Friday Night Guided Meditation

0:01 No, that's one thing which I don't possess, a mobile phone. Sometimes I think, you know, should I get a mobile phone? But then I like being peaceful and quiet. Imagine if the Buddha had a mobile phone and he was sitting under the Bodhi tree and he was just about to enter jhāna and become fully enlightened and then, ding ding, ding ding, ding ding. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:27 It's nice being simple. It does mean that sometimes you're out of contact, but I don't mind being out of contact. There's many ways of being quiet and being silent, and that's one of them. And because people know that, if they need to actually really contact me in some sort of emergency, they always actually contact one of the other people, especially those people living at Bodhinyana Monastery, and then they can contact me there. Report an error in the passage at 0:27 Highlight the passage at 0:27

0:53 It's a much easier way of life. It's nice to be out of contact. There's so many other important people who are out of contact. Like, who's one of your favorite people in the world? Richard Gere? Can you phone him up? This is my problem. I don't know celebrities. So I don't know who to say next. Who's the most famous lady? And don't say Ayahasapanya. Report an error in the passage at 0:53 Highlight the passage at 0:53

1:27 Who would you like to sit next to? Me. I'm not famous. Anyway, it's nice to be able to have friends and they respect your privacy and respect your peace. That's something which I always feel should be worshipped, valued, right? Peace and freedom. So you're not always being called on to do something. You can if you wish to, but you always have that freedom just to relax and be still. Report an error in the passage at 1:27 Highlight the passage at 1:27

1:59 So with the practice of meditation, I ask you to please close your eyes. With your eyes closed, first thing to be able to notice is how you're sitting. Report an error in the passage at 1:59 Highlight the passage at 1:59

2:14 How does your body feel? Report an error in the passage at 2:14 Highlight the passage at 2:14

2:20 So this is where I investigate. I check my bodily posture. And if there's some part of my body which is irritating, then I'll do something about it. And it's amazing just how many Skillful methods you can find to take a feeling which is tiring or hurting and actually turn it into something peaceful and beautiful. Report an error in the passage at 2:20 Highlight the passage at 2:20

2:52 So I see that my back is a bit sore, but it's good enough. It's not that sore. And I can just allow it to be. Open the door of my heart to a little sore back. Report an error in the passage at 2:52 Highlight the passage at 2:52

3:12 Welcome it. When I don't try and get rid of things, that's when the feelings in the body relax a lot. If I try and get rid of them, I tense up around them. When I allow them to be my back, my muscles in my back, the muscles in the torso, they all start to open up and feel free. Report an error in the passage at 3:12 Highlight the passage at 3:12

3:51 I let them be. Otherwise, I say I open the door of my heart to whatever physical feeling I can notice in my body. Report an error in the passage at 3:51 Highlight the passage at 3:51

4:09 And if you do this often, you'll discover what I discovered years ago, that this part of your body may feel a little bit tight or aching or disturbing. Report an error in the passage at 4:09 Highlight the passage at 4:09

4:23 Just be with it. It's not life-threatening. And you'll find you relax with it. It's one of those mottos which I've been promoting for years and now people put it on their t-shirts and that motto is relax to the max. Report an error in the passage at 4:23 Highlight the passage at 4:23

4:51 It's important to say to the max simply because the simple relaxation is not enough. You really relax. So you're not fighting anything. You're not... You're scrunching your mind up and resisting something. You're letting this moment be. Report an error in the passage at 4:51 Highlight the passage at 4:51

5:18 It's a wonderful experience when you let this moment be. It's the way you react to this feeling in this moment. The accepting of it allows you to relax and you become at peace. You're not fighting the world. You're making peace with the world. Report an error in the passage at 5:18 Highlight the passage at 5:18

5:50 Aware of this moment, but being kind to it. The kindness is part of letting things be. And Report an error in the passage at 5:50 Highlight the passage at 5:50

6:05 I find, when I let things be, all those aches and pains tend to get less intense and even disappear. What Report an error in the passage at 6:05 Highlight the passage at 6:05

6:27 do you feel right now? If you react with this feeling, with negativity, whatever this feeling is for you right now. Then it gets more tight, more tense. If you just let it be, you're not fighting. You're just being with this body. Report an error in the passage at 6:27 Highlight the passage at 6:27

6:50 And you're remembering that wonderful kindness. With that wonderful kindness, the whole body starts to really become at ease. Or Report an error in the passage at 6:50 Highlight the passage at 6:50

7:07 to other people, you might say there's an ache or there's stress. To you, everything is peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 7:07 Highlight the passage at 7:07

7:23 I'm relaxing all those muscles in my stomach. I Report an error in the passage at 7:23 Highlight the passage at 7:23

7:33 relax all the muscles, you know, in my chest. Like all those tight muscles, I loosen. So nothing is held tight. Nothing is forced. It's all at ease. I do know I've done this so many times. Any ache or pain which I can experience, if you just relax them all, all those feelings. Report an error in the passage at 7:33 Highlight the passage at 7:33

8:07 Soon your body feels at ease. It's like nothing is being pulled or pushed. You're not trying to do things. You're letting things be. And you can feel the change. My Report an error in the passage at 8:07 Highlight the passage at 8:07

8:29 body gets really at ease. I'm Report an error in the passage at 8:29 Highlight the passage at 8:29

8:36 just looking at the most obvious physical feeling and relaxing it as much as I can. How do you relax things? You stop trying to... Make this feeling any different, leaving it alone, respecting it. I respect my body. But still, if ever I feel I need to move or adjust my posture, I will always do so. Report an error in the passage at 8:36 Highlight the passage at 8:36

9:15 It's only a tiny bit of disturbance. It takes away a lot of the idea you're controlling things. You really do let it be. And then... My whole body starts to be at ease but Report an error in the passage at 9:15 Highlight the passage at 9:15

9:42 I'm perfectly safe here because Report an error in the passage at 9:42 Highlight the passage at 9:42

9:47 you are safe. You feel any tightness or tension anywhere in the body is released. It's Report an error in the passage at 9:47 Highlight the passage at 9:47

9:59 like pulling an elastic band. You don't pull anymore. You let go and everything becomes so loose and easy and relaxed. And Report an error in the passage at 9:59 Highlight the passage at 9:59

10:16 when things are relaxed, any aches or pains, Decrease. It's like you don't have any aches and pains. You're sitting down, just enjoying this moment, being at peace with your life. As Report an error in the passage at 10:16 Highlight the passage at 10:16

10:45 you relax more, I always find that this thing we call the breathing just comes up. Report an error in the passage at 10:45 Highlight the passage at 10:45

10:56 Maybe it's because I've been doing so much breath meditation for so many years. It's kind of habitual, but it's useful. So Report an error in the passage at 10:56 Highlight the passage at 10:56

11:10 I know just the breath is... It's starting to go in. It's halfway in. It's starting to go out. And I let it happen with this wonderful kindness and openness. Report an error in the passage at 11:10 Highlight the passage at 11:10

11:23 I trust my body. And Report an error in the passage at 11:23 Highlight the passage at 11:23

11:32 I know when I trust it like this. I don't force it. I don't argue with it. I make peace with my body. The whole body starts to get so comfortable learning how to relax your body. It's almost the first thing we do. And Report an error in the passage at 11:32 Highlight the passage at 11:32

11:57 I often tell people that if you have difficulty sleeping at night, it's the beautiful way to begin the period of sleep, to be able to relax so much that the mind kind of turns off. No Report an error in the passage at 11:57 Highlight the passage at 11:57

12:19 worries, no negativity, just being peace. And Report an error in the passage at 12:19 Highlight the passage at 12:19

12:34 I trust my body. I leave it alone and it comes to a state of ease. It becomes very pleasant. How Report an error in the passage at 12:34 Highlight the passage at 12:34

12:54 does it feel inside of you right now? Right now, not in two moments time, not in the last moments, but now. Report an error in the passage at 12:54 Highlight the passage at 12:54

13:09 This is where we're mindful. We have this loving kindness towards this moment. Care for your experiences. I Report an error in the passage at 13:09 Highlight the passage at 13:09

13:43 never do the meditation. I let it happen. It always feels so beautiful and easy and peaceful sometimes. Report an error in the passage at 13:43 Highlight the passage at 13:43

· · · silence, 7 minutes

20:59 I look at meditation like zooming in. I don't try and get rid of things. Where I am, I try to go into the center. As I try to go into the center, things on the edge start to vanish, focusing Report an error in the passage at 20:59 Highlight the passage at 20:59

21:33 in. How Report an error in the passage at 21:33 Highlight the passage at 21:33

· · · silence, 2 minutes

23:20 do you feel now? Report an error in the passage at 23:20 Highlight the passage at 23:20

23:25 Has your awareness kind of gone inside? So many of the things you're normally aware of just fall off the screen. You can have more peace. So Report an error in the passage at 23:25 Highlight the passage at 23:25

23:52 when you are ready, please open your eyes to Report an error in the passage at 23:52 Highlight the passage at 23:52

24:01 the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 24:01 Highlight the passage at 24:01

24:09 Excellent. Report an error in the passage at 24:09 Highlight the passage at 24:09