Friday Night Guided Meditation

0:00 There is one special thing which I decided to auction off. I think many of you may think that I'm going too far on this, but you may know the story. Years ago, there was a World Cup cricket tournament, and the Sri Lankan cricket team asked me to give them some holy string. And I did that. And then later on, once the Sri Lankan cricket team beat the Australian cricket team in the final, then I saw their captain, Arjuna Ranatonga, lifting up the World Cup, having beaten Australia. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:55 And I was in the newspaper, and I could see he was wearing my string. That was the reason why Australia lost and Sri Lanka won. And to confirm that, that a few years later, quite a few years later, that somebody asked for a private interview one Saturday afternoon. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:26 And that was this cricketer, Sanat Jayasuriya. All you Sri Lankans, you know him? Yes. Not Sri Lankan, but you know him. He was the star of the tournament. And he came to see me. He wanted to ask for some more string. But in return this time, he gave me, I think, a signed cricket ball. Report an error in the passage at 1:26 Highlight the passage at 1:26

2:00 And I've been hiding that for the last few years. So I think that very powerful cricket ball. It will be auctioned off, signed by the hero of Sri Lanka. So all of you who think it should be destroyed because you're Australian, then please see if you can bid higher than the Sri Lankans who want to preserve it as a historical memento. Report an error in the passage at 2:00 Highlight the passage at 2:00

2:32 Does that make sense? Okay. Probably countersigned by Ajahn Brahm as well, I guess. So all the funds this time is going to a very worthy cause, the second phase or 2B, phase 2B of Newbury Meditation Centre called SOS, Sanctuary of Stillness in Melbourne. So it's a good cause. So anyway, please... Yes, Report an error in the passage at 2:32 Highlight the passage at 2:32

3:01 there will be another one. But we have not decided on the date yet. There's no decision on the date yet. There will be another one, more spiritually minded one, happening. Well, I won't announce anything without knowing fully, so it's still under planning. Okay, that's it. Thank you. Enjoy the talk, the meditation, and please switch off your mobile phones if you have. Thank you. And switch off your mobile minds as well, so they're not moving all over the place. Report an error in the passage at 3:01 Highlight the passage at 3:01

3:35 You're here now, and this is a nice, peaceful, beautiful place to be quiet. So I'm going to go a little bit past 8 o 'clock because I started late today. The clock says 7.40 now. I'm going to go to 8.05. So to start with, just close the eyes, relax the mind, and all the busyness you have in your life, put that aside. Report an error in the passage at 3:35 Highlight the passage at 3:35

4:08 To take time off from thinking, working things out. Report an error in the passage at 4:08 Highlight the passage at 4:08

4:17 That meditation center for the BSV, the Buddhist Society of Victoria, similar to this is BSWA, Buddhist Society of Western Australia, we call it Sanctuary of Stillness because it's the stillness. It's so rare in this world. You have the opportunity here to relax to the max and be still. So the mind... Report an error in the passage at 4:17 Highlight the passage at 4:17

4:53 For that to occur, first we relax our body. Report an error in the passage at 4:53 Highlight the passage at 4:53

5:05 And I'd like scanning up my body, starting with my toes. Check them out, feel them. I can't think about toes or speculate how they should feel. I go beyond thinking and go to feeling, the sensation. In my toes and I relax them as much as I can. As I'm doing this I notice the toes in my right foot a bit squashed. Report an error in the passage at 5:05 Highlight the passage at 5:05

5:45 So I'm going to move my legs slightly. Report an error in the passage at 5:45 Highlight the passage at 5:45

5:51 I've done this for so long I know that then the toes feel so much better. I check my feet. How are they? If they need to be adjusted slightly I will do that. I care for the health. Happiness of my own parts of the body. And from the feet I go up, scanning up my lower legs, past my ankles. Report an error in the passage at 5:51 Highlight the passage at 5:51

6:28 Someone asked me as I came in here, Ajahn Brahm, are you cold? I don't wear socks. I don't feel cold. My mindfulness is clear enough. It always tells me, you're comfortable. Past Report an error in the passage at 6:28 Highlight the passage at 6:28

6:49 my ankles, my lower legs. Report an error in the passage at 6:49 Highlight the passage at 6:49

6:55 As I'm scanning up, go past my knees, even though I have had accidents of motorbikes falling down cliffs, the healing process is so wonderful. Report an error in the passage at 6:55 Highlight the passage at 6:55

7:13 I just feel my knees now and they feel great. So it is. My thighs to my butt. And I can feel the pressure, the weight of my body being transferred to the cushion. Through my buttocks. But I know, as long as that's comfortable enough, after a short while, it will disappear. I Report an error in the passage at 7:13 Highlight the passage at 7:13

7:52 like things disappearing. To get rid of all of those sensations in my body. And then I can contemplate the sensations in my mind. But first of all, my body. Then once my buttocks are peaceful. Check my waist. I've experimented many ways of dealing with the waist. Do you find out what's best for me? And that's a feeling of strength. I can maintain this for many hours. Report an error in the passage at 7:52 Highlight the passage at 7:52

8:34 So once I get into that position, it feels good. What feels good for you? And then I go inside my body. Usually go through my digestive tract. Report an error in the passage at 8:34 Highlight the passage at 8:34

8:52 As I go up from the waist, upwards, make sure that everything is well relaxed. If there is any aches or pains anywhere, I pause there and relax even deeper. When I relax, instead of having fear, then the whole body becomes peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 8:52 Highlight the passage at 8:52

9:21 And sometimes as I pass some parts of my torso, Sometimes once there was a pain there or a stress there, an ache. And I say this, I don't mind saying this, I teach this. Sometimes that was a cancer forming. You relax it away before the stress causes anything which a doctor can notice. And you go up the body. Eventually you come to the stomach. Report an error in the passage at 9:21 Highlight the passage at 9:21

10:00 I can feel that area of my stomach. And Report an error in the passage at 10:00 Highlight the passage at 10:00

10:07 with kindness, Mindfulness and mindfulness, what I call kindfulness, relax it as much as I can until Report an error in the passage at 10:07 Highlight the passage at 10:07

10:20 it's such a soft feeling it disappears too. From my stomach I move up to my lungs. I do suffer from hay fever this time of the year, but today because of the rain my lungs feel very clear. And from the lungs I go to my heart region. Report an error in the passage at 10:20 Highlight the passage at 10:20

10:46 Let the heart beat as it wants to. I don't force it. I'm just kind to it. I accept it. Like every other part of my body, I say to it, the door of my heart is open to any part of my body. I let it be at peace with it. Go up from the heart region to my shoulders and learn how to relax those too. Report an error in the passage at 10:46 Highlight the passage at 10:46

11:21 I don't hold any part of my body tight, and they become loose and free. And when it's loose and free, it feels so comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 11:21 Highlight the passage at 11:21

11:34 I go down my arms, past my elbows, my forearms, wrists, get to my hands, and then my fingers. And I do this every time. I ask my fingers, are you happy like that? It's like they're not my fingers. And then I get the answer like I normally do. They're uncomfortable. So I adjust them. It's only when I ask, can I find out? And Report an error in the passage at 11:34 Highlight the passage at 11:34

12:17 I adjust my fingers and they say thank you. And I go back up to my neck. When I get to my neck, sometimes I find it's a bit sore today. I'm not quite sure why. But then I just... Move my head back and forth until just a little bit of exercise makes me feel the most comfortable position for my head on top of the neck. Report an error in the passage at 12:17 Highlight the passage at 12:17

12:48 Once I get that position, that tightness in my neck disappears. And lastly I go to the front of my face because there, if there's any stress, it's manifest around my eyes, around my mouth. My eyes are closed, but lightly closed. Mouth is closed, but not shut down tightly. Report an error in the passage at 12:48 Highlight the passage at 12:48

13:21 Relaxing the whole front of my face. It Report an error in the passage at 13:21 Highlight the passage at 13:21

13:33 feels good. You see, some of the negative emotions like fear, anxiety, stress, they cause that tightness. When the mind is deliberately relaxed, Those muscles loosen. So I loosen the muscles first and relaxation comes. Now Report an error in the passage at 13:33 Highlight the passage at 13:33

14:02 I join all those parts of the body together and I feel this body of mine totally relaxing. Report an error in the passage at 14:02 Highlight the passage at 14:02

14:20 It's not just relaxation. I notice the joy, the happiness, the pleasure in having a comfortable body at peace. I Report an error in the passage at 14:20 Highlight the passage at 14:20

14:41 notice that joy. The body relaxes even more. Report an error in the passage at 14:41 Highlight the passage at 14:41

14:51 And I know that that part of the meditation of body awareness for me has been completed. And I go to present moment awareness, focus on now, whatever's happened in the past, whatever might happen in the future. It's not my business now. The only business I have is now. Report an error in the passage at 14:51 Highlight the passage at 14:51

15:35 I usually go much slower but then I go into silence. Stop giving things names. Stop making plans. Go Report an error in the passage at 15:35 Highlight the passage at 15:35

15:51 into silence. I will now be quiet and I will ring the gong when it's time to finish. Report an error in the passage at 15:51 Highlight the passage at 15:51

· · · silence, 12 minutes

27:41 Skating close to the end of the meditation. Do not open your eyes yet. Report an error in the passage at 27:41 Highlight the passage at 27:41

27:52 Please know how you feel and Report an error in the passage at 27:52 Highlight the passage at 27:52

27:59 what worked. To make your mind peaceful, what disturbed it? This Report an error in the passage at 27:59 Highlight the passage at 27:59

28:11 is where we learn the practical insights of meditation. If Report an error in the passage at 28:11 Highlight the passage at 28:11

28:23 you're peaceful, how beautiful is that? Being Report an error in the passage at 28:23 Highlight the passage at 28:23

28:42 the gong to end this meditation. Report an error in the passage at 28:42 Highlight the passage at 28:42