Shamatha Retreat with Alan Wallace 2012 (part 10)

0:24 As always let your awareness descend into and fill the space of the body and with that mindful presence set your body at ease in stillness and in a posture of vigilance Report an error in the passage at 0:24 Highlight the passage at 0:24

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:17 and deeply relaxing into the breath let it settle in its own natural rhythm Report an error in the passage at 1:17 Highlight the passage at 1:17

1:27 gently and persistently releasing thoughts with every outbreath and Report an error in the passage at 1:27 Highlight the passage at 1:27

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:41 releasing all thoughts of the future and the past set your mind at ease in the present moment in stillness. Report an error in the passage at 2:41 Highlight the passage at 2:41

2:51 Clearly illuminating the sensations of the breath throughout the body. Report an error in the passage at 2:51 Highlight the passage at 2:51

2:58 In this way, settle your mind in its natural state. Report an error in the passage at 2:58 Highlight the passage at 2:58

· · · silence, 1 minute

4:09 And now to begin explicitly developing the stability of attention. Direct your attention downwards insofar as you still feel you're located in the head. Direct your attention downwards to the abdomen, Report an error in the passage at 4:09 Highlight the passage at 4:09

4:29 focusing just on the bare tactile sensations in this region as the belly expands with each in-breath and falls back with each out-breath. Report an error in the passage at 4:29 Highlight the passage at 4:29

· · · silence, 1 minute

5:48 Continue to relax deeply, letting go muscular tension, letting go of the breath, letting go of thoughts. With every out-breath, let this be a time for release and deeper relaxation. But Report an error in the passage at 5:48 Highlight the passage at 5:48

6:15 as the breath flows in, arouse and focus your attention gently, but with some real direction. Focus on these tactile sensations at the ballet. Arouse and focus your attention with each in-breath and relax, let go with every out-breath. Report an error in the passage at 6:15 Highlight the passage at 6:15

· · · silence, 1 minute

7:44 By relaxing during the out-breath, you remedy the attention imbalance of excitation or attention hyperactivity. Report an error in the passage at 7:44 Highlight the passage at 7:44

7:55 By arousing and focusing your attention with each in-breath, you remedy the other attention imbalance of laxity or attention deficit. So with each full cycle of the respiration, you're balancing your attention. To Report an error in the passage at 7:55 Highlight the passage at 7:55

· · · silence, 1 minute

9:32 the best of your ability, maintain an ongoing flow of mindfulness, an unbroken flow of mindfulness. Throughout the whole course of the in-breath and Report an error in the passage at 9:32 Highlight the passage at 9:32

9:46 even while you're relaxing and letting go during the out-breath, let your mindfulness be continually engaged with the sensations of the breath at the abdomen. Report an error in the passage at 9:46 Highlight the passage at 9:46

9:59 Fill your awareness with this flow of sensation. We Report an error in the passage at 9:59 Highlight the passage at 9:59

· · · silence, 2 minutes

12:00 maintain the flow of mindfulness without forgetfulness. It is the continuity. Report an error in the passage at 12:00 Highlight the passage at 12:00

12:09 But with our faculty of introspection, we monitor the flow of mindfulness so that we notice as soon as possible when the attention has fallen into either imbalance of excitation or laxity. Report an error in the passage at 12:09 Highlight the passage at 12:09

12:29 So it's rather like the quality control for the meditative process, alerting you when you've strayed. Report an error in the passage at 12:29 Highlight the passage at 12:29

12:42 As soon as you see that your mind has wandered off, either to some other sensory field or most likely caught up in thoughts, Report an error in the passage at 12:42 Highlight the passage at 12:42

12:52 then let your first response be to relax, to loosen up, Report an error in the passage at 12:52 Highlight the passage at 12:52

12:59 then release whatever captivated your attention, and Report an error in the passage at 12:59 Highlight the passage at 12:59

13:05 then return to the meditative object, in this case the sensations of the breath at the abdomen, Report an error in the passage at 13:05 Highlight the passage at 13:05

· · · silence, 1 minute

14:14 or to the flow of attention also with introspection to note when the mind has fallen into laxity. Getting a bit spaced out, dull. As soon as you see you're drifting, losing clarity, Report an error in the passage at 14:14 Highlight the passage at 14:14

14:31 then take a fresh interest. Renew your interest in the practice. Arouse your attention and focus your attention. Report an error in the passage at 14:31 Highlight the passage at 14:31

14:43 In these ways, balance your attention. Report an error in the passage at 14:43 Highlight the passage at 14:43

· · · silence, 2 minutes

16:47 We apply this mental faculty of introspection not only to monitor the mind but also the body. Periodically, just check up, especially if you're sitting upright. Report an error in the passage at 16:47 Highlight the passage at 16:47

16:59 See that your posture is still relaxed, still, spine straight. Report an error in the passage at 16:59 Highlight the passage at 16:59

17:09 And check up on the breathing to see that it has in no way become constrained or effortful as you've been meditating. Report an error in the passage at 17:09 Highlight the passage at 17:09

17:26 And let's continue practicing now in silence. Let's Report an error in the passage at 17:26 Highlight the passage at 17:26

· · · silence, 10 minutes

27:23 continue in the same practice now with fewer words of guidance. Report an error in the passage at 27:23 Highlight the passage at 27:23

27:31 Begin by settling your body in its natural state, relaxed, still and vigilant. Report an error in the passage at 27:31 Highlight the passage at 27:31

· · · silence, 1 minute

28:30 And while mindfully attending to the sensations of the breath throughout the body, let your respiration come to settle in its own natural rhythm. Report an error in the passage at 28:30 Highlight the passage at 28:30

28:43 And what this means, of course, is simply the flow of the breath. That arises effortlessly from one breath to the next, whether it's rhythmic or arrhythmic, deep or shallow, fast or slow. Let the body breathe, let the body balance itself, restore its own equilibrium by way of the respiration. Report an error in the passage at 28:43 Highlight the passage at 28:43

· · · silence, 1 minute

30:33 Mind at ease, relaxed, still and can Report an error in the passage at 30:33 Highlight the passage at 30:33

· · · silence, 2 minutes

32:25 direct your attention to the rise and fall of the abdomen. No need to visualize the abdomen and certainly no need to think about it. Just focus on the bare tactile sensations of the rise and fall of the abdomen as you breathe in and out, arousing with each in-breath and relaxing with each out-breath. Report an error in the passage at 32:25 Highlight the passage at 32:25

· · · silence, 2 minutes

34:55 Attend to the whole body of the breath, the whole course of the in-breath, the whole course of the out-breath. Let this be a full-time job so there's really no time to have this flow of mindfulness be interrupted by Report an error in the passage at 34:55 Highlight the passage at 34:55

35:14 obsessive and compulsive thinking. Report an error in the passage at 35:14 Highlight the passage at 35:14

· · · silence, 2 minutes

37:00 Monitor the flow of mindfulness, the quality of your attention with introspection. Report an error in the passage at 37:00 Highlight the passage at 37:00

37:09 As soon as you note that the mind has become distracted, relax, release and return. Report an error in the passage at 37:09 Highlight the passage at 37:09

· · · silence, 1 minute

37:56 With introspection, when you see that you've become a bit vague, the clarity is gone. Refresh your attention and Report an error in the passage at 37:56 Highlight the passage at 37:56

38:08 focus clearly. Report an error in the passage at 38:08 Highlight the passage at 38:08

· · · silence, 5 minutes

43:28 Focus your introspection upon the body to see that it remains balanced and on the breath to see that it is unimpeded. Report an error in the passage at 43:28 Highlight the passage at 43:28

43:39 Let's continue practicing now in silence. Report an error in the passage at 43:39 Highlight the passage at 43:39