Friday Night Guided Meditation

0:00 Very good. So let's do, I always volunteer to do sweeping meditation and Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:11 Reiki. Have you learned Reiki before? We've got quite a few reiks here. If you see any leaves on the grass, you reik them up. Report an error in the passage at 0:11 Highlight the passage at 0:11

0:22 Oh come on! It's okay to smile and even to laugh. Actually it's very important to be able to laugh, to smile, especially When you want to do some meditation, a lot of times people talk about the right posture. Know the best posture to check up on. It's not how your legs are crossed. It's not where you put your hands. It's where your mouth, make sure the corners are turned upwards. Report an error in the passage at 0:22 Highlight the passage at 0:22

0:55 And that's a serious teaching. If you have some happiness at the beginning, you find that your mind is like open to the happiness of meditation coming in. And that's really, really, really helpful. So anyway, let's start. So please close your eyes. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:16 You've already got yourself in the posture for meditation. The next thing to do with your eyes closed is to check. Today, this evening, how is that posture? So I usually start with my lower part of my body. The reason I go to the lower part of my body, my feet, And my legs is because if I make a mistake in that part of the body, it's not so important. Report an error in the passage at 1:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16

1:54 But as I move up my body, sweep the attention upwards, it's really, really, really helpful when I get to the upper parts of my body to have strong mindfulness and kindness. And I can relax this body so deeply. You can feel it. But I start with my feet. You start with mindfulness plus kindness, what these days I call kindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 1:54 Highlight the passage at 1:54

2:26 And the kindness is there because once I'm aware of something, what do I do next? You want to make sure it's relaxed. I'm not just assuming it's relaxed, I feel it. And sometimes it's like when I see one of you, I haven't seen... Some of you for a while, sometimes not enough time to talk to you, but then what do we normally say to our friends and loved ones? Say, how are you? Report an error in the passage at 2:26 Highlight the passage at 2:26

2:57 And that's what I say to my feet and other parts of the body. How are you, feet? And I listen. I want to figure out whether they're comfortable or not. Report an error in the passage at 2:57 Highlight the passage at 2:57

3:12 Once I pay attention and ask the right question, the answer is very clear. This evening my feet are very comfortable. I hope yours are too. For those sitting on a chair, if you want to move your feet forward or move them backwards, move them apart, please discover through your own experience what is the most comfortable position for your own feet. Report an error in the passage at 3:12 Highlight the passage at 3:12

3:45 Then from the feet you go to the ankles. It's a small area of your body, but because people trip or maybe have accidents when they're exercising or playing sports, I always like to check my ankles. Report an error in the passage at 3:45 Highlight the passage at 3:45

4:02 And over the years, because you get to know how your ankles feel when they're healthy, you can also notice that when they're not healthy, when they've got a bruise or a strain, you can understand how they feel. Report an error in the passage at 4:02 Highlight the passage at 4:02

4:20 And once you know how parts of your body feel, it really is surprising how you can do something to help them and heal them. Report an error in the passage at 4:20 Highlight the passage at 4:20

4:32 I don't have any problem with my ankle, but if I did, I would experiment, move it a bit this way, move a bit that way. And as I move it, I can feel it. Is that improving or is it getting worse? Because mindfulness allows you to have feedback. You can learn what is the best position. For your own body at different times. I don't know about you, but I have like a fly exploring my face at this moment. Report an error in the passage at 4:32 Highlight the passage at 4:32

5:05 It's a very kind fly. I notice in this temple you only have Buddhist flies. I discovered that when I let one just land on the tip of my nose. And then I noticed it didn't stay there. It went round my mouth three times. Report an error in the passage at 5:05 Highlight the passage at 5:05

5:29 And that's a Buddhist tradition called circumambulation. It walked out my mouth three times and then it flew off. That's why I noticed it was a Buddhist fly. Anyway, going back to my legs. Report an error in the passage at 5:29 Highlight the passage at 5:29

5:50 So I relax my ankles and let my attention go up my legs towards the knees. That's why we call it sweeping meditation. Sweep the attention upwards. Report an error in the passage at 5:50 Highlight the passage at 5:50

6:06 If I notice anything which is going to cause me distress, which is already causing me pain, I've learned by experiment how to relax my legs. Report an error in the passage at 6:06 Highlight the passage at 6:06

6:22 And honestly, I enjoy this. My legs are fine today, but as I relax them more and more, they get so much more pleasurable, easy to be with. Report an error in the passage at 6:22 Highlight the passage at 6:22

6:39 There's a deep pleasure in relaxation, not sleepiness, but you enjoy the experience of being aware of my calves and the muscles behind them, and you feel so at ease. Report an error in the passage at 6:39 Highlight the passage at 6:39

6:58 And that keeps my attention there without having to force it. It's a pleasurable feeling. And then I go to my knees. I often tell people I did have a motorbike when I was young. Report an error in the passage at 6:58 Highlight the passage at 6:58

7:14 Fell off many times. Fell off cliffs, sports injuries. But my knees are just, these days, they're so at ease, so relaxed. But I check them out anyway. And I put no pressure on them. It's almost like I imagine them expanding. Report an error in the passage at 7:14 Highlight the passage at 7:14

7:39 So nothing is squashing them or keeping them in place. It's a little bit of rebelliousness. And my knees really appreciate that. Allowing them to be with no force put on them. And pass my knees to my thighs. They're nicely relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 7:39 Highlight the passage at 7:39

8:04 If it's on the chair or on the cushions. Make sure it is so comfortable that it feels pleasant. At ease. Like you're tucked up in a wonderful, soft, cushy bed. You're not going to go to sleep because in a moment you're going to get up to our head. And then how to enjoy the beautiful mindfulness. You don't want to go to sleep. So anyway, I get to my thighs and then my butt. Report an error in the passage at 8:04 Highlight the passage at 8:04

8:38 This is an important part of my posture to make sure the pressure which is being transferred through my buttocks onto the cushion for you onto the chair is actually well balanced. Not too far to the front, not too far to the back. Because I know, even though it's a feeling, Which could be irritating because it does not change, stays the same, it disappears. Report an error in the passage at 8:38 Highlight the passage at 8:38

9:12 After a while I can't feel that pressure in my butt. The nature of your brain and your mind is that it only will pay attention to things which it finds really really really dangerous. And Report an error in the passage at 9:12 Highlight the passage at 9:12

9:35 then I start going up my body. From the waist first of all. I look at the feeling in my waist and it's started off really good. I'm not relaxing it as much as putting it in a position where it can relax by itself. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

9:54 It's almost like stretching my back because I know that after a while that will be very easy to maintain for long periods of time. Report an error in the passage at 9:54 Highlight the passage at 9:54

10:06 And then I just check my back and make sure that it's slightly curved. Sometimes when I sit meditation on a chair, I always find that leaning back on the chair, for me anyway, it's not as comfortable as when I sit with a straight back, not supported at all, but supported by itself. Report an error in the passage at 10:06 Highlight the passage at 10:06

10:33 But that's up to you to find out. Then I start from the, again the waist, and go up inside the body. Usually I don't know what I'm really watching. Usually intestines or colon or something. But as I sweep up the body inch by inch, I can feel the tightness or the relaxation, a little bit of an ache. And Report an error in the passage at 10:33 Highlight the passage at 10:33

11:08 as I sweep my attention up the body, everything relaxes. Once you pay attention to things, you can kind of adjust. Like when the pilot looks at all of his... or hers dials on the screen. You can always adjust this to justice to make it just right for safety and comfort. Report an error in the passage at 11:08 Highlight the passage at 11:08

11:37 That's what I kind of do when I sweep my attention up my body, check that everything is well balanced, nothing which is extraordinary. Report an error in the passage at 11:37 Highlight the passage at 11:37

11:52 And if I do come across a feeling, a tightness, a tension, which I haven't noticed before. I always like focusing on that and giving it kindness, mettā, expanding it, relaxing it. Report an error in the passage at 11:52 Highlight the passage at 11:52

12:13 And this is what I teach to people with cancers. See that part of the body, if you can catch it early, before even the doctors can see sort of the little tumours grow, you catch it early. ...and give it lots and lots of kindness and relaxation, those tumours disappear. So Report an error in the passage at 12:13 Highlight the passage at 12:13

12:49 I'm sweeping my attention up the body, through all of the intestines, to my stomach, and from the stomach I relax that. There's no tightness in it at all. It's a time for it to rest, not eating in the afternoon or evening, and go up from the stomach to the lungs. Report an error in the passage at 12:49 Highlight the passage at 12:49

13:22 There still is some allergies around. I still have a tiny bit of hay fever left, so make sure the lungs are at peace. Report an error in the passage at 13:22 Highlight the passage at 13:22

13:39 Relax them from there to the heart region. Report an error in the passage at 13:39 Highlight the passage at 13:39

13:47 Feel my heart. You have enough mindfulness to check that your heart is pumping at its own rate. I have a lot of trust in these organs of my body. You're kind to them, aware of them, relax them. They really do a good job. If you have a car and drive it really fast and aggressively and harshly, it doesn't last that long. Report an error in the passage at 13:47 Highlight the passage at 13:47

14:22 If you drive it smoothly and carefully, of course it will last much longer. I go up to my shoulders. Those who come every week know that I always pause on my shoulders because like most days today, my shoulders are tight, tense. So I deliberately relax them. Report an error in the passage at 14:22 Highlight the passage at 14:22

14:48 One way of relaxing them is, you experiment around, one of the best ways is scrunching up, going in the opposite direction first. You scrunch them up until they get so scrunched, so tight, then you let go. Report an error in the passage at 14:48 Highlight the passage at 14:48

15:07 And those muscles relax more than when you started. I find it a very nice method because it reminds me also what letting go is. Do the opposite first. And then let go and it really relaxes. Then my mindfulness goes down my arms, my elbow, to the wrists and to the hands. Report an error in the passage at 15:07 Highlight the passage at 15:07

15:38 As I go, I'm relaxing all the way, saying to things like my wrists, how are you? How do you feel? And getting to know the different feelings in the wrists and noticing that the wrists are very happy, they're at ease. Report an error in the passage at 15:38 Highlight the passage at 15:38

16:00 And go to the fingers and asking even them. And my fingers tell me that they're happy. I don't always put my fingers in this same position. But this evening, no reason to move them. I checked on them and they said, we're happy down here, leave us alone. So I do. And I go back up to my shoulders and neck. Report an error in the passage at 16:00 Highlight the passage at 16:00

16:30 In meditation sometimes people do have tension in their shoulders and in their spine. ...their head is not properly positioned. Report an error in the passage at 16:30 Highlight the passage at 16:30

16:45 I make sure it's not leaning to the left or the right, not too far forward, not too far back. But I do notice if I'm a bit tired, if my head is a little bit too far forward, it really goes forward to the position of sloth and torpor. So I always make sure my head... or rather the head is not properly positioned. Report an error in the passage at 16:45 Highlight the passage at 16:45

17:07 It's just slightly tilted backwards. It tends to get more energy. Report an error in the passage at 17:07 Highlight the passage at 17:07

17:17 And then I go to the face. There's a reason I do this, which I will soon explain. I notice the feelings around my eyes, my nose and my mouth. Report an error in the passage at 17:17 Highlight the passage at 17:17

17:31 As I'm noticing these feelings, I'm making sure that the eyes are closed, the mouth is closed, but not shut down tight. Aware of those muscles, kind to them. Report an error in the passage at 17:31 Highlight the passage at 17:31

17:47 And I can relax them. When I relax, it also relaxes the causes for those muscles to be tight. It could be fear, wanting, disappointment, anger. So by relaxing the muscles in my face, I'm also relaxing some of those emotions which are causes of hindrances in the mind. Report an error in the passage at 17:47 Highlight the passage at 17:47

18:22 It's a wonderful first look. ...at the emotional world as it is expressed on your facial features. When Report an error in the passage at 18:22 Highlight the passage at 18:22

18:41 I relax the face, the emotions become peaceful. I'm talking about the negative emotions, the positive emotions I encourage. Things like peace is the most positive emotion, kindness, joy. And Report an error in the passage at 18:41 Highlight the passage at 18:41

19:09 then from that... Usually I just have a quick look at the whole body, make sure it's all relaxed. But because I started a bit late today, I'm going straight to peace. What is peace? Can Report an error in the passage at 19:09 Highlight the passage at 19:09

19:29 you notice peace? How much peace have you got in your mind? And how stable is it? Report an error in the passage at 19:29 Highlight the passage at 19:29

19:43 When I watch something like peace, that becomes my chosen object to start with. I can feel... The peace grow. You get to know the cause of peace. One of its causes is by staying in the present moment. Report an error in the passage at 19:43 Highlight the passage at 19:43

20:10 The future has got no end of disturbances for peace, most of which never happen. In the past I can choose what to think of in the past, which causes me disturbance. Report an error in the passage at 20:10 Highlight the passage at 20:10

20:29 So I just let the whole past disappear for... 10 or 15 minutes. Just Report an error in the passage at 20:29 Highlight the passage at 20:29

20:38 be aware of this moment. It's Report an error in the passage at 20:38 Highlight the passage at 20:38

20:50 a place of freedom. If you Report an error in the passage at 20:50 Highlight the passage at 20:50

21:01 want to be free, you don't have to take up memories of the past. You don't have to worry about anything in the future. You're peaceful right now. It feels good. Just Report an error in the passage at 21:01 Highlight the passage at 21:01

21:32 stay with this peace and Report an error in the passage at 21:32 Highlight the passage at 21:32

21:42 the peace soon becomes happiness. Report an error in the passage at 21:42 Highlight the passage at 21:42

21:49 Real happiness. Report an error in the passage at 21:49 Highlight the passage at 21:49

22:01 If you are a meditator who likes meditating on the breath, fine if the breath comes in. Know the breath but know the peace which the breath brings into your body and the peace which the breath maintains as you breathe out all disturbances. Be Report an error in the passage at 22:01 Highlight the passage at 22:01

· · · silence, 1 minute

23:47 quiet for another minute. So Report an error in the passage at 23:47 Highlight the passage at 23:47

· · · silence, 1 minute

24:24 how do you feel now? Just in general. Report an error in the passage at 24:24 Highlight the passage at 24:24

24:29 Have you relaxed more? Do you feel more at ease than when you began? Do Report an error in the passage at 24:29 Highlight the passage at 24:29

24:41 you feel more genuine, deep happiness than when you started? Report an error in the passage at 24:41 Highlight the passage at 24:41

24:55 That happiness, which I remember first feeling when I did my first meditation almost 60 years ago, meant so much. It was genuine, it was real. Simple happiness and relaxation in this moment. Report an error in the passage at 24:55 Highlight the passage at 24:55

25:20 Being kind to yourself and the whole world. I'm Report an error in the passage at 25:20 Highlight the passage at 25:20

25:32 now going to ring the gong to take us out of the meditation. And Report an error in the passage at 25:32 Highlight the passage at 25:32

· · · silence, 1 minute

26:17 please smile at the end of the meditation. It's a gift to me. If I open my eyes and look at, I don't know, a hundred nasty faces, and I just want to carry on meditating. Report an error in the passage at 26:17 Highlight the passage at 26:17

26:36 And the smiling is for free. I love doing it. Report an error in the passage at 26:36 Highlight the passage at 26:36