lotusinthemud

Hollowing out is a meditation practice

The practice and process of hollowing out are common to many spiritual paths and traditions, including shamanism (with meditation probably being the most ‘famous’ one).

 

The aim is to disentangle from what, in shamanism, we would call the ‘middle-world self’ — the incessant flow of thoughts, judgements, opinions and middle-world issues that concern us in ordinary reality — and become instead the ‘witness’, the ‘Aware-Self’ who can watch the flow of thoughts whilst not being entangled in them. This enables us to watch the thoughts (the stories) instead, and not be entangled in them.

 

We become aware that there is another ‘I’ who is able to watch the stories. Doing this helps us realise that we are not the stories but something else entirely.

 

This takes practice, and it is never an endpoint that you ‘arrive at’, but something that you continue to get better at the more you do it. It is a process, not a destination.

 

𝚆𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢?

Join Therapeutic Shamanism - the Three Ravens College - for the Next Steps 1 course. This link gives further details:

https://www.therapeutic-shamanism.co.uk/lower-world/

Update to the Third of the Five Mindfulness Trainings: Plum Village Tradition

 

"As many of you know, the third of the five mindfulness trainings has been undergoing revision to support our inclusiveness and support our communities. We should be using the new version in our recitations, and it will appear on future transmission certificates. Here, then, is the updated training with main modifications in bold.

 

Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without mutual consent, true love, and a deep, long-term commitment. I resolve to find spiritual support for the integrity of my relationship from family members, friends, and sangha with whom there is support and trust. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are interrelated, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and to cultivating the four basic elements of true love – loving kindness, compassion, joy, and inclusiveness – for the greater happiness of myself and others. Recognizing the diversity of human experience, I am committed not to discriminate against any form of gender identity or sexual orientation. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future."

Teachings on Mindfulness & Gratefulness ♡ Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh & Brother David Steindl-Rast ♡

 

 

Your Fluid Sense of Self

 

When we look carefully, we discover that the sense of self is not a particle that never changes, but rather a flow, a wave of thought and feeling that can increase and decrease and is therefore not permanent.

~ Shinzen Young, “Brief Teachings”

life bursts forth with miracles

"Around us, life bursts forth with miracles—a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colours, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.

 

Have a look at the apple tree in your yard. Look at it with complete attention. It is truly a miracle. If you notice it, you will take good care of it, and you too are part of its miraculousness. Even after caring for it for only a week, its leaves are already greener and shinier. It is exactly the same with the people who are around you. Under the influence of awareness, you become more attentive, understanding, and loving, and your presence not only nourishes you and makes you lovelier, it enhances them as well. Our entire society can be changed by one person’s peaceful presence."

 

~  Thich Nhat Hanh

something old, something new

The Tree of Life sangha are meeting on-line again this evening. I'm finding my own practice has changed recently - my faith having been shaken, I continue looking at what works for me, what can be reclaimed or redefined. Wanting to offer what benefits the sangha and is also authentic. So I'm going to share practice based on the 'Meditation For Relaxation' sessions I used to offer at Newcastle University - phrases from Thich Nhat Hahn's "The Blooming of a Lotus", some walking meditation, Metta meditation, sitting - with some Pureland practice. Followed by sharing time. Let's see how that works for everyone.

Update. January 2024: for the past year we have included more Pureland practice into our sangha gatherings. It is now our primary practice

taking a step...

Sit quietly, with gentle attention on your breathing. Move the attention slowly from your nose to your throat area, from your lungs to your diaphragm, then to your abdomen. After a few minutes, move your attention slowly down your legs to your feet, to the soles of your feet.

Now stand up. Feel the sensation on your soles of the floor or ground. Describe them to yourself...cool, smooth, rough, solid, bumpy. How would they differ if you were on a warm beach, on a mountain track, swimming?

Bring your attention back to the here and now. Take a few slow steps and feel the changing sensations on the different parts of the soles of your feet as you walk - as each part touches the ground, as you shift your weight, lift your foot, move it through the air...and so on. Shut your eyes and take another few steps, slowly, carefully, putting attention on the messages you receive through the soles of your feet.

Note, as you do this, that some of the sensations come from actions due to your own will and effort and some from your surroundings. And this is how it is with all our life. Some of it comes from 'me', so much more from 'other'.

Namo Amitabha!

support

Close your eyes, relaxing and allowing your breath to settle. After a few minutes, gently move your attention to your sense of touch. Feel the solidity of the bed or chair beneath you. Feel how supported you are by this piece of furniture, by the floor beneath it and, through the building, the earth below you.

Bring to mind the wood that the chair/bed and floor are constructed from. Think of the tree, planted so long ago, by design or by nature. And the sun and rain and fertile earth that fed the tree. Watch it growing in your mind's eye. How many years do you think it was growing for?

Now think of the men who chopped the tree down. How long ago was that? How was that tree transported to the timber yard, the carpenter's workshop, the factory? Think of the time and effort it took to transform the living tree into the piece of furniture. And the same with the timber that became floorboards, as the building in which your room is was constructed.

Continue sitting, breathing evenly, as you think of all the people listed above, and those who sold and bought the furniture, all those involved in the construction of your building....all the forces of the natural world....all contributing to that solidity that supports you as you sit or lie.

the blessings of hearing

What sounds do you particularly like? Why? When and where have you heard them? Is it the nature of the sound that you like or something about the context?

Now sit with your eyes closed and listen - what can you hear? Can you hear any sounds that come from inside you? What can you hear that originates from outside you? What do you think is making those sounds? Which of the sounds that you can hear now do you particularly like and why? Now continue sitting, listening to the pleasurable sounds - first putting your attention on the feelings of pleasure and then move your attention out so that it rests gently on the object from which the sound is coming - keep it there for a few minutes. Feel gratitude for your ability to hear.

what can you see that attracts you?

Spend some time lying or sitting quietly. Look around your room, through the window or outdoors, if that is where you are. Find an object that you like, that attracts you in some way. Look at it carefully. Describe it to yourself (shape, colour, size, texture etc.). What are the qualities that you find attractive in the object? How does it make you feel? Put your awareness on the sensations of pleasure within you. Now continue looking at the object, with gentle attention on those qualities that you find attractive.

You can repeat this at another time with another object.