Guided Meditation

0:00 So we have about one hour's meditation, I think. Anybody knows? Yes? One hour? Okay. So make sure you're comfortable when you're meditating. And even if you need to change your posture, it's always fine. But not just posture. Important thing always in the beginning of meditation. Please check your mobile phones. Yesterday I told people to check their mobile phones. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:29 Two went off. So it's always good, even if you think it's like, yeah, no, I think I did it. But just in case, check it out. And Report an error in the passage at 0:29 Highlight the passage at 0:29

0:55 then adjust your cushions. Make sure they're comfortable enough. Make sure you get your clothing nice and soft and relaxed, so there's nothing pushing you on your body. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:16 And then you can close your eyes and do it again. Adjust your cushion again. Maybe it's not perfect. Maybe my clothing is not perfect. Report an error in the passage at 1:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16

1:28 It's a bit tight. Adjust your clothing. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:28 Highlight the passage at 1:28

1:42 very important in the meditation to have right attitude. So just to remind you that we're not here to be watching pain for one hour. It's not what we're doing. There will be some discomfort, sure. But important thing in meditation is that when you start having the pain here and there is to have Report an error in the passage at 1:42 Highlight the passage at 1:42

2:08 Good attitude towards that. You are allowed to move. And if you move with good attitude instead of grinding your teeth, there's pain, there's pain, there's pain. I can't move. I cannot move. I cannot move. You're creating negative thoughts. So try to have kindness. What the Buddha was actually teaching, Buddha was not teaching. Report an error in the passage at 2:08 Highlight the passage at 2:08

2:42 Any kind of aggressive behavior, let's try to do what the Buddha was teaching us. Have kindness towards your body. So if at any point in the meditation you start getting pain, would you start thinking, this is not going to go away, this is not good for my body, then move, but move with kindness. It's like, yes, my body needs to move. It's not your fault. Report an error in the passage at 2:42 Highlight the passage at 2:42

3:13 It's not the body's fault. Just look at the pain like, oh yes, there is pain starting to grow again in my ankle or knee. If I would just put my foot forward, even if it's facing the Buddha, so to speak, it is good. Report an error in the passage at 3:13 Highlight the passage at 3:13

3:34 Please do that. Report an error in the passage at 3:34 Highlight the passage at 3:34

3:44 And I keep talking because there's more and more people coming to the hall, so it's fine that everybody gets in on the beginning of the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 3:44 Highlight the passage at 3:44

4:00 And by the way, if you're new here, this class is a one-hour meditation. It's for the experienced meditators. We know what we're doing, right? No, we're all beginners. So even the latecomers, please, when you came in, check your mobile phone is on silent. One more time. Report an error in the passage at 4:00 Highlight the passage at 4:00

4:33 Because if I don't keep reminding people, the newcomers might leave your phone on. So please check your phone because somebody might get almost enlightened and then your mobile will stop them. Report an error in the passage at 4:33 Highlight the passage at 4:33

4:50 Rest of us, we already did it. I don't have a mobile, but everybody else. So out of kindness for everybody else, just check it. Report an error in the passage at 4:50 Highlight the passage at 4:50

5:00 And then you can start relaxing now by checking your body is nice and comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 5:00 Highlight the passage at 5:00

5:10 And when your mobile is on silent, and then you adjust it, your clothing being nice and soft and gentle, and your posture is nice and gentle, you can start feeling your body. Report an error in the passage at 5:10 Highlight the passage at 5:10

5:34 How does your body feel today? Report an error in the passage at 5:34 Highlight the passage at 5:34

5:39 Do you have worries somewhere in your body? Where do you hold the worry in your body? Do you have it in your tummy? Do you have upset stomach because of something? You just have stomach, which easily gets upset. Report an error in the passage at 5:39 Highlight the passage at 5:39

5:58 Kindness to that part. Let's start with the stomach. Because that's where a lot of our worries are. It's the gut feeling. Report an error in the passage at 5:58 Highlight the passage at 5:58

6:08 Tummy gets upset easy. It's okay. Report an error in the passage at 6:08 Highlight the passage at 6:08

6:16 Just breathe into the stomach. Just allowing to soften up a little bit in the beginning of the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 6:16 Highlight the passage at 6:16

· · · silence, 1 minute

6:53 And if you do have anxiety in your tummy, you can just think of what have caused it. What could make you... Have anxiety or upset. Why do you hold it in your tummy? Report an error in the passage at 6:53 Highlight the passage at 6:53

7:14 All those things flashing in your mind. Just Report an error in the passage at 7:14 Highlight the passage at 7:14

7:24 keep breathing in the stomach kindness, into the stomach your kindness you have. Report an error in the passage at 7:24 Highlight the passage at 7:24

7:37 Allow worries to go out with your out-breath. Just sigh out like, for a while at least I can just relax here in the Buddhist society. Report an error in the passage at 7:37 Highlight the passage at 7:37

7:52 You're surrounded by good people that Report an error in the passage at 7:52 Highlight the passage at 7:52

7:58 we all know. There is worries in the world, but at least for a while you can let it behind a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 7:58 Highlight the passage at 7:58

8:24 Another place where you can carry the world on is your shoulders, of course. So just think of your shoulders. Allow them to drop down. Report an error in the passage at 8:24 Highlight the passage at 8:24

8:43 Actively give them like a mental massage for your shoulders. And Report an error in the passage at 8:43 Highlight the passage at 8:43

8:57 what about your neck? The neck is stiff because it's holding your heavy head. So Report an error in the passage at 8:57 Highlight the passage at 8:57

9:19 allow even the neck to relax. No need to have stiffness in your shoulders and neck. Report an error in the passage at 9:19 Highlight the passage at 9:19

9:35 Another place where the anxiety or worries show is around your jaw. Quite often people bite their teeth against each other. They grind their teeth when they're nervous. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

9:52 And the jaw muscles are the strongest muscles actually in your body. So they're very, very strong and so they can even hurt your teeth. Report an error in the passage at 9:52 Highlight the passage at 9:52

10:03 So make sure your jaw muscles are nice and soft and gentle. Report an error in the passage at 10:03 Highlight the passage at 10:03

10:13 Just thinking of those, the parts of the body makes them a little bit softer. Report an error in the passage at 10:13 Highlight the passage at 10:13

10:45 And again, I remind everybody that if you start feeling uncomfortable at some point in the meditation, Please do move, change your posture, but if you have a good attitude, it doesn't interrupt your meditation. Report an error in the passage at 10:45 Highlight the passage at 10:45

11:03 So if anything continuous you should have during this meditation is good attitude, kindness towards your body and your mind. That is more important than any kind of concentration. Report an error in the passage at 11:03 Highlight the passage at 11:03

11:27 We're here to cultivate good mind states. And trying to let the negative mind states out of the picture. Report an error in the passage at 11:27 Highlight the passage at 11:27

11:46 So whatever comes into your mind, whatever happens, look Report an error in the passage at 11:46 Highlight the passage at 11:46

11:57 at it with acceptance, a Report an error in the passage at 11:57 Highlight the passage at 11:57

12:05 little bit with neutrality if you can. Report an error in the passage at 12:05 Highlight the passage at 12:05

· · · silence, 1 minute

12:57 And once you start settling in this, the place, Report an error in the passage at 12:57 Highlight the passage at 12:57

13:10 remember that the best thing for you Mind is to have mind Report an error in the passage at 13:10 Highlight the passage at 13:10

13:22 which is at ease and Report an error in the passage at 13:22 Highlight the passage at 13:22

13:29 you don't get easiness with fighting. Report an error in the passage at 13:29 Highlight the passage at 13:29

· · · silence, 1 minute

14:09 It's like this background noise we have in this hall which is a little bit of buzzing and Report an error in the passage at 14:09 Highlight the passage at 14:09

14:19 the air conditioning is here on the background and Report an error in the passage at 14:19 Highlight the passage at 14:19

14:28 you make stories out of these things. What is causing that noise, what it's this and that. Your mind just goes and scans around your surrounding. Report an error in the passage at 14:28 Highlight the passage at 14:28

14:43 But it's like you're sitting on the beach and you close your eyes. Even though there's noise around you, you don't have to worry about it. Report an error in the passage at 14:43 Highlight the passage at 14:43

14:54 Sure, we know there's other people sitting around the beach with you, but it doesn't bother you. Report an error in the passage at 14:54 Highlight the passage at 14:54

15:03 Sure, maybe there's a car alarm going somewhere. Maybe it's your car. Hey, it's okay. I Report an error in the passage at 15:03 Highlight the passage at 15:03

15:28 do wonder how long the car alarm will go. But at the moment... Report an error in the passage at 15:28 Highlight the passage at 15:28

15:36 There's nothing we need to do, nowhere to go for a while. Report an error in the passage at 15:36 Highlight the passage at 15:36

· · · silence, 1 minute

16:11 So again, think of yourself sitting on this nice spot on the beach. Nobody's telling you what to do. There's no particular thing you have to do. You just hear the relax. Report an error in the passage at 16:11 Highlight the passage at 16:11

16:44 Nothing to do, nowhere to go. Report an error in the passage at 16:44 Highlight the passage at 16:44

16:51 It's a break from the world. Report an error in the passage at 16:51 Highlight the passage at 16:51

17:06 And then one more time. Report an error in the passage at 17:06 Highlight the passage at 17:06

17:11 Just scan your body a little bit. How does the body feel? Report an error in the passage at 17:11 Highlight the passage at 17:11

17:42 How does the breath go in and out of your body? How does it feel like? Is there tension or is it going at ease? Just Report an error in the passage at 17:42 Highlight the passage at 17:42

18:06 look at the breath going in and out of the body. No need to concentrate so tightly on the breath. Just look at the movement. Report an error in the passage at 18:06 Highlight the passage at 18:06

18:46 And really if anything you need to pay attention is the feeling tone. How does the... What does the breath feel like going in and out, if you give it name? Report an error in the passage at 18:46 Highlight the passage at 18:46

19:03 It feels soft and gentle, or it feels tight, or it feels tired. Report an error in the passage at 19:03 Highlight the passage at 19:03

19:37 And then feel Report an error in the passage at 19:37 Highlight the passage at 19:37

19:43 for a while, what does the feel, how do the muscles around your face feel like? Report an error in the passage at 19:43 Highlight the passage at 19:43

19:55 Quite often your mind is mirrored on your face. Report an error in the passage at 19:55 Highlight the passage at 19:55

20:03 If you're tired, your face shows that tiredness. So Report an error in the passage at 20:03 Highlight the passage at 20:03

20:18 allow all the muscles around your face to relax, as Report an error in the passage at 20:18 Highlight the passage at 20:18

20:32 if you were sitting on that imaginary beach, so to speak, surrounded by the other kind people. Report an error in the passage at 20:32 Highlight the passage at 20:32

20:45 You're looking up, up Report an error in the passage at 20:45 Highlight the passage at 20:45

20:51 in the sky, where there's a sun of kindness looking down on you. It's Report an error in the passage at 20:51 Highlight the passage at 20:51

21:07 sending this... Beams of rays of kindness towards your face. Report an error in the passage at 21:07 Highlight the passage at 21:07

21:21 And it softens your face when you look at something kind. Report an error in the passage at 21:21 Highlight the passage at 21:21

21:41 Just remember this when we go into the quiet part of the meditation, that this feeling of kindness, whatever happens in the mind, you can have this kindness towards that. Whatever happens in the body, you can have this kindness towards your body. Acceptance. Report an error in the passage at 21:41 Highlight the passage at 21:41

22:29 So for a while, we allow as much space as you can for the mind. Don't worry. It won't go crazy. Just allow your mind to be whatever it wants to do and be. Report an error in the passage at 22:29 Highlight the passage at 22:29

22:51 Give it leech like you would give for the dog. Allow it to roam around for a while. All Report an error in the passage at 22:51 Highlight the passage at 22:51

· · · silence, 3 minutes

26:19 kind of thoughts are coming to your mind. The mind goes around your body, feels, brings up all these memories, all the things you have said and done and heard and seen. Report an error in the passage at 26:19 Highlight the passage at 26:19

26:40 Just have neutral feeling towards that. Don't own it or push it away. And Report an error in the passage at 26:40 Highlight the passage at 26:40

· · · silence, 2 minutes

28:20 if you allow your mind to be in this space, once in a while the breath appears a little bit there. Just a tiny bit appears. And then you go back into the la-la land. But just stay with it. Report an error in the passage at 28:20 Highlight the passage at 28:20

28:38 You can a little bit look if the breath would appear. Stay with it. Report an error in the passage at 28:38 Highlight the passage at 28:38

28:46 And if you give it kindness, it will stay with you. That's the only effort you should be making. Look at the breath with kindness, and it might stay. If not, just allow the mind to do its thing. It's not under your control. Report an error in the passage at 28:46 Highlight the passage at 28:46

· · · silence, 1 minute

30:35 Do not get desperate or angry about anything. Report an error in the passage at 30:35 Highlight the passage at 30:35

30:49 Just allow the mind to be. Get Report an error in the passage at 30:49 Highlight the passage at 30:49

· · · silence, 8 minutes

38:53 carried away too far in your mind. See again. Is the breath still there? Rest on it for a while. Observe it with kindness. Report an error in the passage at 38:53 Highlight the passage at 38:53

39:09 See if it wants to stay with you. Time Report an error in the passage at 39:09 Highlight the passage at 39:09

· · · silence, 15 minutes

54:07 to laugh. Really now towards the end of the meditation. A few minutes. Give all your attention to the breath now that the mind is starting to calm down. Every Report an error in the passage at 54:07 Highlight the passage at 54:07

· · · silence, 2 minutes

56:08 breath you take is like you're breathing in kindness. Report an error in the passage at 56:08 Highlight the passage at 56:08

56:25 Just look at the kindness flowing in and out to Report an error in the passage at 56:25 Highlight the passage at 56:25

· · · silence, 3 minutes

59:22 your body. Can you see positive changes in your body? Can Report an error in the passage at 59:22 Highlight the passage at 59:22

59:39 you see the breath moving in and out of your body more Report an error in the passage at 59:39 Highlight the passage at 59:39

59:49 easily than it did in the beginning? Does Report an error in the passage at 59:49 Highlight the passage at 59:49

1:00:02 your body feel more? Healthy. What Report an error in the passage at 1:00:02 Highlight the passage at 1:00:02

1:00:19 about your mind? Does Report an error in the passage at 1:00:19 Highlight the passage at 1:00:19

1:00:26 your mind feel more at ease and soft? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:26 Highlight the passage at 1:00:26

1:00:35 An hour ago, I Report an error in the passage at 1:00:35 Highlight the passage at 1:00:35

1:01:01 would ring the bell to end the meditation. And if you feel, you can cut out of the meditation afterwards. Very Report an error in the passage at 1:01:01 Highlight the passage at 1:01:01

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:02:11 good. And now I think there is the Kalyanamita group starting. Oh, it doesn't start now. It starts at five, so okay, we don't start yet. I guess we're going to have questions perhaps? Report an error in the passage at 1:02:11 Highlight the passage at 1:02:11

1:02:32 Boy, that hour went fast. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:32 Highlight the passage at 1:02:32

1:02:46 Very good. So there's a few. I can start with you. Yes. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:46 Highlight the passage at 1:02:46

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:03:33 Okay. I will repeat your question for the audience's sake because the microphone didn't reach you at the time. So you're having a bit of a mental blockage towards really feeling that kindness towards your loved ones, is it? That's what he's saying. Towards yourself and? Towards life, all kind of things. Sure, sure. Okay. So, yes, that feeling of kindness. You have to start somewhere and you just keep developing it. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:33 Highlight the passage at 1:03:33

1:04:05 You know, wherever you find it, you really feel it. You start with the small things. You water your garden every day. Maybe not now because it's rainy season, but inside plants. And give them kindness. You're watering with kindness. It's an active thing of doing kindness. It's a very small thing, but it grows from there. You don't feel like, I don't really feel kindness towards my houseplants. No, you try it. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:05 Highlight the passage at 1:04:05

1:04:36 And then you maybe feed birds in your house, or on the front here, or something you feed, maybe a dog, I don't know, you feed your mother with kindness. You do a nice meal for the monastics here. You're thinking of, You know, thinking of the, when Ajahn Brahm comes here, unfortunately we're going to go now for the three months retreat soon, so we won't be coming here that much, but come to the monastery, or nun's monastery is a good place to go. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:36 Highlight the passage at 1:04:36

1:05:10 Think kindness while cooking for monastics, monks or nuns. I'm going to go to monastery. It's a day, you know, weekend. And while cooking, think kindly of them. You know, they're inspiring. Monks and nuns are inspiring. I like them. They teach me meditation. Oh, they're nice people. While doing it, you're putting loving kindness into the cooking. And then again, you're doing something actively. Like, it's inspiring. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:10 Highlight the passage at 1:05:10

1:05:37 You think of something you appreciate because they helped you. And when you're taking it, you're driving towards the monastery, you go into Kichikanap or you come to Serpentine. You think of them like, I'm driving there and I did this, I'm doing this good act. You're actively adding even more loving kindness into it, appreciation and kindness. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:37 Highlight the passage at 1:05:37

1:06:01 Then you come to the monastery and you think, they're going to be eating my food, it's really yummy, I put a lot of effort, good effort into this food. And you think of them going to be eating and enjoying your food. And this could be also for your mum, or you have some family member, a loved one, or your family member, or... Report an error in the passage at 1:06:01 Highlight the passage at 1:06:01

1:06:21 Somebody you appreciate, a friend. So you add these kind of active things, and then you contemplate it. Actually, in Buddhism, sometimes we just, we don't really maybe teach enough of this kind of the power of contemplation. You bring it up into mind, you're actively doing it, while cooking, while going towards it, while thinking of them going to be eating it. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:21 Highlight the passage at 1:06:21

1:06:46 All this time, you just bring it up. Whatever it's... Inspiring you. I'm just giving you one way of doing it. Watering houseplants. It's not coming. Sure. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:46 Highlight the passage at 1:06:46

1:07:04 It's not happening. And I'm finding more than ever in my... Sorry if I'm taking over here. But I'm finding more than ever in my life there's a lack of that insight. In the past, I had people in my world who Report an error in the passage at 1:07:04 Highlight the passage at 1:07:04

1:07:33 loved me yeah and who through receiving their love yeah it it kind of filled that I don't know. I could nurture it more easily but this concept that it's meant to I'm meant to find it in myself and be able to I don't know Okay, so you think it's going to be another person come into your life and you're going to be again finding it? Well, it hasn't happened so far. Well, maybe go look for that kind of person. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:33 Highlight the passage at 1:07:33

1:08:07 I don't know where you find this love. Tinder, perhaps? I don't know. I think I used up all my coupons. I think I'm out. No. Okay, well, what to do? I mean, you lost your coupons, you used your loving kindness, and that's it. But let's try to do it anyways. And sure. again, you have to actively try to do it. It doesn't just fall on you from the skies. Sure, maybe you go to the grocery store and you find the love of your life again, and it appears. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:07 Highlight the passage at 1:08:07

1:08:41 It's very nice. You can find a partner and you feel really nice again, and flowers look more beautiful and you can smell the roses again. But until then, you have to do something. Yeah. So... Try to find something which inspires you. Again, start with small things. With the houseplants. Don't poison them. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:41 Highlight the passage at 1:08:41

1:09:05 Give them kindness. Again, if monastics inspire you, monks and nuns, cook them nice food. Because you appreciate something. I really like this. I make the best guacamole in the world. Do that and give it to somebody. If monks and nuns inspire you, give it to them. If your neighbor looks... Give it to your neighbor. Give it to neighbor's dog, if neighbor's dog like guacamole. Look, you need to do it, actively do it, and contemplate while doing it. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:05 Highlight the passage at 1:09:05

1:09:40 It's active doing. Helping others helps you get out of that. So you need to start with small steps. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:40 Highlight the passage at 1:09:40

1:09:53 There's no magic pill to this. You have to do it. I cannot give you an answer. And then it was like, you will have it. I understand. I do find that sometimes just by voicing things and tossing it around, sometimes something shifts inside of me or something falls into place more easily or something you've shared now that I may not feel like I resonate with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:53 Highlight the passage at 1:09:53

1:10:23 And then, you know, next 24 hours, 48 hours, I find, ah. Yeah, well, that's it. I mean, that's how actually the interesting thing about the teachings is that sometimes you feel like, I don't remember any of this. None of this is going to work. And then a week later, you just end up doing something. And it's like, I'm doing this. And it's like, yeah, I remember that they taught me about this. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:23 Highlight the passage at 1:10:23

1:10:45 And it's like, I'm just doing it naturally. You just do something nice. And it's like, it stays there. So that's the point of going to the meditation classes and going to see monastics and listening to the teachings. Something always stays in there. So, you know, I don't feel like my teachings are lost in you. You're not hopeless. And I appreciate, and for some reason we have a feedback in the sound system here. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:45 Highlight the passage at 1:10:45

1:11:17 But just remember, you want to continue? So you haven't lost your coupons. Once in a while it might feel like it's not going to come back to you again. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:17 Highlight the passage at 1:11:17

1:11:31 But a lot of people can relearn their way of seeing the world. Even if we go to prisons. And I've taught in prison system, I've taught people who have anger management problems, a lot of them, even they can learn kindness. And they do things like... With prisoners they do animal therapy and it works. They just need to find an object which they can relate easily, which is sort of be soft with them, like horses or dogs or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:31 Highlight the passage at 1:11:31

1:12:06 And there's all kinds of things. You just need to find your way. Thank you for expressing faith that it's possible that I can do it. I appreciate that very much. Sure, sure. Thank you. No worries. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:06 Highlight the passage at 1:12:06

1:12:27 Hello, Ajahn. Hello. Can you please clarify the difference between empathy and loving kindness, please? Empathy and loving kindness, sure. So are you talking about mettā and karuṇā in particular? Yeah, my curiosity really also relating to mettā meditation. In my understanding, normally with mettā or loving kindness, Report an error in the passage at 1:12:27 Highlight the passage at 1:12:27

1:12:57 The feeling arises in you, normally you can feel joy, joyful, something like that. But for me, it's kind of easy for me to get involved deeply in empathy more than in loving kindness. And normally when I get involved in, I think it is empathy, normally I can feel painful, sorrowful. For the object that I target my emotion to, I really want to avoid from the painful feeling. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:57 Highlight the passage at 1:12:57

1:13:37 Or you want that person not to have those painful feelings? No, no. I mean, if I feel empathy to someone, normally what I cultivate is sorrow or pain. Yes, accompanied by... Yes, so I do not know how to separate them. I prefer joy more than sorrow or pain, you know? Yeah, yeah, well, absolutely. That's how it should be. Yeah, so I hope you can get my focus. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:37 Highlight the passage at 1:13:37

1:14:06 I do get the drift, yeah, absolutely. Okay, the interesting thing about, so we have the four Brahmavihāras. We have Mettā, Muditā, Upekkhā, and Karuṇā. And the actual feeling tone, when you have that, The uplifted mind is same. There's actually no difference. All these Brahmavihāras, when the mind is uplifted, the positive mind, sort of the feeling tone is the same. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:06 Highlight the passage at 1:14:06

1:14:41 They're very, very similar. It's really, really difficult. I mean, this is the actual feeling when you genuinely feel, whether it's compassion, Or loving kindness. Or you rejoice somebody's happiness. These are all states where the mind is very inspired and uplifted. It just feels really nice. It's like loving kindness you feel for your child or your puppy or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:41 Highlight the passage at 1:14:41

1:15:15 like you it's just naturally uplifting or the same way if you would be a father a mother and you see your child succeed or something you just naturally feel like oh you won't you and the opposite of that let's say um the you know if real joy of seeing your child succeeding the opposite of that would be just seeing that there's like Report an error in the passage at 1:15:15 Highlight the passage at 1:15:15

1:15:45 It's the opposite of it, but you don't want to feel that. The same interesting thing about compassion is like you're falling now on the other side. You're sort of associating compassion with negativity, which is interesting. Karuṇā is a bit of a difficult feeling because of that. This is not from the suttas, but in the commentaries there is this thing what we call near and far enemies. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:45 Highlight the passage at 1:15:45

1:16:13 This is a commaterial tradition, but these near and far enemies work in a way that, let's say we have compassion, and one of the, I haven't studied so well, but I'm trying to bring to my mind which one is near enemy and far enemy, but what he works is that the enemy of compassion is, for example, you feel the pain of them, or other way of, like, which is an enemy of compassion is like you're above them, or I pity them. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:13 Highlight the passage at 1:16:13

1:16:43 Like, oh, homeless person, I pity them, therefore I give them a dollar. I go to a McDonald's, I buy them a burger. But I'm above them. Oh, these poor people, they cannot, you know. You don't associate yourself with that person per se. You just sort of pity them. And it's sort of like that, and I think that's the near enemy. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:43 Highlight the passage at 1:16:43

1:17:02 And the far enemy is that you actually get sucked into their pain, and you feel the pain. So therefore it's not compassion, real compassion, which uplifts you. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:02 Highlight the passage at 1:17:02

1:17:12 To have that, if you, you know, like, to have the real karuṇā, that kind of proper compassion, which is uplifting your mind, where you feel positive, it's quite a tricky one. And honestly, I don't think we teach it that often. And it's like, it's hard for me to also sometimes to feel it, really, because it's... Report an error in the passage at 1:17:12 Highlight the passage at 1:17:12

1:17:37 Again, it's a bit tricky, so that's why we teach quite often mettā, for example, because it's a lot easier for people to relate still. Quite often people say, I don't feel it, I don't feel it, I don't know what this feeling is. But it's still easier to teach loving kindness, mettā, than karuṇā, compassion, because you very easily get sucked into this compassion with this negative. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:37 Highlight the passage at 1:17:37

1:18:04 You feel above them or you feel that you are sharing the pain, so to speak, and you feel the pain. But it should be very... Like I said from the beginning, all of these feelings are... The feeling tone is pretty much equal. It should be a very uplifted mind. Like you have a child and they succeed on something. Wow! And now I'm talking about Muditā, my name. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:04 Highlight the passage at 1:18:04

1:18:33 It's like, wow, you know, like I feel really naturally way uplifted. And the opposite of that would be like, you feel like you see somebody else, you know, succeeding in life, you feel jealous for them. That's the opposite of, you know, of muditā, you know, your happiness seeing somebody else happy. That's the, you know, near and far enemies again. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:33 Highlight the passage at 1:18:33

1:18:56 And so all of these things. If you fall into with the compassion, if you fall into this kind of, you start seeing yourself suffering with them, and you start feeling the pain, and then that's the only thing you feel, you should be sort of trying to find the balance in that. Like, how do I balance this out? Like, how do I, it should be uplifting you. But let's say you, because we read news all the time, you see people suffering all the time, it just becomes too much. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:56 Highlight the passage at 1:18:56

1:19:31 So you can go more and deeper and deeper in there. So I haven't thought so much about karuṇā, this compassion. So I'm trying to clarify my mind, like how could I teach this? But I'm not sure it's really starting here, but I should think about it, because it's a good thing for me to teach one point, like how do we really teach compassion so you don't get sucked into it? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:31 Highlight the passage at 1:19:31

1:19:59 But compassion should be really... Report an error in the passage at 1:19:59 Highlight the passage at 1:19:59

1:20:03 Uplifting and natural perhaps is that kind of feeling when you feel of you remember somebody taking care of you and you knew what it's like and they had a lot of compassion towards you. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:03 Highlight the passage at 1:20:03

1:20:28 And you just sort of, you appreciate it so much. You just have this kind of appreciation. They really care about me. I was like, oh, they were like, I was sick. And they, you know, they were, they had so much, this kind of like compassion. And it's like, so think of it that way. How did you feel? When somebody helped you and try to cultivate that feeling. Maybe try to come from that direction towards it so you don't get sucked into it. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:28 Highlight the passage at 1:20:28

1:21:03 Okay, thanks for the question. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:03 Highlight the passage at 1:21:03

1:21:12 Anything else? Okay, you can think of some question. I'll go for the online questions. Vu from Gabby from Germany. Dear Ajahn, with guided meditation I... Report an error in the passage at 1:21:12 Highlight the passage at 1:21:12

1:21:59 You follow the guidance and that becomes your object. And when that stops, when your mind is not bright enough, it's not happy enough, it doesn't want to stay in the moment, in this moment, so to speak. So there's nothing you can do. Meditation, what should you do? Nothing. Don't do anything. What can you do? Report an error in the passage at 1:21:59 Highlight the passage at 1:21:59

1:22:16 moments Report an error in the passage at 1:22:16 Highlight the passage at 1:22:16

1:22:29 Just have positive attitude. Try to have this kind of attitude. It's just like it's fine. It's fine. I don't have to do anything. Don't get involved. You poke your finger in it, you make a mess. Ajahn Brahm has the simile of like you take a cup and if you try to hold it tight, it won't settle down. It won't. You put it down, it calms by itself. If you have waves in it like... Report an error in the passage at 1:22:29 Highlight the passage at 1:22:29

1:22:55 Somewhere you have a storm in your teacup and you're just like, oh, there's waves in my teacup. And you put your finger in your teacup and you put, you know, I'm putting down the waves. The storm is not going to stop in your teacup. Don't pat down the waves. Don't hold the cup more tightly. Put it down. Allow it to settle itself. It will settle. You just have to try to have enough. It's wisdom, really. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:55 Highlight the passage at 1:22:55

1:23:25 It's try to have enough wisdom. No, no. I can't do anything. Okay, I don't even have positive mindset. I cannot be positive about it. Just shut up. Get lost. I don't know what else to say. You cannot do anything. You're just making a mess of it. I know your mind wanders. Everybody's mind wanders. Learn to have equanimity, openness towards it. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:25 Highlight the passage at 1:23:25

1:23:57 The Buddha gave a simile. If there's a cow in a field and you're just like, it's in a leash, allow it to wander. It goes wandering, wandering, goes around, around, around. Eventually it will come to the post. Eventually it will settle down. If you allow it. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:57 Highlight the passage at 1:23:57

1:24:17 You have to allow the dog, you have to give it a lot of leeway. It wants to go smelling around here and there. It wants to see beautiful sights and smells and wants to... Dwell in the past sorrows. How horrible person I am. Oh, yes. The self wants to find a place to identify. Allow it to do it. Sure. Sexual thoughts. Very common. Killing somebody. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:17 Highlight the passage at 1:24:17

1:24:45 Very common. All kind of things. It's, you know, weird and very wonderful things happen in your mind. Mind wants to go wandering. Try to be... Have mind which is at ease with that. Float along with it. And once in a while, perhaps, you can try to look. It's like, is the breath there? And if your mind is aggressive, the breath won't hold down there. But if you start slowing down and you have a little bit of more positive mind, then the breath will be there. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:45 Highlight the passage at 1:24:45

1:25:25 It will be there. The best way for the breath to be there is that when you have a very, very neutral mind, everything stops moving. The body starts to settle. Sometimes the body feels like it's surrounded by rock. You're sitting there and it's just unmovable. The body feels like it's a rock or it feels like it's inside of a rock. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25:25

1:25:51 It's not moving. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:51 Highlight the passage at 1:25:51

1:25:55 Less and less thoughts are coming there. They're almost like non-existence. And the breath is just moving back and forth, very naturally. And then there's nothing else in your mind you want to look. It's not interested. It's not like you want to hold the breath. It's just the breath is there. But to get to that point, there's nothing you can do. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:55 Highlight the passage at 1:25:55

1:26:21 There's nothing you can do. At least, you know, like any kind of slightest tinge of aggressivity, being aggressive. You're making it worse. Anything you do, try to have positive, positive mindset. Katja Maria from Germany. How can I transfer the kindness and peaceful state during meditation into non-meditative world? How can I transfer the kindness and peaceful state during meditation into the non-meditative world? Report an error in the passage at 1:26:21 Highlight the passage at 1:26:21

1:26:58 I get upset easily with certain people and I'd rather be in peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:58 Highlight the passage at 1:26:58

1:27:05 Well, it's good that you're, you know, You have peaceful meditations, and I guess you're getting out of them. While meditating, don't start transferring into anything. But if you really have peaceful states of mind, then it's a lot more easier to deal with certain people who you get upset. And sure, you'd rather be in peace, but if you can't avoid these people... Report an error in the passage at 1:27:05 Highlight the passage at 1:27:05

1:27:36 The worst thing you can do is stop meditating. So that's transferring from there. So try to have more kindness. It's like, okay, I'll be dealing with these people again, but if I have a more positive state, then it's easier to deal with these people. So that's one thing why we have to develop these states, because the world is what it is. We're not going to stop people to irritate us. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:36 Highlight the passage at 1:27:36

1:28:06 At least we can stop ourselves irritating ourselves. At least we can try to lessen ourselves irritating the others. We're not going to stop it. We're going to be irritating. The Buddha said, if you're really good, if you're on the path, you won't make troubles for yourself and you won't make troubles for others and you don't make troubles for both. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:06 Highlight the passage at 1:28:06

1:28:33 That's the goal. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:33 Highlight the passage at 1:28:33

1:28:39 At least if you don't make trouble for yourself, it's a good start. But you're still going to be a troublemaker for a lot of people. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:39 Highlight the passage at 1:28:39

1:28:48 But try to love people, irritated people from the distance. I can love them not here and now, but I can love them from the distance. And then when you're with them, I try to have equanimity. I'm not going to get really, really upset with them. I can just sort of be with this. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:48 Highlight the passage at 1:28:48

1:29:13 Just try to develop it while you have them at distance, the kindness. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:13 Highlight the passage at 1:29:13

1:29:21 It's a very common question, very common question. But what to do? People are irritating. But you try to stop being irritating. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:21 Highlight the passage at 1:29:21

1:29:33 Microphone, question, and audience. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:33 Highlight the passage at 1:29:33

1:29:45 Just your discussion about loving people from far away. So what I find is years of thoughts coming. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:45 Highlight the passage at 1:29:45

1:29:59 time it just comes like waves about different different people and interactions I've had yeah so it's coming up in my mind so I'm not necessarily dealing with them there and I'm not necessarily people that I love Report an error in the passage at 1:29:59 Highlight the passage at 1:29:59

1:30:17 But it's in my mind, these things that have happened, because the mind is now more empty, having more time. I tend to come to the surface. So when you say, I love them from afar, is it a bad thing to just say, like, I don't want to deal with those people, hope they don't come to my life again, like you were saying, to keep them at... Report an error in the passage at 1:30:17 Highlight the passage at 1:30:17

1:30:45 Because some of them are friends who might cross my path again. But they're irritating, isn't it? But there's some sort of guilt. I used to be Catholic, but there is some sort of guilt that I'm feeling. That way about those people and those thoughts are coming. So I just want to clarify how you deal with that negative feeling that you're doing something wrong. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:45 Highlight the passage at 1:30:45

1:31:07 Yeah, okay. Well, you know, life is complex and there's all kind of relations and friends and all that who we come across once a year and it's awkward and I should be friendly towards them but it's difficult or whatever. There's so many. Multiple variations of our relations and friends. But we have to remember that all of us, we come into being here and now because of cause and conditions. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:07 Highlight the passage at 1:31:07

1:31:43 And we sort of, we are alive for a while, not very long. And we're almost sort of like in this vast ocean of possibilities. And for a while, we... moving in the same direction. We're sort of like ships coming together in an ocean and we're sailing a little bit for a while in the same direction and then we depart. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:43 Highlight the passage at 1:31:43

1:32:05 It goes with your loved ones as well and it goes with even the people you sort of know a little bit and once in a while you meet again and they drift apart. So we have to remember that we don't need to be sort of Report an error in the passage at 1:32:05 Highlight the passage at 1:32:05

1:32:25 carrying this guilt or I should develop a lot of kindness. You can have more like a neutral feeling towards people. It's just sort of like, I know these people and I was like, I just don't... There's not much kindness towards, but at least you can have those developers, okay, I can try to have equanimity towards them. They're behaving from their own conditioning and the way they work in the world just doesn't sort of align the way I do things. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:25 Highlight the passage at 1:32:25

1:33:02 We just don't match. But just sort of like, okay, I just have more neutral feeling towards that. That is their conditioning. It's not their fault and it's not my fault. It was just like, it just feels, Awkward. Family members, you know, some family members, you should like, oh, I should be, like, after all, they're family. I should somehow feel more connected to them. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:02 Highlight the passage at 1:33:02

1:33:28 But you don't have to. Families are like, once in a while, there's a bit of this kind of mismatch with how we see the world. But it's their conditioning. It's not just from your family. Their conditioning is vast amount of past kamma, Coming to fruition, boom, boom, popping up. And then it's like, and so they, even though they're family, you think that we should be behaving the same way, but we're not. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:28 Highlight the passage at 1:33:28

1:34:01 We're very different in all of our families. So try to take a bigger picture that their condition is such, and I just know them for a while now, and then we drift apart again. So I can see this person's Report an error in the passage at 1:34:01 Highlight the passage at 1:34:01

1:34:18 I can be sort of like neutral with them. But they're human as everybody. They're flawed. They have a lot of good things. And good for them. And I have compassion. They will also die. They will get old and they get sick and they'll die. And so you develop compassion in that way as well. You cannot really have maybe loving kindness towards them. It just doesn't spontaneously come. But you can just sort of have this kind of... Report an error in the passage at 1:34:18 Highlight the passage at 1:34:18

1:34:46 Equanimity and compassion because they will get sick. They will have a lot of suffering in life as we all do. And it's like, so I feel compassion for just fellow human being. So develop those kind of feelings and softly that will sort of make it easier, softer, rounder thing that it doesn't become like a... Report an error in the passage at 1:34:46 Highlight the passage at 1:34:46

1:35:11 guilt where it's like I should feel for this family member you know they're like close family and I don't feel anything a lot of connection towards them but then it's like oh it's just a person and then also with attachments because we're very attached to you know our close family members which you know and that's what we want to hold but that's another thing where we should loosen up a little bit we see that like I'm really attached to this person And actually I should be unraveling it a little bit because it's a lot of suffering when that person gets sick, you know, get old, sick, and they will die. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:11 Highlight the passage at 1:35:11

1:35:48 So that will be a lot of suffering. But if I can lose that attachment a little bit, it's a lot easier. So it goes both ways. So, I don't know what else to say. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:48 Highlight the passage at 1:35:48

1:36:07 Yeah, we just have to remember, we all, even as families, we're coming together and we're going apart at some point. So don't be... Don't hold too tightly into those things. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:07 Highlight the passage at 1:36:07

1:36:23 Ok, that's it. Ok, thank you so much. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:23 Highlight the passage at 1:36:23

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:37:12 What's the next one? Swakato. Swakato. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:12 Highlight the passage at 1:37:12

1:37:25 Subhavipanno bhagavato savakasangho sangham namah Report an error in the passage at 1:37:25 Highlight the passage at 1:37:25