Settling the Mind Meditation

Let's do a meditation practice together, one that we can call settling the mind in the natural state or simply allowing the mind to settle on its own. We'll begin with actually a kind of breath meditation in the form of shamatha, quiescence meditation and then we'll gradually let go of the breath and just let the mind be as it is in whatever way it is, unfabricated and natural. And that's settling the mind in the natural state. As with all practices, we'll begin by invoking our intention, but let's do something special you could say, something also in some ways quite traditional, which is begin first of all before anything else by finding our posture, that sense of stability, effortlessly held. The body is awake, alert, but relaxed.

The spine is strange, but flexible, a strong back and an open front. And now with eyes open or closed as you wish, here's an invitation to bring up the thoughts of the awakened being, the Buddha, in whatever form that might appear to you, you can visualize an historical Buddha, you can visualize simply a ball of light in the space before you, one that embodies all goodness. This is the manifestation of the awakened mind. Following that then, perhaps for a moment with the hands joined, acknowledging, delighting in it, appreciating and offering homage, invoke the blessings of the awakened mind and settling the hands on the knees now. Feel the light send rays down towards you, gently entering the top of your head and filling your body with the blessings of awakening.

And then the light itself dissolves into you and dissolves at your heart, into your own awakened nature. And inspired in this way, in touch with your own awakened nature, your Buddha nature, now invoke your motivation, a motivation to be free from suffering, to realize genuine happiness, and to become a being fully awakened, awakening fully manifest so as to serve all beings and help them also achieve this state. With that motivation in place now, with the eyes open, just settle the awareness on the sensations of breathing, perhaps at the abdomen. If you like, you might even take in one long breath, let it out through the mouth. Feel the body settle.

Just allow the mind to ride on the breath, the mind wants an object, offer it the breath. As the mind is on the breath, allow one's awareness to expand, to have a sense of the body, the environment, even while the mind is on the breath, as if looking out the corner of your eye. And just rest like that for a while. One more time. As thoughts arise, as thoughts come and go, just notice them.

No need to fixate or get caught. Simply notice, recognize thoughts as thoughts, feelings as events in consciousness and allow the mind to settle again on the breath. If the mind fixates, just notice the fixation. This too is consciousness, another event. No need to fixate.

And now gently as if the hand ran a boy in the water, that's our breath, a kind of anchor. If we can gently even let go of the breath and just sustain that wider awareness without even focusing on an object. Just let go, no need to make anything happen, no need to make thoughts stop. Just let go. If the mind becomes too frantic, just return to the breath and then after a while let go again.

Good. Thank you. And now to end this practice, as is traditional, let us gather together all the positive energy, what we call the merit of the practice, and dedicate it to the realization of our highest spiritual goal. May the precious awakening mind, where it has not yet arisen, arise, and where it has arisen, may it increase evermore.