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Guided Meditation (57) Absorption

Introduction

Warm greetings, everyone.

We're continuing this exploration of samadhi^[1]. Often in Buddhism—in English Buddhisms, often enough—the deepening levels of samadhi are sometimes called absorptions: to be absorbed. In some ways, it's an apt description. We can liken it to the idea of being absorbed in a good book, absorbed in listening to music, absorbed in some art or craft that we're doing, or absorbed in a movie. To absorb is just to be fully attentive, where all our senses are either focused on what we're doing or have receded from getting much attention from us. If you're absorbed in a book, you might not be listening so much to what's going on around you. Someone might even talk to you and you don't hear them because you're really absorbed.

In meditation, that kind of absorption is one of great interest. Usually, there's a sense of goodness or wholesomeness. Part of the joy of being absorbed in a book is the absorption itself. It is the same thing with samadhi: it's a very nice state of absorption. It's not a turning off of the world, but rather it's letting the world around us fall away as we enter into a very wholesome, healthy state.

All the steps of anapanasati^[2]—these steps of deepening meditation—are steps that are opening up and evoking healthier and healthier states of being inside. Of course, it's not always going to be that way and it's a process to get there, but it helps to know that we're looking for inner health. We're looking to recognize where nourishment is, and what is wholesome here.

We do that in the very beginning by trying to approach meditation in a healthy, wholesome way, without greed, contraction, conceit, pouncing on things, or strong aversion where we try to escape and push things away. Can we have a spirit of generosity, kindness, a warmth of goodwill, and ease as we start engaging our attentional capacities? Then we begin finding, as we pay attention, how to evoke, spread, and develop good feelings in the body, partly because we're starting to relax. This process of relaxation is such a healthy thing to do. As meditation deepens, at some point the inner health, inner goodness, nourishment, and wholesomeness feel so great that it becomes easier and easier to be absorbed in that, to feel connected to it, and to really be there.

I also delight in the idea of using the metaphor of a sponge. A sponge absorbs water, and in the same way, we absorb sensations. We absorb this experience of breathing. We allow it to be—just kind of like the whole body is the sponge—and we are there to receive and take in the whole experience of the present moment in a receptive, open way. Sponges don't force the world, or force themselves to absorb water. That's just what sponges do; they just absorb. This absorption really allows there to be a kind of intimacy and receptivity to our experience, to our breathing. To be absorbed in the breathing.

Guided Meditation

Assuming a meditation posture, perhaps sit in such a way where the chest is a little bit more open, open to be receptive. Sometimes when the chest is a little more open, it's a little bit more useful and capable of relaxing the belly. So, softness throughout the front of our body. A soft front. Sometimes it is said that in meditation, we have a soft front and a strong back.

Feel this, especially if you're sitting upright—feel a little bit of strength in the back. Stability. Maybe adjust the vertebrae a little bit so the spine is a little bit more aligned and centered. Instead of strength, maybe some of you prefer the word stability. Stability and strength of the back, and softness and openness in the front.

Gently close your eyes and take a few long, slow, deep breaths. This is a ritual procedure for adjusting your state of mind, your state of body, and your attitude into one that can begin to be absorbed in this practice of meditation. Temporarily put aside concerns of the past and the future, or other places and other times. Prepare yourself to settle in here and now.

Then let your breathing return to normal to continue this process of softening the front of the body. As you exhale, soften the face. The face is where we present to the world so much, but in meditation, we don't need to activate the face. We can let it rest.

On the exhale, soften the shoulders. Release the weight of the shoulders to the pull of gravity. Adjust your arms so that they can be loose and relaxed. Soften the chest, and relax the belly.

Wherever you feel your breathing—the predominant, common place for experiencing the body breathing—imagine that location is a sponge for the sensations of breathing. It's not so much that you're in the control tower looking down at breathing. It's more like you are that sponge in the body, especially on the inhale, absorbing the sensations of the inhale.

If those sensations are like water, then on the exhale, spread the goodness of that water throughout the body. Absorbing the inhale and releasing it all on the exhale throughout the body.

Can you adjust your mind a little bit, so your mind is doing mental tai chi of receiving and flowing, moving along with the breathing? Maybe it is as if the mind becomes more and more like water flowing with, over, and through the breathing. Or as if the mind also gets absorbed into the body, the body sponge. Abiding in the body breathing.

Abiding in intimacy, turn yourself over to your breathing. Entrust yourself to your breathing. Be absorbed in the goodness of breathing. Whenever you exhale and you need to remember to let go of whatever takes you away from your breathing, let the breathing be the center of it all. The foundation of everything. The beginning of it all, the end of it all. Just breathing.

Being absorbed in breathing is not a rejection of anything else. Let everything else recede to the background, where your interest, your involvement, and your life energy are intimately connected to breathing.

Perhaps it's easier to be absorbed in the breathing if you make a small half-smile with your lips. Just turn up the corners of your lips a little bit. It maybe shifts the mood just enough that it's easier to flow with the breathing.

Reflections

As we come to the end of this sitting, bring forth whatever goodwill, tenderness, or love that might live in your heart, that lives within you. In whatever way that caring, loving part of you can come forth as we sit here, breathe with that.

Let that be absorbed into the body as the sponge as you breathe in, and may that spread through your body as you exhale, like water being absorbed and then dispersed. The water of love, kindness, compassion, and goodwill.

Without any responsibility to act on your love or your goodwill, simply sit here. Be open to it, feel it, and see if you can sit quietly for a few moments more, gazing kindly with kind eyes on the people of your life. Those you know well, those you barely know, and strangers. Perhaps thinking about some of the people you will encounter today, without needing to do anything with them at all while you're sitting here. Can you gaze upon them kindly? Can you hold them in the warmth of your heart?

Taking a few moments to do this expresses our wish that our meditation practice supports us in bringing helpful, healthy attitudes to this world around us. Meditation is not just for ourselves, but it's also for how we see and relate to others, and maybe we discover more and more how that's the case.

May it be that we meditate for the welfare and happiness of all beings, ourself included.

May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings everywhere be free.