Lightly edited transcript Filler words and caption errors removed by machine; the meaning is unchanged.
Delson leads a guided sit that begins with relaxing the body and developing loving-kindness, first toward oneself and then extended outward to others in the room, the city, all directions, and wider realms. He then guides the listener through the five aggregates, reflecting on the body's impermanence and on sensations, perceptions, thoughts, choices and consciousness as not self. The sit closes with resting in open awareness and bringing that presence back into daily activity.
Key points
- The sit opens with a body relaxation, then develops loving-kindness first toward oneself by recalling a memory of generosity or kindness.
- Loving-kindness is then extended outward in stages: to everyone in the room, the building, the city, the directions, beings below the earth, beings in the sea, spirits, hell realms, birds, devas, and the whole universe.
- The body is reflected on as changing from infancy through old age to death and return to the elements, and the phrase 'this body is not me, not mine, not myself' is repeated.
- The guidance then moves through sounds, sensations, thoughts, perceptions, intentions and choices, and consciousness, treating each as not self and letting go of identification with it.
- The sit ends by resting in an open, boundless awareness described as beyond concepts and the sense of self, and then bringing that presence back out of the sitting when opening the eyes.
Themes
Where this talk sits on the path
This talk belongs to a thread that runs along the whole path. It follows the thread of Guided meditations, Dependent origination study.
Transcript
Settling into posture and breath
So I would like you all to take up your sitting posture, wherever that is, whether it's on a chair or on the cushion, and just get comfortable. Wow, those cushions are so tiny. There's literally no cushioning in there. You're just cushion in name only. Yeah, anyway. Once you guys are settled in and you've found your sitting posture, I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath, and as you exhale, just feel your entire body relax. We'll do this two more times. Inhale, deep inhalation.
And relax. Now just scan through your body. Just run your attention up from the top of your head, all the way down to your toes, and up again. Relax any tightness or tension anywhere in the body, and consciously soften that tension. Let go of it. Relax. I want you to bring a small Buddha smile onto your face, in your eyes, in your heart, and in your mind. Think, may I be happy, may I be well, may I be free of suffering, may I be filled with loving kindness, may I be filled with loving kindness. And think back to a time where you did something good for another person, or any series of memories where you were generous, giving, sharing, kind, offered support, any happy memory that you can think of that brings softness to your heart, that brings softness to your heart. And feel into that. Feel into that. Feel into the idea
that I deserve to be happy. I deserve to be happy. I deserve love and kindness. I deserve love and kindness. I deserve compassion. I deserve compassion. I deserve empathy. I deserve joy. I deserve to be at peace. I deserve to be at peace. And really feel into that. When your mind, when your mind gets distracted, when your mind gets distracted and it's going into the sounds around you, it's going into the sounds around you, it's listening to the drilling, it's listening to the crows, it's listening to the crows, it's listening to the taxis, and so on, just be aware of that and let that go, and relax, and sink back into the feeling.
Fill your soul. Fill your entire body up with loving kindness from the heart. Fill your entire body up with loving kindness from the heart. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be free of any kind of suffering. You want, you want you to bask in this feeling, as if you're on a beach in paradise, and the warm glow of the sun, as if you're on a beach in paradise, and the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face and body. Just basking
in the goodness of loving kindness for yourself. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And the warm glow of the sun is gently on your face. And your mind gets pulled away, notice it, and relax back into the feeling, and relax back into the feeling, and relax. Your mind might be distracted by some noise or smells, or smells, or feeling on the body, but notice that, relax, come back to the feeling of loving kindness.
Let the loving kindness spread throughout the body, from your heart upwards, upwards to your head, and downwards to your toes, surging through from your legs up into your torso, through your fingers, up through your arms, up into the head. Loving kindness everywhere. Every muscle, every muscle, every bone, every bone, every bone, every sinew, every cell of your body. Every cell of your body is steeped in loving kindness. In loving kindness you may feel some joy coming up. You may feel some joy coming up. You may feel some tranquility coming up. You may feel some tranquility coming up. You may feel some tranquility coming up. You may feel some equanimity coming up. You may feel some equanimity coming up. You may feel spacious, spacious, expansive, expansive. But these are all just markers in the background. Our attention is relaxed. Our attention is relaxed and aware of loving kindness. Our attention is relaxed and aware of loving kindness. Our attention is relaxed and aware of loving kindness. All the honking, the drumming, the crows, they're also in the background. Let them be. My awareness is relaxed.
My awareness is passive. Anything can come in and out, but I remain steady in loving kindness. All the smells, everything is encompassed in my feeling of loving kindness. They are not separate from me. They are not separate from me. They are not separate from me. They are okay. It's okay to be there. Now I feel all that loving kindness throughout my body, throughout my body, throughout my body, throughout my cells, increasing, increasing, glowing out from the pores of my skin. Loving kindness is now my aura. It's everywhere around me. It's everywhere around me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Whatever distractions come up, they too deserve our loving-kindness.
Directing loving kindness in all directions
So now we're going to feel into that loving-kindness. All throughout the body, surrounding the body, outside the body. And we're going to share it with everyone here. Everyone in this room deserves our loving-kindness. May everyone here be happy. May everyone here be free of suffering. May everyone here be filled with our loving-kindness. May all directions. Feel into that loving-kindness, which is now one homogenous experience that we are all feeling into. May God bless you. May God bless you. Now we're going to direct that feeling of loving-kindness in front of us.
Keep that feeling going in front of us. May everything and everyone in front of us be touched by this loving-kindness. Just keep it going in front of us, in the forward direction. May all things, may all beings experience my loving-kindness in front of me. Without end. Without limits. Without any boundaries. May all beings in front of me. May all beings in this building.
May all beings in this building be encompassed by that loving-kindness in the forward direction. May the crows feel our loving-kindness. May the crows feel our loving-kindness. May the birds feel our loving-kindness. May the workers around us feel our loving-kindness. May the workers around us feel the loving-kindness in the forward direction. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness.
May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May they be touched by our loving-kindness. May all beings feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right feel our loving-kindness. May all beings to our right in this building, beyond this building, beyond this building, throughout the city. May we direct our attention to our left.
Extending loving kindness to all realms
May we direct our attention to our left, with our loving kindness. Thank you. Now, may all beings below us feel our loving kindness. May the earth beneath our feet be filled with loving kindness. May the insects in the ground feel our loving kindness. May the worms, may any beings living underground feel our loving kindness. May all animals feel our loving kindness.
May beings in the sea, fish and reptiles, jellyfish, all kinds of beings, coral, plants, may all of them feel our loving kindness. May the spirits that may be roaming feel our loving kindness. The hungry ghosts, the ghosts who are helpless, who have nowhere to go, may they feel our loving kindness. May whatever beings may be in whatever hell realms there may be feel our loving kindness.
May all those suffering in these realms feel our loving kindness. May God bless you. May God bless you. May God bless you. May all beings above us in the sky. May the birds of the sky feel our loving kindness. May the birds of the sky feel our loving kindness. May the birds of the sky feel our loving kindness.
May the birds of the sky feel our loving kindness. May the birds of the sky feel our loving kindness. May the birds of the sky feel our loving kindness. Whatever devas might there be in whatever heaven realms there may be, may they all feel our loving kindness. May they all feel our loving kindness. May they all feel our loving kindness.
May our loving kindness. May our loving kindness encompass the entire sky. May our loving kindness encompass the entire sky. May the entire sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. and beyond into the sky. may the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. may the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. May the sky. and beyond. And beyond. And beyond. And beyond. And beyond. And beyond. And beyond. May all of existence in this universe and beyond. May all of existence in this universe and beyond. May all of existence in this universe and beyond.
Resting in infinite loving kindness
May all of existence in this universe and beyond begin to feel our loving kindness. May our loving kindness know no end. Have no end. Have no end. Let's rest in this field of infinite loving kindness. This infinite field of infinite loving kindness. This infinite field of infinite loving kindness, of compassion. May all beings in this infinite field. May all beings in this infinite field be free of any suffering whatsoever. May all beings in this infinite field be free of any suffering whatsoever. May all beings in this infinite field be free of any suffering whatsoever. May all beings in this field of life. May all beings in this world, this infinite field. And now we're going to gather our attention.
Contemplating the body and its changes
And now we're going to gather our attention to our body. And now we're going to gather our attention to our body. Notice how the body has grown. Has grown. Has developed. Has grown. Has developed. From our infancy. When we are born. How tiny our body is. How tiny our body is. How tiny our body is. And how it grows.
And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows into a toddler. And from there how it grows into a toddler. And from there how it grows. Into childhood. As we play around and make friends. And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows. And how it grows. deteriorate.
The eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, this body, the brain, all of it will start to change. It may weaken as we age. And one day, this body will become a corpse. And it will decay. It will go back into the earth, go back into the fire, go back into the elements. This body is not different from the elements which keep changing all the time.
This body is not me. This body is not mine. This body is not myself. I am not the body. Whatever I can observe, in the body, through the body, from the body, is not me, is not mine, is not myself. I am letting go of the body. I am dropping the body. And I bring my attention to any sensations, any experience.
Sounds and sensations coming and going
The sound of the voice that is speaking right now. The sound of the crows. Sound of the birds. Sound of the cars. Sound of the cars. Sound of construction. This sound comes and goes. These sensations, the circulation of the fan. The air on my skin. All of it comes and goes. All of it comes and goes. The pain in the body, if there is. The pain in the body, if there is.
The feeling of spaciousness. The internal arising and passing away of sensations in the body. My thoughts. The thoughts are not my thoughts are not my thoughts. Pull back. Pull back. Let your attention rest in itself. Be aware of all of these sounds as they come and as they go. The thoughts, the reflections, the concepts, the ideas are just flowing traffic.
There is watching going on. There is watching going on and observing of this traffic. There is watching going on and observing of this traffic. These sensations, these thoughts, these thoughts, these ideas are not me. Are not mine. Are not mine. are not myself. I am not them. I drop my perception of them. I let go of my awareness of them.
Any perceptions that arise, concepts of my name, of my family, my relationships, the color of my skin, the culture I am born in, all views that come and go in my mind, all opinions are just conditioned to the outside world. These are not my thoughts. These are not my ideas. These are not my concepts. I am not my thoughts.
I am not my opinions. I choose to let them go. I choose to drop them. All perceptions pass away. Let your mind sink into the awareness of this emptiness of all perceptions. No matter what I'm experiencing, no matter what disturbances around me, all these are empty. Empty of me, of mine, empty of myself. I am free from all distractions.
Any choices that have arisen. Any choices that have arisen, any effort that arises is not me, is not mine, is not myself. All intentions, all craving, clinging, choosing, deciding, being, acting, being, acting. None of it is me, mine, or myself. I choose to drop all of these. I choose to drop all of these. The minds sink beyond these perceptions, beyond these choices, beyond these actions.
Sinking into the clear blue sky of awareness
Let the minds sink. Let the minds sink into the clear blue sky of awareness. In this awareness, I encompass everything. In this awareness, I encompass everything. All distractions, all disturbances, all choices are in this awareness. The awareness. The awareness of sound. The awareness of sound. The awareness of vision. The awareness of vision. The awareness of the body. The awareness of the body.
The awareness of thoughts. Even the awareness of this awareness. I choose to relax. I choose to relax. I choose to sink deep into this awareness. I choose to sink deep into this awareness. For all other awareness. For all other awarenesses are not me, not mine, not myself. I am free from every distraction. Every awareness of all distractions.
Every awareness of all distractions. Every awareness of all choices. There is no way. There is no way. There is no way. There is no way. There is no way. There is no way. There is no middle. There is no boundary. There is just awareness. There is no I in this awareness. There is no me in this awareness. There is just awareness. There is just flow of information, a flow of attention, a flow of consciousness. I choose to drop this awareness as well. Doesn't matter to me. No awareness, awareness. No cessation, cessation. No suffering, suffering. Freedom, no freedom.
These are all concepts. I choose to drop all concepts and just remain in non-conceptual reality. No projections, no ideas, no images. They're all within the scope of this blue sky of undifferentiated, boundless, borderless, free awareness, unconditioned, unclouded, uncreated, unborn, undying, not me, not mine, not myself. Just rest and relax. No infinite space, no nothingness, no light, no darkness, no darkness, no body, no mind, no sensation. Just awareness. There is only watching. There is only observing. There is only hearing. There is only feeling. There is only feeling. There is only thinking. There is only thinking. There is only meditating. There is only meditating. There is only being. Me or them, or them, this or that, pure silence or no silence, this world or no silence, this world or the other. All of it is within this unconditioned, absolute, unmanifested reality. This reality pervades, transcends. It is the all. It is the all. It is the all. It is the all. It is the all. Free from choices. Free from choices. Free from differentiation.
The absolute and the absolute. This is the shelter. This is the shelter. This is the refuge. This is the refuge. This is the island. This is the island. This is just this. No way to go. No way to go. Nowhere to be. Nothing to become. Nothing to accomplish. No goals. No direction. No choices. No object. No subject. No nothing. No everything. Just this reality. Just the absolute. Just rest. Just sink into it. Nothing else. Nothing else. So, so. There is no mind. There is no mind. Quiet mind. Signless mind. No jhana. No hindrance. No duality. No non-duality. No separation. No union. There's only the scene, the hearing. There's only the herd. There's only seeing, only hearing, only being. There's only the pleasure. Just this. This is the end of suffering. Total being.
Total absolute presence, and then this presidening. This is our nature. Is out there. Is our nature, our true nature. This is what the world stems from. This absolute reality, free of all conditions and concepts. In all conditions and concepts, beyond experience. And in all experience, beyond sensations. And in all sensations, beyond thinking. And in all thoughts, and in all thoughts, beyond body. And in all bodies, beyond identity. And in all identities. In all of this world, and in this world, and in this world. This awareness, this understanding, this experience in the body.
Bringing this presence back to the body
Embody it. Ground it to the body. Ground it to the senses. Ground it to the mind. And when you're ready to come out of the sit, with that absolute, pristine presence of mind, beyond all conceptual minds, bring it back here as you come out of the sit. And when you open your eyes, that presence has always been there.
And it will always be there. As you start to feel into your body, do so with that presence of mind. And as you open your eyes, do so with that presence of mind. And as you move around in the body, and if you choose to move around in your chair or in your seat, do so with that presence of mind. And when you're ready, you can open your eyes, and be here now. Thank you.