What what we were taught was that the last couple of weeks are potentially very a time of easily triggered, emotionality and reactivity. Sometimes the the call it attacks of the Tibetan word is done D O or the norm loud N and not the dance but the dunes and they're like sudden neurotic upheavals that come seemingly from nowhere. But they they've been brewing and waiting for their opportunity to attack and this is like this is like the weak time we are weakest time when the moon is waning before the new year so it's a good time to be vigilant. It's a good time to think first before responding. I was reading this one newsletter where they were quoting Warren Buffett, the great financial guy and he said one of the some of the best advice he got over the years was from this CFO that he knew, chief financial officer that he knew, and he said Warren, you can always tell somebody to go to hell tomorrow. You know, just wait on it. Think about it. Think about it overnight, sleep on it. Tomorrow. If you still feel the same way then tell him to go to hell but it don't do it on the spot. So that's something we can be watchful for. And strong feelings and emotions. And part of the practice that we do is working with that. To see that their vivid appearances. But they're like, it's just like strong surf, the ocean, still the ocean, and some sometimes the stuffs really strong or the waves are big, and sometimes it's more calm. So but the ocean doesn't change and the nature of the waves is water. And the nature of the ocean is water. It's just water in a particular shape. With what seems like particular force behind it but it's still water. So understand that these are waves of your mind. They're still mind. I had a student who was having some a lot of negative thoughts. And I said really heavy hmm. And they said, Oh, yeah. Put your hand out. And imagine that you're putting that thought into your hand. How heavy is it? And they said, she said I was really heavy. I said no, really feel your hand without the thought and I'll put the thought and what does it weigh? So it doesn't weigh anything. I said, yeah, there you go. So, sense of humor. You know, I talk about that a lot. It's the most important thing. And I don't mean making jokes. of things. I mean, not taking them so solidly and permanently and and particularly importantly, because it's important to me I don't mean me I mean we all think it's important to me. That's our that's our usual motto. What about me? And so that's one of the reasons we do the taking and sending practice tonglen Tibetan taking an ascending practice to change that habit. What about and start saying well, what about you instead of what about me? And that opens things up tremendously. The basis of that is seeing that like, like waves and water we're all appearances of for all of us human minds that want to be free from suffering and want to have happiness and well being free from pain and suffering, wanting happiness and well being. So that's the basis of our sending and taking practice. One of the things that I did last time was working with listening and how and in taking and sending how it feels when you're not being listened to. And for you know, opening up your heart to say, I'd like other people to feel heard and listened to. And then how good it feels when you are being heard and understood and somebody's being patient and accepting. And say I wish that for others. I hope they get to experience that. Now, it's nice to have that wish, say ah, I wish that others could experience that and actually use the poem called today. I will. Was it today we'll listen or today we'll just listen. Look it up. Where is it?
I don't see it. But it's by a lady named Marva, Shand hyphen McIntosh. And it's today I will listen and she she goes through a list of how to not listen and then how to listen. And the way we could we could sum it up in saying it's all the different expressions of closed mindedness and and what about meanness that gets in the way of really listening and open mindedness and what about you? opens us to what they sometimes called deep listening. Okay, so the other thing at this time of year with the it seems like and it's funny, it seems like a heightened level of craziness going on in the world and the potential for misunderstanding. We're just getting the introduction to the misuse of AI and how that creates misunderstandings even to the point of they used AI to duplicate President Biden's voice to send robo calls to people telling them not to bother voting. And I'm not saying it's one side or the other. I'm sure that it's going to be used by everybody who has an ulterior motive. But it's a scary time, as far as understanding and understanding each other and then being open but then we also have to be vigilant. So it's a very, very challenging time. And the important aspect of this is to maintain an open mind and an open heart of compassion, but not lose intelligence, not lose discrimination and I don't mean the negative kind of discrimination. I don't mean prejudice. I mean, discriminating one thing from another clearly and understanding things clearly. So we have all that to work with. And the good news is we have our practices to work with that. So we use our mindfulness practice, to stabilize slow things down and keep things in from getting. How do I say to keep us from getting over our skis. It's an expression of kind of getting ahead of ourselves. So that's always coming back to the present moment to our stable center. Then we have awareness practice, which is the clear seeing. So from that quieter a little bit quieter mind less reactivity. We open up to saying okay, what's the biggest perspective I can take on here? What's the biggest perspective so that I can see as much as I can possibly see we can't see all of the causes and conditions, but the as big a perspective as we can take and then to see the impermanent quality of things, the our own thoughts and emotions arising and understanding Well, that's they're, they're part of the nature of mind and they're impermanent. They're not solid. And to put them in perspective, and then be able to do that for others. And then the compassion practice goes beyond that to say within that clear seeing, clearly see that what about you is as important as what about me
and before we react, to give some space and try to listen from the other person's point of view
and then, if it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense. But first, check it out. Don't assume right away that it's not going to make sense and get ready with your rebuttal before you even hear what the person has to say. Okay, well, so we're going to do our practice, the sequence of practices, centering and stabilizing mindfulness of presence with thoughts and feelings, awareness, environmental awareness, and then exchanging self for other in the form of taking on the taking into our heart, our heart of compassion, the the empathy for others, and the wish for them to be free from suffering. And then extend out to them the wish for their well being. And we tune into our own feelings that to do that. So I'll guide us through that as we get there. It's important to understand taking in breathing in to feel the suffering of others, you they have their own karma that will play out for them. You have your own karma that'll play out for you. So you're not taking that on as much as opening yourself up to authentic communication with them. And expressing that Oh, openness to listen, openness to be there for others openness to show up without the What about me attitude. And hopefully this is also some fruit for discussion afterwards. So we'll practice and then have a little discussion time afterwards. So to begin, you'll want to not be looking directly into your screen so you can move your device or move your chair or cushion. You get stabilized as the going fades, you can let your eyes gently close the skirt with your seat your sit bones will have a good solid seat
even evenly distributed so you're not leaning one side or the other forward or back. sit bones pressing in to your seat equally and you're back upright. You want that uprightness without being rigid and not straining. That let that uprightness extend past the top of your back, up your neck and up the back of your head. So they're all on the line down to your tailbone. So there's your basic life pole, like a tent pole, everything else gathered around it. To maintain that stability, you want your legs if you're on a cushion crossed in front of you. If you're on a chair, you can have them flat on the floor about hip width apart with your lower legs perpendicular to the floor but if your knees or if you have long legs and your knees are higher than your hips, just cross your legs at the ankles in front of you so that your knees are lower than your a little bit lower than your hips. Let your arms your upper arms be hanging straight down. Your lower arms along your thighs palm down on each thigh respectively
if there's a straight line from the top of your back up your neck and up the back of your head, you'll find that your chin gets tucked in a little bit naturally. Because we don't want to sit with our chin pushing forward or tilted down or tilted up on the chins in a little bit and the back of the head and the neck are straight down to the spine. The flow of air through our nostrils and down into our lungs is simple and clear. Something else that'll be helpful is to open your heart by raising your sternum your breastbone, slightly up and slightly forward. Just a tiny bit quarter of an inch, just a centimeter. You find with that with just doing that without moving your shoulders they they come back a little bit. Your chest opens up. Shoulder blades come together a little bit. You feel your lungs filling more than you thought you were taking full breaths. This really fills them
your jaw is relaxed but not hanging slack open. Lips just lightly touching or slightly parted. will breathe in through our nose. If some air comes out through your mouth as you exhale, that's fine.
Just notice if there's any extra tension in your neck or your shoulders, slow your shoulders hang. We walk around holding them up and don't even realize it just let them hang without pushing them down.
If you relax your deep belly and pelvic region it will feel when you breathe in like the breath is coming down your back and filling your whole torso
with arms and hands, relax your legs
enough tension to hold that upright posture is an open heart. It gives you uplifted head and shoulders. It's a posture of dignity. self respect.
Feel the rhythm of your breathing. Be an observer rather than a controller just let it come in and out. Let your body do the breathing for you. It does it when you're paying attention to other things. So just let it happen
take an attitude and intention that the practice we're doing is not only for our own benefit, but so that we can be of more benefit to others.
You can go beyond what about me
let your mind be open. Like the sky wide open to whatever arises in your experience without the bias of attachment or aversion. Be with it. The mind is big as the sky it includes all other beings
your body's majestic like a mountain. Your breath comes and goes like gentle breeze. Mind is like the sky
is the going foods that your eyes open about halfway so you become mindful of your posture. The space that your body sitting in
the breath coming in from the atmosphere in front of you going out into the space in front of you wherever your eyes are looking to soften your gaze is if you're looking if you're just seeing the space rather than looking at a particular thing.
With the ocean it's natural for waves to appear waves of thoughts or emotions in your mind feelings. Just let them come and go arising calling for a moment than passing.
You ever thought captures your mind so your mind takes the shape of the thought and the subsequent thought and another into a daydream at some point it'll pop. You realize you were daydreaming. Smile. wandering mind you're already back. Just reef refresh your posture connect with your breathing the present in the space we'll do that for a couple of minutes.
Is the goal foods for sure posture
raise your gaze is fully open in a normal way. And when you have your good posture and let your eyes open normally, your gaze will be out slightly down below horizontal and soften your gaze open up to your peripheral vision. Side to side top to bottom.
Tune in to the birth going out is the birth goes out. It mixes with the environment until the birth and the atmosphere are one. In the same way, let your awareness go out. So you're not so focused on this but open to that so that your mind becomes one with the space as far as you can see as far as you can hear.
With each out breath out open the space. The rest in that spaciousness. Let the body breathe in by itself. Let the body breathe out by itself. You just be with that breath as it goes out. Whether it's long or short, deep or shallow.
Breath is just a vehicle for us to mix our mind with space.
Colors shapes and shades of light and dark appear in that space
so near and far loud and soft appear in that space.
bodily sensations other perceptions or appearances in our mind
thoughts and feelings arise let them arise. In that bigger space.
You can relax because whatever arises appearances, thoughts feelings. They're all included in that big space of your mind
nothing to push away nothing to try to get
it is to go fit. We begin a contemplation is still use the breathing is are anchored to the prison moment. We contemplate our relationship with all other beings with our mind as big as the sky. We can connect with all other beings in that we're all equally wanting to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering that we all equally want to have happiness or well being and the causes of happiness
we want to connect with the feeling of that not just the thought of it. You can do this with your eyes open or close the whole practice or any part of it. Be picky. Begin by identifying the feeling of negativity. Imagine as you breathe in. What does it feel like to inhale pollution sick acrid smoke, exhaust fumes, whatever unpleasant experience you have a feeling that you're breathing that in how terrible feel how much we don't want that feeling as you breathe out. Breathe out fresh air. A great The air smells right after rainfall refreshing, fresh air
to feel how good that feels that smells are bad the other smells
and now because of the intention to benefit others, connect with your heart of compassion. If it helps, you can even put your hand over your heart center. Not one side or the other but the center of your chest at heart level. Raise your breastbone up and open your heart of compassion. We all contain the potential for limitless love and wisdom. That's our nature. That's the nature of our minds of our beings. So whenever you breathe in, that heart of compassion can accommodate the suffering accommodate the negativity and transform it like an air purifier and send out kindness and caring breathing compassion and empathy for suffering, send a kindness and caring wishing for others peace, health and happiness. You can start with a loved one one or more loved ones. You know what they're going through. Breathe into take from them, relieve them of that suffering. accommodated in your heart of compassion. Transform it and send them out peace, health and happiness
tune into that feeling in your heart of really, really wishing for them to be happy. Really wishing really wishing for them not to suffer so much.
That strong desire for that is what powers our heart of compassion. It's what fuels it to be able to convert the negativity into positive energy
first, you can think of others who you might know. Others who you've heard about suffering in the war torn regions of the world. Open your heart of compassion to them. Breathe in the feelings of loss of loved ones of homes. Send out a feeling of security and acceptance. Breathe in fear breathe courage and confidence.
Breathing feeling displaced groundless homeless breathe out security and safety.
Go deeper to the causes of suffering. Breathe in. And as you breathe in, imagine that you can take away from all beings. The hatred the fear of others the closed mindedness though lack of acceptance, the lack of the ignorance and lack of understanding the jealousy, the greed, the lust for power
wonderful to be able to breathe in and take that away from all beings. free them from the clutches of these poisonous emotions and sender caring kindness love understanding patience acceptance appreciation
breathe in and activate our compassion and love you breathe out and send caring kindness.
To go Fit Foods, let go of the contemplation that goes the intentional thoughts and recenter yourself resettle in your posture you're breathing in the space of the present Moment.
Thank you for your practice. Now. When should we close with the mirror of the intention that we began that we do this even more for the benefit of others than for ourselves so you can repeat after me or say in your own words made the practice we've just done. Be of even more benefit to others than to ourselves Thank you. Now I think we can let everybody unmute themselves. And if you have comments you can also put them in the chat. Tim
if you have questions about the practice, please feel free
Tim as one that says you can't see the chat it says Do you think there's any particular significance to the time we choose to meditate? I've heard it said that dusk Dawn and noon or midday are particularly strong times for meditation. Well, there may be something to that for us beginners when get it when you can get it at the same time. I think that especially with our busy lives, and and momentum, you know there's in physics there's inertia and momentum which I think is a kind of inertia. I think a body at rest tends to stay at rest and the body in motion tends to stay in motion. So the when you get up it's really good to practice before you get moving too fast in the day. And that starts your day. I like to joke about it as the sandwich of the day. Make it a sandwich, start the day with a little practice and kind of set the tone and then you end the day before you go to bed reflect how did I do? With my intentions for the day? Don't beat yourself up just say oh well, I did this one very well and I dedicate the benefit of that to others. And the areas I didn't do so well. I'm going to try and do better tomorrow. But you do some practice at the end of the day as well. Now, dusk and dawn are times of transition. So that is a traditional place where they say can be dangerous and so good to stabilize ourselves during those times. And when we do the end the words called protector chants when we when we in in the Tibetan tradition, there is a notion of energies in the environment that either can be disruptive or protective. So we suffocate those energies to be protective of our state of mind. And also, to be disruptive if our state of mind is not so good. Please, please disrupt me if I'm on the wrong track. And so that's traditionally done at dusk when we go from daylight to darkness and Dawn, always good sunrising if you can get up that early
anyone else?
I always like to see what happens meditation. And I was thinking about putting ourselves in other person's shoes, you know. And I do like jokes as Jerry knows. And and this one comedian said you know it's really important before you get into a fight, to walk a mile in the other person's shoes because then you're a mile away and you have their shoes
John, John's gotta go fast because he's a Ferrari. Gone see gone already. Wow, that was fast. I mean, that kind of mood so.
You're welcome to everyone who said thank you. If you have to leave that's fine. If you want to sit for a little bit longer we can sit sit with each other but if something comes to mind, that's fine. too.
Thank you thank you everyone so much. Wasn't that a nice meditation where you didn't have to do anything. Just hang out we just hang out. When we have that space where we can just hang out with each other and not have to say something. It's great. So good luck this next coming week. And I think I'm on two weeks from Monday. I also have a practice through Thursday morning February 8 which is the last of near the end of the intense end of year times. So we'll have an interesting practice that day. And then Happy New Year to everybody the year of the wood dragon. I was gonna look it up you know and talk about that but every you know, there's so many different sites. You can look it up. J F gi you know what that stands for? Just I think Google it
so enjoy. And I love being with everybody to do these practices. So thank you all so much.
Ah. I got what's the jokes I could tell you. I have a joke archives. Oh,
we will have to do that one. We're sessions we'll have we have instead of what did they call those the in the poems? The or the raps? The duels what what do they call those? Oh, yeah. They call us. There's a name for those. When the two rappers battle?
Like a contest? Yeah, but there's a
word. Yeah.
There's a much hipper new word that we use. Right? Battle. Is it a rap battle?
A battle? Yeah.
Jerry and I can have a joke. I like Karen's we're we'll have a joke contest. See who gets who gets the laughs I hope you I hope you win. That's great. All right. Bye, everybody. I have
a question for you. I have a question for you. Dream induction is once a month and it's the Saturday and it's an Shambala day. If there's any way you could move it back a week. No,
I don't think so. Because the dream Sangha group is every other week so it's on the first and the third Saturday of the month. Sorry, TVs kind of are the lucidity and duction group is on the second Saturday. I did send an email to Chelsea to see if she had like an alternative solution. Oh, so do you record it? Yeah, we do record it. Um, no, I thought they record it. Not the dream Sangha group but they did decide to do the lucidity induction group because there were there was such a high interest that they will be recorded. They the nightclub pages up yet because we've only had the one session so Bob was working on getting that up, but you can find the first recording in the community group. Okay, that's fine nightclub. Yeah, it is.
You know, you have the drop down box and you can choose you know, meditation interviews. How do you find it?
It's on that drop down box. It's called lucidity induction group.
Okay, is that from the homepage? Yeah, it sure is. And
it's under events or what what? What is the drop down thing? Yeah.
So if you're on the nightclub website really quick, one second. Oh, good.
Can you see my screen? Yeah.
If you're on the main page, you just go to events here. Okay. It's right here.
Oh, oh, great. Oh, wow. Yeah. Well, I I'm so glad I stayed on and found this out. I'm gonna listen to it right away.
Yeah. The, you know how you can usually like the meditation sessions. It does have like, if you go far enough down to the bottom it says, recordings. You won't see that on here yet. It was kind of a last minute decision to record them. So we haven't added the page here. But if you just go to community, right, here's a tab next to it. And then latest topics. It will be in here somewhere down towards the bottom, but it's in here somewhere
and I'm not going to up there this
Oh wow. Oh.
So yeah, it's there.
Okay, okay. So can you just go over the you know, the subsequent how to get there, go. Sign in.
If you just go to the nightclub page. you're signed in. Right? Right here you see community. Yep. Just click latest topics. And if you're signed in, it'll just bring up this. You'll have to scroll down a little bit like you just kind of noticed I have to do but it is gonna take me a second find it again. Right here. So it was posted 13 days ago. And you just click that and it'll pull it all up.
Oh, oh
yeah. That helps.
If I do it right now, it will help but if I do it in a half hour
okay. It's gonna be a category after you get it together. So we don't have to do this.
You'll have to scroll down you'll be able to just see the category
that's better. Oh, yeah, look forward to
Yep, I'll let you know when it's up. We were just talking about it today. So it shouldn't be too much longer. Yeah, thank you, of course.
