Post by stef on Oct 26, 2005 13:56:14 GMT
A Meditation on Joy and Suffering
Find a posture where your spine is straight and close your eyes and become aware of the cycle of your breath. Without changing how you breathe notice your natural rhythm and watch your in-breath - the pause - the out-breath - the pause. Do not interfere with or attempt to control your breathing, simply notice it, placing your full attention on tis cycle. Although thoughts and feelings may arise in you, simply notice them and bring your attention back to the breath. Accept where you are with tis process and continue to place your full awareness on the breath.
Now spend some time dwelling on suffering. Fix your attention on the feeling of suffering and what it means to you. Allow any images, thoughts, memories or feelings of suffering to arise. Stay cented and focused and do not allow yourself to become lost in your stream of consciousness; stay present and still, mindful of your breath. This simple awareness of your suffering is a step towards healing. Then when you are ready, give permission for all the suffering within you to diminish. See it shrinking so that you can hold it as a ball of pulsing energy in your hand. See it shrink to the size of a marble, and then of a pea, and then of a grain of sand - and then it is gone.
Then spend some time dwelling on joy. Fix your attention on the thought of joy and what it means to you. Allow any images, memories or feelings of joy arise. Do not get lost in this stream of consciousness; stay conscious of your breath and the joy that is within you.
When you are ready, give this joy permission to increase and allow it to expand and fill your body, mind and emotions. Become filled with the feeling of joy until you are a radiant star sending out joy to everything and everyone around you.
With your awareness of your cycle of breath, slowly come back to full waking consciousness.
love
stef
Find a posture where your spine is straight and close your eyes and become aware of the cycle of your breath. Without changing how you breathe notice your natural rhythm and watch your in-breath - the pause - the out-breath - the pause. Do not interfere with or attempt to control your breathing, simply notice it, placing your full attention on tis cycle. Although thoughts and feelings may arise in you, simply notice them and bring your attention back to the breath. Accept where you are with tis process and continue to place your full awareness on the breath.
Now spend some time dwelling on suffering. Fix your attention on the feeling of suffering and what it means to you. Allow any images, thoughts, memories or feelings of suffering to arise. Stay cented and focused and do not allow yourself to become lost in your stream of consciousness; stay present and still, mindful of your breath. This simple awareness of your suffering is a step towards healing. Then when you are ready, give permission for all the suffering within you to diminish. See it shrinking so that you can hold it as a ball of pulsing energy in your hand. See it shrink to the size of a marble, and then of a pea, and then of a grain of sand - and then it is gone.
Then spend some time dwelling on joy. Fix your attention on the thought of joy and what it means to you. Allow any images, memories or feelings of joy arise. Do not get lost in this stream of consciousness; stay conscious of your breath and the joy that is within you.
When you are ready, give this joy permission to increase and allow it to expand and fill your body, mind and emotions. Become filled with the feeling of joy until you are a radiant star sending out joy to everything and everyone around you.
With your awareness of your cycle of breath, slowly come back to full waking consciousness.
love
stef
