesn’t mean it’s not there. In fact, awareness is there, you’re having an experience of it immediately, you’re in a method of it. And yet that’s empty too: don’t make that into an object, don’t make that right into a thing, don’t make that into the brand new deity to worship, don’t make that into the brand new, you recognize, object of desire that you just’re attempting to get. Anyone who’s attempting to awareness doesn’t understand what the fuck they’re doing because, you recognize, awareness is at the premise of every little thing, right? The indisputable fact that you even know that you just want something is since you’re aware of wanting. So there is no such thing as a special awareness to , right?
It’s not an object and neither are you. Each time you catch yourself pondering of yourself as an object, look rigorously, look. Who’s having the experience immediately of pondering they’re an object? And also you’ll look and right on the core of that feeling of being ‘you’ is that this nebulous awareness experience of shifting and moving body sensations, shifting and moving emotions, moving and shifting thoughts of varied kinds. And it’s all sort of there but sort of not there; it’s very nebulous, it’s very undefined. There’s a pattern to it and yet it’s not a very defined pattern and so it’s empty, right? The sensation of being a self, a separate ego, is made up of thoughts and feelings and wishes you to think those thoughts and feelings are solid and real with the intention to come forward as this reified object. Well, guess what? Reified objects get hurt, reified objects suffer, reified objects really have a difficult time. And it’s not required that we expect of ourselves as a reified object, right?
Let go of the hypostatization that, you recognize, the ‘making it real’ that you just habitually do. And as an alternative see that on the core of, whatever we are able to call it: the core of your being, or deep down in your soul, or looking right on the seeming center of your individual experience like loads of–and again it’s not coming from a positionality, awareness has no positionality–so just pay attention to whatever appears like the middle of whatever’s occurring, like essentially the most intimate spot within the deepest, secret place in your heart. Notice that that’s just gnostic space, it’s knowing space, it’s empty and yet shiningly, blazingly aware. And stuff is occurring, there’s thoughts and feelings but that’s not, they’re all just sort of ripples in awareness.
So it’s very vital to get this concept of how we’re seeing this, right? That is all about ‘the view’. This sort of nondual meditation is all concerning the view, meaning all about in Sanskrit. I like that word, ‘drishti’, meaning ‘the view’. Lets say it’s an entire understanding of where we’re coming from or an entire understanding of who we’re, or who we expect we’re or where we expect we’re coming from. So long as you’re thinking that you’re positioned in a body and also you’re coming out your eyes, or whatever, you’re going to have one sort of experience and it’s going to probably be fraught with suffering. But for those who allow that to point out its own emptiness–the indisputable fact that it’s nebulous flowing, just experience–and your view is awareness positioned nowhere, is just aware and it’s not a thing either, you’re gonna have a, that’s a distinct viewpoint; it’s a distinct standpoint. You almost can’t even call it a standpoint but we’ll call it a drishti, in Sanskrit, a view. And that’s much less fraught, there’s much less suffering in that view so it’s very value trying out.
And in addition notice that’s, you recognize, that’s available just with none effort in any respect. In the event you just sit and calm down and permit yourself to open you’ll notice that view arising quite naturally, quite effortlessly, quite spontaneously. And that there’s a sort of beauty in that and a sort of nobility in that and a sort of peace and clarity in that that is way deeper than you could have imagined. And yet it’s not some sort of special state, it’s not some sort of altered state, it’s not some sort of thing; the article of desire that you just’re attempting to get. It’s at all times already there.
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