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Guided Meditation (55) Abiding and Receiving

Good day to everyone, and good to be here with you. The topic continues to be for this week, samadhi^[1]. Samadhi is usually translated as concentration, and one of the verbs associated with samadhi is abiding—to dwell or abide in these different good qualities of samadhi. Learning to abide is lingering, residing in these states, as opposed to being in these states and striving, pushing, or trying to have more. There is tremendous value when we get settled, have landed here in the present moment, and feel settled here, to learn how to abide in those states.

Abiding is not exactly a passive thing, though there is very little doing, and it is very consequential, which I will talk about later. To abide also is to be receptive. To abide and allow the goodness of a particular state to nourish us, to penetrate into us. A lot of samadhi has to do with letting go, and so we could understand it a little bit as abiding in the goodness of letting go, abiding in the nourishment that happens when we let go. We will start this meditation, and we will do this abiding and receiving of this nourishment or goodness of letting go, of relaxing.

Assume a beneficial meditation posture with some care. Take a posture that will allow you a maximum amount of relaxation without falling asleep—a balance between remaining alert but allowing for deep bodywork to happen, as meditation begins penetrating into all the different corners of our muscles and allowing for deeper and more thorough letting go.

Gently close your eyes. Without breathing deeply this time, just simply sit here. I will direct you to relax different parts of your body, and as those parts relax, linger a bit with whatever good feelings are there with having relaxed. Let yourself take it in. Even if the good feeling is a real relief, a local relief of not being tense, or maybe there is a pleasure, allow yourself to abide and receive the good feelings that might come with relaxing.

On the exhale then, relaxing the shoulders. Releasing the shoulders. Perhaps there is a way to also release and relax the arms and the hands. From the shoulders all the way down to the fingers, relaxing, releasing. Then receiving whatever lingering good feelings are there with that, however mild or small.

Relaxing the muscles of the face. Even if there are uncomfortable sensations, for now, receive the comfortable ones, the pleasant ones, as you relax your face.

As you exhale, relax the belly. It is sometimes harder to feel good feelings with a relaxed belly, but maybe there are some that linger.

Also in the legs, the thighs, and the calves, all the way down to the feet. See if the muscles there can be released, and feel some nice, pleasant feeling of vitality or relief.

Then bring your attention to your breathing. As you breathe, as you exhale, see if you can relax your whole body on the exhale, and feel whatever goodness comes from that relaxing. An opening, a softening, a settling. Perhaps more of a sense of flow and vibration in the body.

The exhale itself is a kind of letting go. Allow for the full letting go of the exhale. It is not always easy to feel, but maybe you can feel some parts of the exhale—the release, the letting go—as a nourishment, as a good feeling.

Part of the goodness of the exhale is letting go of thoughts. As you exhale, letting go of thoughts and letting go into the body breathing. Whatever openness or receptivity there might be there at the end of the exhale, receive the inhale. Let go of your thoughts, your thinking as you exhale, and allow yourself to feel how it might feel good or pleasant to not be caught up in your thoughts and thinking, and abide. Rest in the quiet, openness, and receptivity of awareness in your body that remains when you let go of your thoughts.

As you inhale in the abiding with the breathing, there can also be a receptivity in allowing the inhale to arise. The inhale to arise in the vibrating, flowing, tingling vibration of the body. To abide and receive here in this body.

Whatever letting go or relaxing you do—relaxing the body, relaxing the mind, releasing the exhale—whatever settling in that happens, feel, sense, and abide in the good feelings that are associated, that reside in us in the goodness of it. Allow it to nourish you, to spread through you.

Staying close to your breathing, with a letting go of the exhale and the allowing of the inhale, each within the abiding here in the goodness, pleasantness, that is also here. Letting go into a receptive state. Receptive with your body to the pulsing, vibrating, flowing, dynamic sensations of the body. Allowing them, receiving them, where part of the goodness is the receptive state. It is the simple abiding and receiving.

Feel the goodness of abiding, receiving this body, this body breathing. Letting the thinking mind become quieter, so you can more fully abide and receive.

To abide in whatever goodness, pleasantness, or enjoyability there is here now. Breathe within that, breathe with that, quietly, receptively. With an inner quietude that is sensitive, available, receptive. Simply to abide here and now with whatever is here, without trying to make anything happen^[2]. Just abiding in whatever goodness is available.

Dedication

As we come to the end of the sitting, abide here in the present moment for these last minutes. Abide not to do anything or accomplish anything, but to be at rest or at ease in one's own skin and body. Whether you actually can do this well or not, you might just imagine yourself in a circumstance where you can just abide, just be rather than do. Some place where you feel comfortable, safe, and settled, where you have all the time in the world and no pressure.

In this state, in the privacy of your own mind and heart, let the presence of others abide also here with you. Others are abiding around you or with you without requiring anything of you, needing anything of you. In this way, perhaps you can open up a kindness, a care, maybe even a love or goodwill that is almost not a doing, but more how the heart vibrates when nothing is needed. You feel safe, and you take in the humanity of another person. Without requiring anything that you do or say to the person or to people, can you gaze upon them kindly? Gaze upon them with goodwill.

May they and all beings be happy. May the people you think of and all others be safe and peaceful. May the people that you consider and all others be free. And may it be that the benefits of this meditation practice, in seen and unseen ways, intentional and unintentional ways—may those benefits spread out to benefit the people around you and the world around you. May the goodness of your meditation be for the welfare and happiness of all beings, yourself and all the rest. May it be that meditation changes the world for the better.