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Guided Meditation: Being Available

One of the perspectives on practice in the teachings of the Buddha is that he was oriented towards the consequences of our actions. There was a sense that noticing a little bit, or caring a little bit for the consequences of what we do, is important. Some orientation into the future about the potential, likely results of what we do is part of a wise way of living. Of course, we have to be very careful with that, and it's balanced with a tremendous emphasis on the present moment in this practice as well, but it's not ignoring the future and consequences.

To sit down to meditate in the morning, it might be that we do have a sense that the day will go better—we'll be more centered, calmer, maybe wiser. So there is some appreciation that the motivation to meditate is because of the benefits it brings our lives. Then there's also the consequence in the short term. It's possible to have a sense that if you sit down to meditate, and what you want to do is to be in a super hurry to get into a deep state of concentration—because there are important things to do in life—you're going to just really huff and puff, strive, and get all sweaty, contracted, and tense so you can get quickly concentrated. That doesn't work.

Have some sense that, yes, I want to get settled here in my meditation, but it doesn't work to strive, to push, to have a lot of expectations and demands, or to be measuring how I'm doing as I go along every few seconds. What has a good consequence is just to be very relaxed around the consequences at this point. Being relaxed about not trying too much to make something happen is the better way to make something happen that's useful in meditation. So there's still some consequential thinking, but it's recognizing that how I am in the moment is important, and that it makes a difference how I am. If I strive in meditation, I'll have a headache, and that will persist through the day. If I can be at ease, that creates more ease, and it sets up a nice thing for the day.

If we get closer in, into the present moment, the sense of the consequences of our practice has more and more to do with the present moment. We can feel the difference between being critical about how we're paying attention to the breathing versus being relaxed around it. You can feel the immediate consequence, sometimes called instant karma: the immediate quality is that one of them has more dukkha^[1] (suffering), and one is more open, feels better, and feels satisfying. This ability to differentiate between what is satisfying and not satisfying in how we enter the moment gets closer and closer to something very intimate and close here and now, and less concerned about the future.

To be able to discern that difference and see: are we too lazy in meditation, so the mind is drifting off too much, and a little bit more energy and engagement are necessary? Are we a little bit too much constantly making commentary about our meditation, always questioning and doubting it? That's not really so useful, and you can feel that it doesn't feel good. Perhaps having a provisional confidence in our meditation—just provisional until more evidence comes—is actually more useful for settling. So again, there's a sense of the immediate consequences there.

For this meditation, I'd like to point to something more subtle. As we practice mindfulness of breathing, there can be a very subtle after-effect of a moment of being connected to the breathing. If we follow the breath all the way, that knowing of the breath, being connected to it, is kind of like an afterimage. It's kind of like if you go out into the water and stand in the sun and get warm. That warmth will persist if you go back into the shade for a little while. There's the after-effect of warmth that remains.

So there's an after-effect of doing the practice—a kind of afterimage, after-sense, or after-feeling that persists a little bit beyond just the moment of being mindful. It's very subtle. Even if you don't feel it, the sense of being open to it, or receptive to feel that as well in the periphery of attention—to be available, to be open and receptive, to allow an after-effect, or the glow of the practice, or the after-warmth to remain. The softness, or the calmness, or whatever it might be. Let the goodness of the practice be available for you to persist into, as if you were making space in your body for that after-effect, the results of the practice.

You're not making it happen; you're not demanding it happens. The subtlety is that of staying open and available for the practice to somehow work on you, or radiate into you, or persist a nice feeling of something. Whether you feel anything or not is less important than that sense of presence, availability, and receptivity. Allowing yourself to be practiced by the practice. Allowing yourself to be affected by the practice in a way that's not exactly your doing—it's the consequence of what you're doing, the after-effect.

If what I'm saying is too subtle or too bizarre for you, just forget what I'm saying. But with that, taking an upright—metaphorically or literally upright—posture.

The Guided Meditation

Take a few moments and close your eyes to feel your body. Let your attention roam through your body. Familiarize yourself with what the experience of your body is right now.

And then see if you can adjust your attitude, your orientation, so that with your body, heart, and mind, you're available. You are available to be receptive to the practice. That you're available to be changed. You're available for some deeper qualities of practice to be registered or to waft through you.

And then very gently, with this receptivity and availability, take some gentle but deeper breaths. Maybe slowly, as if you're receiving the inhale into that availability, and feeling that receptivity on the exhale—a long, quiet exhale.

Perhaps you recognize that quieting the thinking mind increases the receptivity, the availability to really take in the experience of practice, of meditation. The more you're thinking, the less room there is to be available to sense, to feel.

And then letting your breathing return to normal.

In terms of feeling the after-effect, being available to linger and feel it—it might be extremely subtle, but notice the after-effect as you relax different parts of your body. As you exhale, softening the muscles of the face. What's the feeling that comes with relaxing those muscles?

As you exhale, softening and relaxing the shoulders. In these little moments of softening and relaxing the shoulders, what good feelings remain for a few moments? What after-effect is there?

Relaxing the belly. Softening. It might be possible to soften the hands, the fingers. It might be possible to just gently, just a little bit, flap your elbows to loosen up any tightness or holding in the arms.

It might be possible to relax and soften the muscles of your back, so maybe those muscles kind of release down your back.

And now opening more fully to your breathing. At the end of the exhale, for a moment, let there be a very brief pause. Not a pause that is a strain, but just long enough so the beginning of the inhale really wants to happen, and you allow it, so you can better receive the inhale.

Being available for the influence the inhale has on your body and mind. Receptive not just to the sensations of breathing, but maybe to the afterglow, or the radiance, or something that spreads from your breathing as you inhale.

And as you exhale, allow the release to occur. Ride that release, ride the exhale. Gently allowing it all the way to the end. And especially as you get to the end of the out-breath, being available to feel the influence that exhaling has on you more widely.

Being receptive to the inhale. Allowing for the exhale. Available to allow the influence of mindfulness of breathing to spread through your body, as if your body is a receptacle that receives the practice. Whether you receive anything or not is less important than this openness and availability as you breathe.

If you become aware of other things besides your breathing, perhaps you can become aware of them—body sensations, feelings, thoughts—in this open, receptive way. That's available to feel not the influence of our feelings and body sensations, but the influence of being mindful and aware of body, emotions, and thoughts. Where being available and receptive is almost a quality of the mindfulness itself. And perhaps feeling the goodness of this receptive, open mindfulness practice.

In some subtle way, in some small way, can you adjust how you have a continuous mindfulness, continuous awareness of your breathing, of your experience, so that mindfulness has a good influence on you? That it's nourishing, supportive. That the after-effect, the influence, is beneficial. Or if you notice that the after-effect, the influence, is not beneficial, can you adjust it so that how you're aware seems to have a nice influence here and now, in the present moment, in this body and mind?

Letting the thinking be quiet so you can better feel the subtlety of all this.

Sometimes the beneficial influence of the practice can increase slightly if you very slightly make a small half-smile, turning up the corners of your lips. And allowing for the receptivity, being receptive to the good influence of pleasure and joy that supports being present.

As you receive the inhale, receive the global nourishment or good influence that might be here from meditating. As you allow the exhale, allow the nourishment, or allow the global goodness that might be here throughout the body, in the mind, in the heart. Letting your awareness take it all in on the inhale. Let the awareness allow for it on the exhale.

Cultivating Goodwill

As we come to the end of this sitting, take a moment to feel grounded in your place of meditation. If you're sitting upright, feel the sitting bones, your bottom firmly on what supports your weight. If your feet are planted on the floor, feel the solidity of your feet on the floor. Whatever way you can, use your body weight to really feel grounded, settled, established here.

And then, together with that, to be open and receptive, to be available to feel and sense and take in the experience of the world around you, without being unduly influenced or duly affected by that. But grounded in the present moment, and open and receptive.

And then bringing to mind some people in your life: friends, family, neighbors, people in the community, and places you frequent. Imagine that you're with one or some of them in this way—both grounded and established in the present, and open and receptive. Secure in your groundedness, available to be open and receptive to take in the experience of another person.

Maybe feeling or sensing the other person, knowing the other person from some place inside that is tender, gentle, kind, or loving. Without losing your groundedness, without leaning forward, or approaching the person, or needing to say anything, just from this place of being grounded and receptive, have thoughts of goodwill for them. Feelings of goodwill in which you wish them well:

May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be peaceful. And may you be free.

Imagine that this is the stance that you can have towards everyone. That you are firmly, confidently grounded in yourself, and open and receptive to take in the humanity of other people.

And then to extend your heart to all beings:

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

May the benefits of our practice this morning contribute to that being the case.