The Four Focuses of Mindfulness - State of Mind (part 3/4)

0:00 So welcome to Rolling Stone Meditation. I've started before our rains retreat to have like a series of talks, four talks all together, how we focus our awareness and we have already covered the focus of the physical aspects which has to do with the body and what we can feel in the body and we've also covered the feeling tone. Report an error in the passage at 0:00

0:29 so how things are felt so something is like positive or negative or in between so it doesn't register and today we are looking at the term in Pāli it's called chitta and that is the word for mind or heart in Buddhism we actually kind of use that one word that covers both Because when we talk about the mind in the West, sometimes we have this kind of idea it's kind of like the intellect or it's kind of our intelligence or it's up here in the head. Report an error in the passage at 0:29

1:08 And when we talk about citta and Buddhism, it also means the heart. So it actually kind of brings those two aspects together. Also the kind of emotional part. So that's what we are going to have a look at today. Report an error in the passage at 1:08

1:25 What we try to be aware of and have an idea about is the quality of the mind and it's actually something that is very very central in Buddhism and Yeah in life as well as you will be finding out because that's where everything kind of comes from That's where our intentions come from. That's where our motivations come from. Why we're doing something. Or also where we are aiming at. Report an error in the passage at 1:25

1:56 And that is very, very important. So in Buddhism we have a book, which is a little bit like the Bible maybe in Christianity. It's a bit different in Buddhism. But in that scripture it brings together a lot of short sayings which kind of bring the essence of Buddhism out. And in that book, which is called the Dhammapada, right at the start there are two verses. And because they're at the start, it also means that they're very central, that they're very important. Report an error in the passage at 1:56

2:29 So usually when you want to bring an idea across in a talk or whatever, you usually try to bring that in the beginning as well. So I just wanted to kind of read that out so we understand how crucial, how important this thing is. which we call the mind so it goes as follows translated into english because it was in an old indian language called Pāli the original so the mind intention or what we call karma or kamma in buddhism precedes and shapes all mental states so mind intention is the chief it comes first they are made of The mind, they are made of intentions. Now, if with an impure mind or with a corrupted intention, with corrupt intent, we speak or we act, suffering will follow us. Report an error in the passage at 2:29

3:33 Like the wheel of the ox's foot. These teachings come from 2500 years ago and I don't know if you've been to India. Nihit who stayed with us actually comes from India. So I mean of course we did that as well in the early days that we had animals that worked for us or like on the farm or that were pulling a cart. Report an error in the passage at 3:33

3:57 So you have this animal pulling the cart and the cart, the wheel of the cart follows very very naturally. So now the mind is what Report an error in the passage at 3:57

4:34 That is actually the mind, and that's why it's so central. Then the second one repeats, but goes to the wholesome side now. So it says, mind, intention, comma, precedes and shapes mental states. Mind, intention, is chief, is first. They are made by the mind, made by intentions. If with a pure mind, With pure intent, we speak or act, happiness will follow. Like the shadow that never leaves. Report an error in the passage at 4:34

5:15 It's actually a wonderful simile as well. So if you're outside and the sun is shining, you can't get rid of your shadow, can't you? Unless you kind of go into a shady place where it disappears. But it's something that follows. Very, very naturally. And that's here as well. So when the mind is in the right place, when the mind comes from the right place and kind of flows out into action, flows out into speech, then happiness will follow. Report an error in the passage at 5:15

5:47 And so in this teaching we are encouraged to go back to that source, to familiarize ourselves with that source, and then to make sure that the mind is in the right place. Report an error in the passage at 5:47

5:59 So that's the first two verses and in that book it also has a couple more verses under like a chapter which is called the mind and there it says a little bit more it says hard to hold back flighty alighting where it will it's good to tame the mind a tamed mind leads to bliss Report an error in the passage at 5:59

6:26 So that's probably what we're all familiar with. When we learn meditation, people usually say, my mind is everywhere, or I can't find my mind, and it's just going here and there, and what we call the monkey mind. So it acknowledges. It's hard to hold it back. It is flighty. That's from 2,600 years ago. Sometimes people say, oh, you know, stuff from the past is not really relevant. Report an error in the passage at 6:26

6:50 But the mind is still the mind. Isn't it? Even though things have changed around that mind, they were exposed to maybe different things, but they were experiencing it with the same mind. So here it says our job is to tame that mind. Like we tame an animal. And taming is a word which, well, I don't know. Report an error in the passage at 6:50

7:16 Sometimes when it's used, people bring up this kind of simile of like... lion in the circus and you have to be like really kind of harsh with it but this taming is much much more subtle it's basically becoming a friend of this thing called the mind understanding it and working to Report an error in the passage at 7:16

7:50 Friend of that being and then that being wants to actually behave. Because it likes you. It doesn't want to make you suffer. It doesn't want to misbehave and make life difficult for you. Because if we use force then that will work for that little time when that animal or that being is afraid. But then if we can't exert that power anymore then it will misbehave. Report an error in the passage at 7:50

8:18 So that's that kind of saying that we have in German. When the cat is out of the house, the mice dance on the table. But if you tame those mice, if you explain to those mice that the mind is an important thing and we should take care of our minds because if we do good things, then it will have good results, then even if the cat is out, The smart cat was like a tutor or a teacher or someone who was guiding those mice, then they don't dance on the table. Because they know it will be good for them and they will be happy and balanced. Report an error in the passage at 8:18

8:57 Anyway, so there is another one which goes, so hard to see, so subtle, alighting where it will. The discerning protect the mind. A guarded mind leads to bliss. And the guarding and the protecting is usually like the positive things. Once our mind has gone in the right direction, once we have kind of trained our children, for example, as parents, then we want to guard and protect them from influences which are not so good. Report an error in the passage at 8:57

9:31 And we want to do the same with our own minds. Make sure that the beautiful qualities that we've cultivated, that are part of our heart now, that they don't get destroyed. that they don't get you know reprogrammed or that they don't get kind of it's like a purity that has evolved and we don't want to make it kind of dirty we don't want to make it smelly or whatever like with our clothes the next one that's a really interesting one because often we kind of blame the world for our unhappiness or for our happiness but these two here are saying A wrongly directed mind, wrongly directed intention, wrongly directed awareness would do you more harm than a hater to the hated or an enemy to their foe. Report an error in the passage at 9:31

10:27 So the mind, our own mind is more powerful than the things which are outside of us and the people who are trying to influence us. If we don't allow them to mess with us, if we don't allow our mind states to become negative and dark and heavy, then they can't control us. And there are some beautiful examples of very, very difficult situations that some people got in. They were in prison for many, many years, but they didn't get bitter. Report an error in the passage at 10:27

11:03 They had a lot of mistreatment, a lot of things that happened to them, but they managed. To have a positive mind and to have a mind which is directed to the things which are helpful and wholesome rather than to the things that pull them down and make the situation they are in, that they couldn't change at that time, worse. Report an error in the passage at 11:03

11:24 So I'm not saying that if you're in a situation where you can change things in a smart way, you can talk to people, you can move stuff, please do so. But there is information, there is situations in our lives where that is not possible. Report an error in the passage at 11:24

12:01 qualities in life and Not saying please don't expose yourself or whatever. They are very, very important. Please take them on board and use them. But again, the mind is a separate thing. And the mind is responsible. Or when we are responsible for the mind, then that is a very, very powerful tool in our toolbox. Report an error in the passage at 12:01

12:25 So that's just a few verses to start you off for tonight. When we talk about the mind, people often ask, you know, what is the mind? What is it actually? And it is very subtle, as it was described there. So the best way is to have some similes. And one of the similes which kind of makes sense to understand what we are dealing with is when we imagine the mind and the mind states as like a garden or a piece of land. Report an error in the passage at 12:25

12:59 That we are the guardians of, that we have access to, that we can influence in some way. And now it depends what we do with that garden. Which kind of seeds we put in, which things we cultivate, where we put our attention. So our teacher Ajahn Brahm that you might be familiar with often says we should water the flowers. Report an error in the passage at 12:59

13:27 Not water the weeds. So the flowers and the weeds are the kind of similes for the wholesome mind states, for the helpful mind states or for the harmful mind states, for the not so good mind states. And the water is our attention. So if we give things attention that we don't want to cultivate, that we don't want to grow, even if we don't want it, they will grow. Report an error in the passage at 13:27

13:54 They will become stronger. They will kind of control our lives. So it's also important to understand that we have a choice of taking that awareness, taking that power of attention and of feeding something away from things that we know are not helpful. But then we can put it in another area. And once we understand that, the mind is very very similar. And then once we are in one of those kind of areas, Then we can understand what the plant is that we're dealing with and what actually happens because the plant will grow and over time it will also have fruit and those fruit can be helpful the fruit can be nourishing but they can also be toxic or they can have like you know bad odors or whatever or they can be a weed and very often I mean I came to Australia and I didn't know a lot of the flowers here and some of the things that we in Europe or where I grew up Report an error in the passage at 13:54

15:07 So once it starts to spread very wildly and it has results that are not good, that is what makes that specific plant a weed in that specific environment. But if you're in another environment where there's other plants and other climate conditions, then it's not really a weed. Because I remember my mom, when she came to Australia, she wanted to give something to the monastery and we went to a shop and she got a bit of lavender. Report an error in the passage at 15:07

15:36 Because she liked lavender and she brought it to the monastery. But our teacher was saying, okay, number one, I mean he didn't tell her. We actually put it in a nice pot and we left it there for a little while. But he said, do you know that this is a weed here? Because it's spreading like wildfire, number one. And the other thing is, you could have just gone to our retreat center across the road. Report an error in the passage at 15:36

16:01 We have a lot of lavender there and just brought some over. You don't have to go to the shop to get it. Anyway, so once we are aware enough, then we can kind of check. Like we go into a garden and have a look around, we smell, we maybe taste the things, hopefully not the poisonous ones, but that is also, you know, the berries and the things that are bitter, we recognize as not good, as a problem. Report an error in the passage at 16:01

16:30 That's our kind of normal mechanism in biology, that if something is bitter, we don't like it because usually things that are toxic are bitter. So you have to teach the kids to eat bitter things even though they are not toxic. Like some berries, they have a little bit of bitterness in it. So you have to condition them into eating something which is healthy, overriding their biology, so to speak. And so with our minds, if we are aware enough, if we are quiet enough, and we turn our attention inwards, then we can feel if our mind is dark. Report an error in the passage at 16:30

17:07 Or if our mind or our mind states are bright, we can feel if it's heavy, we can feel if it's light, we can feel if it drags us down, or if it's a delight. When I wrote that down, it kind of rhymed very nicely. Dark or bright, heavy or light, a drag or a delight. And that way we can understand if something is skillful or unskillful, if it's helpful or unhelpful, if it's healthy or if it's unhealthy for us. Report an error in the passage at 17:07

17:36 So the questions that we can ask ourselves when we want to find out what's going on with my mind, what is going on inside, what kind of mind state am I experiencing, is how does it feel inside? How does the citta feel? And when we talk about feeling, then we already understand it's not like an intellectual thing. Report an error in the passage at 17:36

18:00 Because you can't feel something which is intellectual, isn't it? You can only feel something which is visceral, which is emotional. And then we ask ourselves, what is my motivation? What is my intention? And to understand those two words, sometimes we use them interchangeably, but it's not quite the same thing. Report an error in the passage at 18:00

18:22 So a motivation is a force that asks us to do something. So it's where we are coming from. Some kindness, some care. It could also be something on the other side of the spectrum, of course, which is unwholesome. And then the intention is what we are trying to achieve, what our goal is, where we're trying to get. Report an error in the passage at 18:22

18:46 So you can kind of look at it in that way. And that's something you can kind of ask yourself when you are meditating or when you have a quiet moment or when you have to make a decision. You can ask yourself. What is my motivation? What am I trying to achieve? Where am I coming from? And that way, you know what's happening with the mind. And as it very beautifully said in those stanzas that I read out in the beginning, that is what will determine what? Report an error in the passage at 18:46

19:15 Suffering and happiness. So that's the way you can make a good decision. So another way that Arjun J.R. Covered last week, but I'll just go through it. There is actually five hindrances that make our mind states heavy, dark and drag us down basically. So number one, I just wrote down a few words that make sense to me. I hope they resonate with you as well. So number one is greed or wanting or longing. Report an error in the passage at 19:15

19:51 So that's the negative side. But the positive side is also very important. What is the positive side? Well, it's the opposite. The opposite is giving, is generosity, is being charitable. So that way we can understand what is happening with the mind, what's going on in our heart, what resonates with us, which words feel right at that time. Report an error in the passage at 19:51

20:15 Number two is hate or anger or aversion or just irritation. So these are all like different levels of a similar movement of mind. When we don't have these things present in our minds, when we don't have these kind of intentions or aims, then we have goodwill, then we have love, then we have care. And a couple of things that for me kind of apply to both because it's wanting or not wanting, which are kind of two sides of the same coin. Report an error in the passage at 20:15

20:48 So if we have acceptance, If we have forgiveness, if we have gratitude, if we have contentment, then we also know that those first two are not present. Then the third one is delusion, confusion or doubt. Report an error in the passage at 20:48

21:05 The opposite, confidence, clarity, trust and discernment. So you actually know where you're going. You can distinguish, you can make a good decision because the mind is clear. And then the next two, they have to do with a mind which is either contracted, which is worn out, which is tired, which is dull, which some of us might be experiencing at this time of the day, because what has happened before. Report an error in the passage at 21:05

21:37 So we understand, okay, I'm in this kind of mind state. What is the opposite? How can I lift my mind up to bring it into being awake, being aware, being present, being open? Report an error in the passage at 21:37

21:52 and having that clarity and that sharpness and you weren't here probably when I did the last session every time at the end of the meditation we actually check in with our own minds and we ask ourselves and that's one thing where you can find out what has happened in meditation so when your mind is sharp after a meditation then you actually know that you have moved it in the right direction that it has actually shifted And the last one is when we are scattered, when we are restless, we can't find any kind of peace, when we have remorse, which comes with restlessness, because if we've done something which really bothers us, we don't have any peace of mind, and we can be distracted. Report an error in the passage at 21:52

22:42 So the opposite is collectedness, settledness, feeling at ease, feeling at peace. Non-remorse. I just couldn't find another word. I was trying to find the opposite of remorse and there is no single word. I mean, okay, yes, the feeling is being at peace, being at ease, having a clear conscience, feeling blameless. Report an error in the passage at 22:42

23:10 But non-remorse is probably clear enough, yes. And that is very, very important because that's what we are aiming at in life. And in meditation. Now, one very important thing. One of my teachers, Aya Kema, she had this one sentence that really struck me when she said it. And maybe if that's the only thing you remember from tonight, that will be an important one. She said, a negative mind simply cannot meditate. Report an error in the passage at 23:10

23:42 So if you have a fault-finding mind, if you have a mind which is unwholesome, you just can't meditate. It's impossible. It's not your fault. It's not your mistake that it doesn't work. So there is nothing wrong with you if you feel meditation is not working, so to speak, but you understand, ah, okay, my mind state and therefore my intention and my mind is in the wrong place. Report an error in the passage at 23:42

24:12 And once we understand that, then we can have the preparatory work. And once you're in the right mood, about 20, 25 minutes ago. So you have to get yourself into meditation mood. And once you're in in the right mood. Then meditation is easy. And then it happens naturally because the mind is in the right place. That is actually very, very important. Report an error in the passage at 24:12

24:57 So if that is not the case, then I came up with this word, IMS, which means irritable mind syndrome. Probably you have experienced that before. So you're kind of grumpy. And because you have that negative mind state, Then you are hypersensitive. Then you are very easily irritated. Because of that, you get frustrated and you get angry very easily. Report an error in the passage at 24:57

25:26 So again, that means you are in the wrong mind state. And because of that mind state and the mind itself, these things arise very easily. If the mind would be in a different state, then there would be clarity. Then there would be energy. Then there would be brightness. Just because of the state of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 25:26

25:45 So that's how crucial and how important the mind is. Okay, I hope that helps. And how do we get there? Yeah, inspiration, motivation, doing the right things and remembering those things and uplifting the mind in that way. And then that will happen all by itself. Yes, there is a bit more, but maybe I think that is probably enough for tonight to give you a little bit of information. Report an error in the passage at 25:45

26:16 Before we do this meditation together. And hopefully it already helped you a little bit to separate from what was going on out there. And to now be in the right mind state. Usually when I write these kind of things to come and present, sometimes I sit at the table and I'm like, okay, I'm going to have a class. Report an error in the passage at 26:16

26:38 I'd like to get some ideas. And I have kind of what they call writer's block. It just doesn't work. And why doesn't it work? Because I'm not in the right mind state. So when I take the day off and I, for example, meditate in the morning and I clear my mind, I settle my mind, and then I sit in front of the computer and go like, okay, I had a few ideas. Report an error in the passage at 26:38

27:05 How can we all put it together? And then it just flows. Then it just happens. And that's what we can learn, not just for meditation. So if you have a difficult meeting, if you have a difficult conversation, if you know there is many things happening in life, please find a way to prepare your mind. And once your mind is in the right place, then things will run much, much more smoothly for you. And that's what meditation can do. Report an error in the passage at 27:05

27:37 So let's meditate together. Report an error in the passage at 27:37

27:44 So please find a comfortable posture to do the meditation in. Yeah, we'll dim the lights. Thank you very much. And Report an error in the passage at 27:44

28:05 then you can allow your eyes to gently close. Report an error in the passage at 28:05

28:13 If you feel a little bit tired or uneasy, you can leave them slightly open so that a little bit of light comes in. But Report an error in the passage at 28:13

28:31 what we want to make sure here with meditation is that we don't force. We don't tell the mind, no, it's meditation time, sit straight and watch your breathing. We want to make sure that the mind is in the right state, that the mind actually feels at ease, that the mind feels treated fairly, kindly. We Report an error in the passage at 28:31

29:06 basically work at our attitude, that's another word we can use. Report an error in the passage at 29:06

29:14 And then that won't just apply to our mind and our mental world. That will automatically apply to our bodies as well. So please don't tell your bodies off. Don't tell your bodies you have to do this or you have to do that. You're not allowed to move for the next 25 minutes. That's what meditation is all about. No. Meditation is about ease. Report an error in the passage at 29:14

29:44 meditation is about peace meditation is about enjoying this and when we do then the mind gets into the right place into the right mood and Report an error in the passage at 29:44

30:04 then it actually settles by itself we don't have to hold it we don't have to force it we don't have to coax it we don't have to argue with it Report an error in the passage at 30:04

30:22 We were out and about recently and because it was a bit of a longer trip, we also had to use the bathroom and I always walk around in my robes. So one of the guys in the toilet just looked at me and said like, are you meditating a lot? And I said, yeah, sure, yes. I put his mug. So he said, is it hard or is it difficult? Report an error in the passage at 30:22

30:46 And he put me on the spot. And I didn't have much time to think, but I said. Well, it's actually the easiest thing in the world to let go. But sometimes it can be hard if we have those hindrances that make it difficult. If our mind is not in the right place, yes, then it's difficult. And I washed my hands, had a little bit more time to think, and as I was drying my hands I turned around to him once more and said, the most important thing is... Report an error in the passage at 30:46

31:24 To enjoy it, then meditation will flow. Then meditation, in parentheses, will work naturally. So Report an error in the passage at 31:24

31:55 look at your body like you would look at a garden. And Report an error in the passage at 31:55

32:04 your job is to cultivate this garden, to protect this garden, to look at it in a way that you give your attention, Report an error in the passage at 32:04

32:19 Give the water, the warmth, the energy to those plants that you want to grow. So Report an error in the passage at 32:19

32:33 maybe this time just scan your body let your awareness have a little look around and see if there is places that are nice places that are good enough places that are actually quite Report an error in the passage at 32:33

33:01 Great, quite nice, quite good. And then allow your mind to go there and to hang out, to Report an error in the passage at 33:01

33:15 give attention to that part of your garden. And Report an error in the passage at 33:15

33:23 that will be different for every person, different in every body. Find those beautiful pockets with the most fragrant flowers, with the stunning bushes and trees. Report an error in the passage at 33:23

33:53 that represent brightness, lightness. Find Report an error in the passage at 33:53

34:05 the places where it's easy to delight in, to sit down and be absorbed by what you see, what you feel. Maybe Report an error in the passage at 34:05

34:23 it's your feet, maybe it's your hands, maybe Report an error in the passage at 34:23

34:33 it's your face, especially the mouth. Which might be smiling a tiny little bit. Maybe Report an error in the passage at 34:33

34:45 you feel free and at ease in your chest. Where the air is just flowing in and flowing out. Peacefully, freely. Maybe Report an error in the passage at 34:45

35:03 you have a little corner in your belly. Where there is this kind of beautiful butterflies. Kind Report an error in the passage at 35:03

35:18 of like bubbly energy. Or Report an error in the passage at 35:18

35:28 in your fingertips. Report an error in the passage at 35:28

35:37 On the tip of your nose, wherever, just have a look around, be playful, be inquisitive. Report an error in the passage at 35:37

35:48 Sometimes when I focus on my hands and they are just resting, they feel really soft. How one is kind of cupped into the other, how they're folded, maybe Report an error in the passage at 35:48

36:17 the lips. The Report an error in the passage at 36:17

36:22 lips are actually very sensitive, very soft. Just touching each other gently. Report an error in the passage at 36:22

36:42 Feeling the bottom resting on the chair, on the mat, on the cushion. Feeling Report an error in the passage at 36:42

36:59 the air on your skin. Report an error in the passage at 36:59

37:05 Feeling your clothes on your skin. Whatever is pleasant, whatever is soft, whatever brings up this feeling of kindness and care. Maybe Report an error in the passage at 37:05

37:46 you can feel your hair. On your head, whatever Report an error in the passage at 37:46

37:55 it is, see the beauty, Report an error in the passage at 37:55

38:03 encourage the beauty, rest in the beauty, and Report an error in the passage at 38:03

38:19 allow the mind to shift into Report an error in the passage at 38:19

38:31 these uplifting positive mind states. And Report an error in the passage at 38:31

38:52 then you can allow these feelings that you connect with in your body to spread out, to leak out into the areas around it. Report an error in the passage at 38:52

39:11 Like the flowers in the garden will grow and will take up more space because they're being fed, they're being protected, they're being encouraged, they're being nourished. And Report an error in the passage at 39:11

39:46 when the mind is in the right place it Report an error in the passage at 39:46

39:54 can look at other parts of the body that were neutral or that were maybe a little bit uncomfortable. But the kindness, the care, Report an error in the passage at 39:54

40:12 melts away the tension, the difficulty, the heaviness. It's Report an error in the passage at 40:12

40:30 like they've Report an error in the passage at 40:30

40:52 been carrying a heavy backpack, but now they can put it down. The Report an error in the passage at 40:52

41:04 tension is dropped, it's released. And Report an error in the passage at 41:04

41:12 it's as if those areas sigh. Report an error in the passage at 41:12

41:20 With relief as those beautiful aspects of the mind, these beautiful flowers and vegetation starts to infiltrate them, starts to grow into them, starts to take over and fill that space. Allow Report an error in the passage at 41:20

· · · silence, 1 minute

42:39 it to spread across your whole body, Report an error in the passage at 42:39

42:48 radiating outwards. Report an error in the passage at 42:48

42:58 Through your legs, all the way down to your toes, from Report an error in the passage at 42:58

43:08 your hips, your belly, into your back, into your front, to the ribcage, up to the shoulders and the shoulder blades, out Report an error in the passage at 43:08

43:30 into the arms, all the way to the hands and the fingers, up Report an error in the passage at 43:30

43:44 into the neck, and Report an error in the passage at 43:44

43:49 throughout your head, your face. Report an error in the passage at 43:49

43:56 Your ears, your temples, your skull, everywhere. Report an error in the passage at 43:56

44:06 And Report an error in the passage at 44:06

44:33 let it flow into the garden of your mind, into Report an error in the passage at 44:33

44:41 all the beautiful areas in that garden which is called your mind. Different Report an error in the passage at 44:41

44:51 mind states in the different sections of that garden. And Report an error in the passage at 44:51

44:59 go and hang out, go and chill in the places that feel bright, that feel right. Report an error in the passage at 44:59

45:34 Find Report an error in the passage at 45:34

45:39 of peace, of joy. of gratitude, of care, of contentment. Report an error in the passage at 45:39

45:56 And Report an error in the passage at 45:56

46:02 once they Report an error in the passage at 46:02

46:35 are strong enough, they Report an error in the passage at 46:35

46:41 will overpower, overshine, simply by their power like the sun shines. It's not a force. It Report an error in the passage at 46:41

47:01 just happens naturally. It flows out. It expands. It radiates. And Report an error in the passage at 47:01

47:20 it flows into the areas that might be a bit tense, might be a bit restless, might be a bit sleepy, might be confused or sad. It Report an error in the passage at 47:20

47:41 sees them, but it doesn't judge. It cares. It Report an error in the passage at 47:41

47:57 understands. It Report an error in the passage at 47:57

48:07 wishes the best. Report an error in the passage at 48:07

48:37 And then as things settle down and become more calm and more peaceful, we Report an error in the passage at 48:37

48:49 can enter the sphere of our breath. Gentle Report an error in the passage at 48:49

49:01 movement of the air coming in and going out. And Report an error in the passage at 49:01

49:18 let's learn to appreciate the breath, delight in the breath, be Report an error in the passage at 49:18

49:35 at ease with the breath, Report an error in the passage at 49:35

49:58 allowing it to become the center. and feel our mind. As Report an error in the passage at 49:58

50:28 if when we are watching a sunset, we can just watch and be in the presence of this beautiful natural phenomenon of breath and Report an error in the passage at 50:28

50:52 hang out here for a little while in Report an error in the passage at 50:52

50:58 stillness. We're Report an error in the passage at 50:58

· · · silence, 2 minutes

52:47 approaching the other end of the meditation. Now is a good time to check in and to ask ourselves, Report an error in the passage at 52:47

53:04 What was our mind? What were we aware of? What Report an error in the passage at 53:04

53:14 did we cultivate? Report an error in the passage at 53:14

53:20 What did grow and flourish? To Report an error in the passage at 53:20

53:37 understand how we can learn to bring our minds into the right place. Because Report an error in the passage at 53:37

53:55 that's where it's all created. That's Report an error in the passage at 53:55

54:03 where everything comes from. That Report an error in the passage at 54:03

54:17 determines how we see the world. We relate to it and Report an error in the passage at 54:17

54:26 we experience it and how we feel. Take Report an error in the passage at 54:26

54:39 your time as you are listening to the bell to slowly make your way out of meditation. Connect Report an error in the passage at 54:39

· · · silence, 1 minute

55:39 to your body and to your senses to come back into this room and Report an error in the passage at 55:39

55:55 now is probably the best time to get a bit of an understanding of this thing which is called the mind and of the state that it is Copyright © 2020, Report an error in the passage at 55:55

56:13 New Thinking Allowed Foundation it to be in that way. Report an error in the passage at 56:13

56:17 It's the season, at least at our monastery still, the wildflowers probably are already slowly gone, but my abbot, Ajahn Santutthi, he really likes roses, they were actually working in the rose garden this afternoon, and this year it looks really, really nice, but it has taken quite a few years. Bhante Bodhidhaja talks about the importance of cultivating it of putting the plants in the right place and making sure they get enough water it was a really hot summer last year they get a bit of fertilizer that the aphids are not coming or that the birds are there to eat them and that the parrots are kept away who are usually eating the fresh buds so we had a bit of I hope that Report an error in the passage at 56:17

57:20 was good for you. Report an error in the passage at 57:20

57:26 And once we have a little bit of an understanding of what's going on with the mind, then we also feel the effects that things have on it. And then we are more encouraged to, you know, keep it in a balanced state. Keep it in a... Keep it in a clear, good state. We basically look after it the same way we look after our bodies and make sure that they're healthy. Report an error in the passage at 57:26

57:57 So having a healthy body and having a healthy mind, protecting it, nourishing it. So exposing ourselves to the right things, to the right people that help these mind states to become established. And to become strong. And then we can actually be the force that encourages other people. That inspires other people. Report an error in the passage at 57:57

58:26 But we can't make someone have a certain mind state. We can't force them. But we can inspire them. We can kind of lift them up. And that's what we can do for each other. Report an error in the passage at 58:26

58:43 Is there any questions? Any comments? Report an error in the passage at 58:43

58:54 Okay, very good. So thank you for coming along and have a good journey back home. Report an error in the passage at 58:54