Friday Night Guided Meditation

0:00 Okay, after the meditation, I did have an idea of what I was going to talk about this evening, but I'll also say a little bit about relics as well, because I really get into that. I'm an old monk now. Okay, so now let's do some meditation. So, if you can sit down quietly, because I'm very close to being a relic myself now, getting old and senior. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:32 You've got a while to go before you're a relic. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 0:32 Highlight the passage at 0:32

0:38 Okay, so close your eyes. With your eyes closed, see Report an error in the passage at 0:38 Highlight the passage at 0:38

0:48 if you can do nothing. Report an error in the passage at 0:48 Highlight the passage at 0:48

0:55 Don't try and watch your breath. Don't try and relax your body. Let the body relax itself. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:08 So when I'm looking at my body, when I suggest to the body, you know yourself by now, body, you're almost a relic. So, body called Ajahn Brahm. How are you sitting? Report an error in the passage at 1:08 Highlight the passage at 1:08

1:25 Do you need to move this or move that to relax it even more? When I ask questions like that, it's like when I see you and haven't seen you for a while, I ask, how are you? Report an error in the passage at 1:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25

1:39 I ask, how are you? Because I want to have that little bit of mindfulness to make sure that each one of you is comfortable, reasonably happy and at peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:39 Highlight the passage at 1:39

1:50 So that's what I do to my body. I'm busy talking to you, busy doing other stuff. Now I want to make sure all my awareness is focused on the comfort of my body. And if I try and do something, strive, that just makes my body more tense. Report an error in the passage at 1:50 Highlight the passage at 1:50

2:13 Sometimes on parts of my body which sometimes do get tense and tight, like my shoulders. I've taught this many times. Sometimes what I do, I just try and visualize, imagine, look at my shoulders. Report an error in the passage at 2:13 Highlight the passage at 2:13

2:29 Interesting way, I imagine they're just like strings of a guitar on two sides. And a lot of time when I look at those strings, this group of muscles all grouped together, not just six strings, but so many strings. And they're all tied and they're all stretched too far. I don't know why I stretch those muscles. So I imagine them as guitar strings on both sides of my neck. Report an error in the passage at 2:29 Highlight the passage at 2:29

2:59 Going down to the top of my arms, shoulder muscles. When I imagine them like that, I imagine loosening the tension in those strings. Report an error in the passage at 2:59 Highlight the passage at 2:59

3:13 Imagine them relaxing, only a little bit at a time, because that's what I'm watching, that's what I'm looking at, the tightness in my shoulders. Report an error in the passage at 3:13 Highlight the passage at 3:13

3:27 I get feedback. If it's working, I feel those... Tension in both shoulders loosen up. You can feel that happening. That's why I like the kindfulness and mindfulness with a good object to relax. And you can feel the mindfulness start to work. The area of my body, not just the shoulders, gets looser and looser and looser. Report an error in the passage at 3:27 Highlight the passage at 3:27

4:02 Honestly, I can feel that. I'm going to keep on going to relax those muscles as much as I possibly can. Report an error in the passage at 4:02 Highlight the passage at 4:02

4:13 And when you live in the world, you know, whether it's your shoulders or your back muscles or your arms or your legs, whatever gets overused, it gets sore. Report an error in the passage at 4:13 Highlight the passage at 4:13

4:26 What's happening, there is so much tension in some of the body parts you have. Just like a tight guitar string, something falls on it. Ding! Report an error in the passage at 4:26 Highlight the passage at 4:26

4:38 If it's tense, it makes a loud noise. But once the tension is loosened, it gets to a point something falls on that muscle. You can hardly hear it. And when it's really relaxed, something falls on it. There's no noise at all. That's when the body is healthy. Report an error in the passage at 4:38 Highlight the passage at 4:38

5:08 It's a simple way of explaining it, but it's a way you can understand. That's why I use it. It's not just shoulder muscles for me. Sometimes food I eat can cause me a tummy ache because I don't always know what I'm eating. Report an error in the passage at 5:08 Highlight the passage at 5:08

5:32 And if it does, I do the same thing. It's the tightness and inflammation, stretching of those muscles in my stomach or my intestines. Report an error in the passage at 5:32 Highlight the passage at 5:32

5:42 First thing I do is to feel it as clearly as possible. Once I can feel it, feel that tension, then I loosen everything and still that tightness kind of disappears. Report an error in the passage at 5:42 Highlight the passage at 5:42

6:00 Everything becomes so loose and at ease. It's not a doing of meditation, it's a letting go of doing, a relaxing, being at ease, making sure there's minimal pressure, minimal doing, minimal striving. Report an error in the passage at 6:00 Highlight the passage at 6:00

6:23 That's why I sometimes call it relax to the max. When Report an error in the passage at 6:23 Highlight the passage at 6:23

6:31 I do start relaxing to the max, the parts of my body feel so comfortable. That's why it becomes easy to meditate, even if you have some sort of sickness or pain or headache or something. Report an error in the passage at 6:31 Highlight the passage at 6:31

6:50 You learn how to relax to the max. You don't try and get rid of the aches and pains. If you try and get rid of them... Too much doing, too much negativity. You realize that this is part of life. Things aren't always as you would like it. But you can still make peace with it. And that becomes, surprisingly, a path of bliss. Report an error in the passage at 6:50 Highlight the passage at 6:50

7:31 You know how to deal with disappointment and it's not a burden anymore. You know how to deal with tightness in the body. You let it be. Let it be. Don't try and get rid of it. When you let it be, you're starting that great process essential to meditation, to peace, to happiness, to freedom, letting things go. Report an error in the passage at 7:31 Highlight the passage at 7:31

7:59 You realize you don't need very much to be happy. This moment may not be the best, but it's more than good enough. You're safe here. It's comfortable, peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 7:59 Highlight the passage at 7:59

8:22 You see all the beautiful qualities in this moment. Report an error in the passage at 8:22 Highlight the passage at 8:22

8:30 Isn't it wonderful? You don't have to do anything for the next 20 minutes. No one is going to test you. No one is going to criticize you. No one is going to cause any problems for you. It's kind of moments of freedom. You can imagine what it was like to be a Buddha, sitting under a tree, not trying to get something. Report an error in the passage at 8:30 Highlight the passage at 8:30

9:05 Not trying to achieve anything. Just being. Being peaceful. Make peace. Be kind. Be gentle. Such simple teachings. And relax to the max. Report an error in the passage at 9:05 Highlight the passage at 9:05

9:35 No one is going to criticize you. You don't have to be tight, tense, because somebody might find you or shout at you. Just make peace with this moment. You're allowed to. And with your body. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

9:53 Sometimes you push your body so much, now's the time to let it be. Report an error in the passage at 9:53 Highlight the passage at 9:53

10:03 I was just noticing a small thing. My nose was itchy. I scratched it first of all, a minute or two ago. It doesn't go away. Now I let it be. I learned how to enjoy that itchy nose. Report an error in the passage at 10:03 Highlight the passage at 10:03

10:24 It's not hard. Report an error in the passage at 10:24 Highlight the passage at 10:24

10:29 And then surprisingly it vanishes. Actually not surprising when you know... Where disturbances come from. You let things be. You don't do anything. You just get out of the way. My body has looked after me for over 74 years. Report an error in the passage at 10:29 Highlight the passage at 10:29

10:56 I shouldn't be able to trust it by now. I just sit here, be aware, and make sure I don't do anything. I Report an error in the passage at 10:56 Highlight the passage at 10:56

11:11 let this moment be. I Report an error in the passage at 11:11 Highlight the passage at 11:11

11:18 understand what sort of... old age is like. understand what sickness is, understand what health is. Report an error in the passage at 11:18 Highlight the passage at 11:18

11:31 and become peace with all of it. Report an error in the passage at 11:31 Highlight the passage at 11:31

11:38 So nothing would ever worry you. Nothing to be concerned about. I'm Report an error in the passage at 11:38 Highlight the passage at 11:38

11:50 kind. Be kind and you find out the way you find fault with things kind of gets less and disappears. This is our world. I let it be. Report an error in the passage at 11:50 Highlight the passage at 11:50

12:12 It's our body. We let it be. Report an error in the passage at 12:12 Highlight the passage at 12:12

12:19 It's amazing. As soon as you relax to the max with your body, it feels healthy. Report an error in the passage at 12:19 Highlight the passage at 12:19

12:32 It doesn't cause you any problem. What difficulty could there ever be with just sitting, sitting on a comfortable chair? Report an error in the passage at 12:32 Highlight the passage at 12:32

12:43 I do hear the air cons are on, keeping it just nice, safe, quiet. You've got nothing to do, so do nothing. Report an error in the passage at 12:43 Highlight the passage at 12:43

12:59 I'm now going to be quiet, just to let this peace, however it feels, just be. How Report an error in the passage at 12:59 Highlight the passage at 12:59

· · · silence, 9 minutes

22:06 do you feel now? Report an error in the passage at 22:06 Highlight the passage at 22:06

22:12 It's not the end of the meditation yet. It's just a check how this meditation went today. Doing Report an error in the passage at 22:12 Highlight the passage at 22:12

22:27 less, hopefully enjoying more. It Report an error in the passage at 22:27 Highlight the passage at 22:27

22:53 has now just gone past 8 o 'clock, so I will ring the gong to conclude. It's a very simple and easy meditation period. Report an error in the passage at 22:53 Highlight the passage at 22:53

· · · silence, 1 minute

23:37 Thank you everybody for cooperating. Report an error in the passage at 23:37 Highlight the passage at 23:37