Guided Meditation

0:00 The concepts of suffering, the concepts of craving, the concepts of all the various things you have learnt and see how they connect. In the quietness of sitting in meditation, realisations come about. So this investigation of dhammas is something that is part of the path, one of the seven factors. And the third one is energy. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:29 Usually translated as energy, vayama or viriya, where you are eager and you put forth effort into that path. And the fourth is usually translated as rapture. This sense of joy and happiness that comes from our practice. Then comes tranquility followed by stillness. And the last is equanimity. The way the Buddha explains it, he says the second, third and fourth energy investigation and rapture, they have qualities of excitement, qualities of movement, qualities of waking up. Report an error in the passage at 0:29 Highlight the passage at 0:29

1:27 And the last three, tranquility, stillness and equanimity. has the characteristic of quieting down. So he advises, if you are feeling very dull, and your brain is tired, your mood is low, Report an error in the passage at 1:27 Highlight the passage at 1:27

1:54 don't pay too much attention yet to the tranquility, stillness and equanimity aspects, but work on rapture, work on investigation of qualities, And energy, develop those in the mind. On the other hand, if you're overexcited, you're restless, listless, then focus more on the stillness part, the tranquility part, the equanimous part. Report an error in the passage at 1:54 Highlight the passage at 1:54

2:31 And then he ends that sutta by saying, mindfulness is always helpful. Always turn that on to the max. Don't have to turn that down. Report an error in the passage at 2:31 Highlight the passage at 2:31

2:45 What I have found, especially for us beginners, it's very hard to think of seven items. What I found useful was something I tried to introduce last night. The idea of enjoying the breath, of being with a friend, the happiness of having a friend near you, of meeting up with a friend. A friend sitting with you, and I described it yesterday as it being a magnetic force. Report an error in the passage at 2:45 Highlight the passage at 2:45

3:27 When you feel that joy of the breath, the mind lights up and sticks to that breath and becomes quite happy. Report an error in the passage at 3:27 Highlight the passage at 3:27

3:41 As you are more and more experienced with your meditation, you may find that happiness a bit... Too much? So I'm going to introduce this concept of a dial, a knob, where you can choose how much stickiness you want, how much excitement and joy you want with regards to that breath. My suggestion is that initially, turn it all the way up. Report an error in the passage at 3:41 Highlight the passage at 3:41

4:23 Stick to the breath. Reason being, The breath is a wonderful anchor for the here and now. When the mind sticks to the breath and the mind is enjoying the inn and the whole pleasure of the whole process, the thinking stops. Report an error in the passage at 4:23 Highlight the passage at 4:23

4:48 You're in a good space. You're in a happy space. A safe space because a friend is right there with you. A good friend is right there with you. Report an error in the passage at 4:48 Highlight the passage at 4:48

5:03 As we progress into the hour, then you might say, okay, now that my mind has quietened down, I may want to be in a more restful state. Then you can start turning down the dial a bit. But when you then realize that your mind is wandering away too far, start thinking about stuff or just getting dull, you might come back and turn the knob. Report an error in the passage at 5:03 Highlight the passage at 5:03

5:38 Back up a notch or two. Okay, so that's the little concept I want to introduce today. We will also be doing a bit about what we talked about last night, letting go of anxieties. Report an error in the passage at 5:38 Highlight the passage at 5:38

5:56 So with your eyes closed, as we did yesterday, bring your attention to the abdominal area. Report an error in the passage at 5:56 Highlight the passage at 5:56

6:13 Specifically, we start with the muscles of the abdominal area. Report an error in the passage at 6:13 Highlight the passage at 6:13

6:22 The muscles in front, the six pack, as well as the muscles at the back, the lumbar muscles. I think medically they call it antagonistic muscles. One pulls your backbone forward, the other one pulls the backbone straight back up the other way. Report an error in the passage at 6:22 Highlight the passage at 6:22

6:43 And when they both pull the right amount, your body is upright. But find that posture such that you can relax both. These sets of muscles and Report an error in the passage at 6:43 Highlight the passage at 6:43

7:04 use just the minimum amount of strength to Report an error in the passage at 7:04 Highlight the passage at 7:04

7:11 stay upright. Report an error in the passage at 7:11 Highlight the passage at 7:11

7:15 Experiment if you need, fidget, move your backbone left and right, front to back. The Report an error in the passage at 7:15 Highlight the passage at 7:15

7:26 more relaxed these muscles are, Report an error in the passage at 7:26 Highlight the passage at 7:26

7:37 spacious, that abdominal cavity, you Report an error in the passage at 7:37 Highlight the passage at 7:37

7:55 can feel that the stomach and the intestines and all the other stuff inside has a bit more space. And Report an error in the passage at 7:55 Highlight the passage at 7:55

8:20 magically, The breath comes right up to greet you. And Report an error in the passage at 8:20 Highlight the passage at 8:20

8:38 I recommend developing this habit of greeting the breath as you would a good friend. The Report an error in the passage at 8:38 Highlight the passage at 8:38

8:55 happiness of meeting a good friend, the sense of relaxation when a dependable, sincere, honest friend is in your presence. Straight Report an error in the passage at 8:55 Highlight the passage at 8:55

9:38 away, take pleasure in hanging out with this friend. The Report an error in the passage at 9:38 Highlight the passage at 9:38

9:52 friend very quickly grounds you in the here and now. Be Report an error in the passage at 9:52 Highlight the passage at 9:52

10:21 familiar with this place, this place where our breath is. If ever you get lost in the meditation, come back here. This is sort of like the rendezvous point, the meeting point with the breath. And Report an error in the passage at 10:21 Highlight the passage at 10:21

· · · silence, 1 minute

11:19 for the rest of the hour, please do everything together with this friend. As we move our attention through the body, move together with the breath. Have the breath accompany you throughout the hour. Report an error in the passage at 11:19 Highlight the passage at 11:19

11:55 So just as we might want to check out if there's any more tightness around the abdominal area, let Report an error in the passage at 11:55 Highlight the passage at 11:55

12:08 the rise and the fall of the breath help Report an error in the passage at 12:08 Highlight the passage at 12:08

12:16 point out to you where the tightness might be. And Report an error in the passage at 12:16 Highlight the passage at 12:16

12:30 then you bring the compassion. And the kindness. And let the breath massage it in. If Report an error in the passage at 12:30 Highlight the passage at 12:30

· · · silence, 1 minute

13:23 you should encounter any tightness, just check if there's an anxiety behind it or associated with it. And then let go of the anxiety together with the tightness. Let Report an error in the passage at 13:23 Highlight the passage at 13:23

14:01 go as in allowing space, a safe space, for these to gently relax. Relax and dissolve. Report an error in the passage at 14:01 Highlight the passage at 14:01

14:25 And Report an error in the passage at 14:25 Highlight the passage at 14:25

· · · silence, 1 minute

14:59 then when Report an error in the passage at 14:59 Highlight the passage at 14:59

15:15 you're ready, expand that zone of comfort upwards to the chest area, the upper thorax. And Report an error in the passage at 15:15 Highlight the passage at 15:15

15:34 check out the muscles at the back and the ribs. Report an error in the passage at 15:34 Highlight the passage at 15:34

· · · silence, 1 minute

16:10 Again, let the rise and fall illuminate Report an error in the passage at 16:10 Highlight the passage at 16:10

16:18 the feelings in the body. I Report an error in the passage at 16:18 Highlight the passage at 16:18

· · · silence, 2 minutes

18:03 will keep going at the... general pace if you want to slow down at any part please carry on you can catch up later but if this upper body is okay you can move up to the neck area likewise Report an error in the passage at 18:03 Highlight the passage at 18:03

18:30 relax the muscles in the neck check for any tightness such Report an error in the passage at 18:30 Highlight the passage at 18:30

18:41 that the head can stay upright with minimal effort there Report an error in the passage at 18:41 Highlight the passage at 18:41

19:10 may not be much sensation of the breath This area, you can still imagine the breath going up and down the trachea, the throat, and Report an error in the passage at 19:10 Highlight the passage at 19:10

19:50 move on to the face, facial area, the muscles around the face, the nose, the mouth, those, Report an error in the passage at 19:50 Highlight the passage at 19:50

19:59 and Report an error in the passage at 19:59 Highlight the passage at 19:59

20:08 the eyes, the muscles of the eyeballs, the ones that move the eyeballs left and right, up and down. These Report an error in the passage at 20:08 Highlight the passage at 20:08

20:37 are all places where anxieties sometimes hang out or get left behind. Report an error in the passage at 20:37 Highlight the passage at 20:37

20:53 And then the forehead. Let the frown between the eyebrows dissolve away. That Report an error in the passage at 20:53 Highlight the passage at 20:53

21:27 space behind the forehead, behind the eyeballs, the brain area. Can Report an error in the passage at 21:27 Highlight the passage at 21:27

21:42 you imagine as you inhale and exhale that the air that go up and down through the nostrils freshens up the brain cavity, letting Report an error in the passage at 21:42 Highlight the passage at 21:42

22:05 the stale stuff in Report an error in the passage at 22:05 Highlight the passage at 22:05

22:13 freshness. Report an error in the passage at 22:13 Highlight the passage at 22:13

22:16 My own Report an error in the passage at 22:16 Highlight the passage at 22:16

· · · silence, 1 minute

22:48 experience is that the tightness in this part tends to be more stubborn. If Report an error in the passage at 22:48 Highlight the passage at 22:48

23:21 you are the thinking, worrying kind, you practically have to tell yourself to pull back all those fingers that are squeezing the brain, pull them open and Report an error in the passage at 23:21 Highlight the passage at 23:21

23:41 let that poor brain fluff up again. As Report an error in the passage at 23:41 Highlight the passage at 23:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

25:10 we said earlier, if the mind runs, Learn to enjoy the breath. Take pleasure in the rise and fall of the breath. The Report an error in the passage at 25:10 Highlight the passage at 25:10

25:41 closer the mind is to the sensation of the breath, the more pleasant it feels. And Report an error in the passage at 25:41 Highlight the passage at 25:41

26:00 once you get it, the attention sticks. And Report an error in the passage at 26:00 Highlight the passage at 26:00

· · · silence, 2 minutes

27:38 then, perhaps you might want to do a quick last scan of the body. And see if you have left any spots of tightness, if you have missed anything. Report an error in the passage at 27:38 Highlight the passage at 27:38

28:20 Once the body is in a good space, now it's the time for the mind, the observer, to be the recipient of the kindness, the tender loving kindness of the breath. How do we do this? Allow that observing mind, Report an error in the passage at 28:20 Highlight the passage at 28:20

28:54 To now just float in space, allow the breath to wrap that mind in a nice soft blanket and cuddle that mind in the gentle rise and fall. Mind Report an error in the passage at 28:54 Highlight the passage at 28:54

29:24 just stays passive, experiencing Report an error in the passage at 29:24 Highlight the passage at 29:24

29:32 the breath. Report an error in the passage at 29:32 Highlight the passage at 29:32

· · · silence, 1 minute

30:27 Okay, I'm going to be quiet for a bit. As Report an error in the passage at 30:27 Highlight the passage at 30:27

30:37 you hang out with the breath, please notice for yourself if the mind If it does, bring it back to the breath and indulge again in the pleasure of the breath. Let Report an error in the passage at 30:37 Highlight the passage at 30:37

31:11 the magnetic force pull it together as Report an error in the passage at 31:11 Highlight the passage at 31:11

· · · silence, 5 minutes

36:00 the mind is getting more and more comfortable putting itself under the care of the breath as the trust and confidence develops. Report an error in the passage at 36:00 Highlight the passage at 36:00

36:28 Perhaps the mind Report an error in the passage at 36:28 Highlight the passage at 36:28

36:34 let go a notch further. Drop the anxiety level one more level down. Letting Report an error in the passage at 36:34 Highlight the passage at 36:34

36:48 go of the body, whatever sensations of the body, trusting that the breath will look after the body, takes Report an error in the passage at 36:48 Highlight the passage at 36:48

37:12 a holiday. Just Report an error in the passage at 37:12 Highlight the passage at 37:12

37:17 rest with the breath. If Report an error in the passage at 37:17 Highlight the passage at 37:17

· · · silence, 9 minutes

45:52 you are in a very comfortable place, please ignore me for now. Report an error in the passage at 45:52 Highlight the passage at 45:52

46:10 and it's becoming a little bit restless. Report an error in the passage at 46:10 Highlight the passage at 46:10

46:15 I offer you this. Let the Report an error in the passage at 46:15 Highlight the passage at 46:15

46:26 attention go Report an error in the passage at 46:26 Highlight the passage at 46:26

46:31 to the heart region and Report an error in the passage at 46:31 Highlight the passage at 46:31

46:37 see if there's any old emotions, old emotional injuries, residual Report an error in the passage at 46:37 Highlight the passage at 46:37

46:58 anxieties as Report an error in the passage at 46:58 Highlight the passage at 46:58

47:07 you breathe in and out. Report an error in the passage at 47:07 Highlight the passage at 47:07

47:12 Imagine the breath going through the heart area, eliminating Report an error in the passage at 47:12 Highlight the passage at 47:12

47:23 any tightness. If Report an error in the passage at 47:23 Highlight the passage at 47:23

47:43 there's any discomfort, sit with it with patience and kindness. Hold a safe space. Give Report an error in the passage at 47:43 Highlight the passage at 47:43

48:04 it time to heal. For Report an error in the passage at 48:04 Highlight the passage at 48:04

· · · silence, 5 minutes

53:18 two more minutes, you Report an error in the passage at 53:18 Highlight the passage at 53:18

53:24 reconnect with the breath. Express your appreciation for this good friend. Enjoy a few more moments before... Before we say our goodbyes for now, any Report an error in the passage at 53:24 Highlight the passage at 53:24

· · · silence, 2 minutes

55:55 comments? Thank Report an error in the passage at 55:55 Highlight the passage at 55:55

56:17 you, Venerable Radha. It was another really nice meditation, so I appreciate that. If we have a physical pain, is it possible that we've got a corresponding emotional pain as well, or is that something that we wouldn't? wouldn't necessarily see. Report an error in the passage at 56:17 Highlight the passage at 56:17

56:45 I imagine, I don't know a definite answer. I imagine you can have physical injuries and you can have emotional injuries. I imagine emotional injuries often causes our muscles to hold. But physical injuries are just physical injuries. Whether you then put on a layer of emotional... There are difficulties over it. It's something to do with each of our own conditioning, I guess. I mean, as we all grow old, you can grow old gracefully in your emotional sense, or you can grow old and lament over the old age and the aching body. Report an error in the passage at 56:45 Highlight the passage at 56:45

57:32 Then it adds a layer of emotional pain onto that ageing body. Report an error in the passage at 57:32 Highlight the passage at 57:32

57:44 Any other comments? Thank Report an error in the passage at 57:44 Highlight the passage at 57:44

57:59 you, Venerable. I think you mentioned something about injecting energy into the dull mind. Can you suggest how you do that? Report an error in the passage at 57:59 Highlight the passage at 57:59

58:12 What I was suggesting in this session was to find that joy in the breath. The image I have in my head, which I forgot to illustrate, illustrate. Is this Idea of a little baby on the mother's shoulders, oblivious to the whole world, just enjoying that. It's Report an error in the passage at 58:12 Highlight the passage at 58:12

58:48 joyful, right? Just the image of it. Report an error in the passage at 58:48 Highlight the passage at 58:48

59:04 Dear Ajahn, what is the best way to meditate when you are severely ill, all day in bed, laying, and lungs are damaged? Out-breath is easier than in, but I feel little progress. Report an error in the passage at 59:04 Highlight the passage at 59:04

59:22 This is Ajahn Brahm's wisdom. This idea of progress, judging yourself and wondering, am I progressing? And quite often Ajahn will say, stop trying. Just breathe and enjoy it. And that's progress in itself. Don't worry too much about it. Likewise, whether you're in bed or you're on a recliner chair, make yourself as comfortable as possible and enjoy that breath rather than trying to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 59:22 Highlight the passage at 59:22

1:00:09 That trying gets in the way. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:09 Highlight the passage at 1:00:09

1:00:16 Dear Venerable, say we choose breath as the object, then strong thoughts and feelings appear, or if any pain or itch, do we ignore them? And come back to the breath or do we watch them until they fade away or any other approach? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:16 Highlight the passage at 1:00:16

1:00:37 We tried it already I think today. I will always start with the breath in the abdominal area. I find that very useful personally because it connects you to the breath immediately. The idea of trying to focus on the breath. I found difficult. I found my mind runs. If the breath is an unattractive object, the mind will automatically, it's the nature of the mind to go and look for something else more attractive. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:37 Highlight the passage at 1:00:37

1:01:17 So relax the body in order that the breath can appear attractive, can appear pleasant, which is why... This is my strategy, so it's not in the textbooks, but I find it works, I like it. Go to the breath, relax the abdominal areas. The breath will come and meet you when the abdominal area is relaxed and your attention is there. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:17 Highlight the passage at 1:01:17

1:01:51 Meet the breath, hug the breath as a friend, and then spend the hour with that friend. How fun is that? And then, it's almost like, say you're a nurse or a doctor in a hospital ward, right? If you're the only staff on shift, and you had to attend to every patient in the ward, you might find it a bit lonely, a bit daunting. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:51 Highlight the passage at 1:01:51

1:02:23 But if you had a buddy together, that burden, that idea of... A chore goes away because you have a friend to work with you. So the breath, very dependable. You bring the kindness and the compassion and the breath will massage it in. The breath will lift up the different parts by the rising and the falling and identify for you where the injuries are. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:23 Highlight the passage at 1:02:23

1:02:58 So I find that very useful. So when you have strong thoughts and strong feelings, or pain or itch in the body, go there with the breath and attend to it with kindness. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:58 Highlight the passage at 1:02:58

1:03:15 So even though it is a thought, because the breath is with the mind, you are anchored in the here and now. You don't get drawn away into the past or future. That's the wonderful part about what the Buddha said. Breath meditation is of great fruit and benefit. Get the breath to stick with the mind and you'll be in the present moment. You will not be creating anxieties. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:15 Highlight the passage at 1:03:15

1:03:48 You'll be attending to the problems in a positive, constructive, healing way. That's my view. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:48 Highlight the passage at 1:03:48

1:04:00 Okay, those are the two questions here. Any other comments? Are we good? Absolutely. Good? Okay, let's pay respects to the Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:00 Highlight the passage at 1:04:00

1:04:24 [chanting]

1:04:39 Svakkato bhagavatadhamo dhammang namasami Report an error in the passage at 1:04:39 Highlight the passage at 1:04:39

1:04:52 [chanting]