Meditation – What is in the way of happiness?
03/07/2024
Listen to the Audio
Watch the Video
Transcript of the Meditation
Hello, everyone Lovely to be with you.
This meeting will start with a brief meditation Then we can have a discussion, questions whatever you want to explore
So sit comfortably and welcome Welcome yourself Meaning welcome your experience just as it’s appearing to you
As best as possible, do nothing
Simply be with full availability to whatever is appearing to you
A sort of relaxation in presence Like taking a break Taking a break from the mind From the world
Just for now, sink deeper and deeper In not-knowing In being The simplicity of being
Whatever appears to you Maybe some thoughts or Sensations in the body They are neutral
Meaning, there is nothing you need to do
Notice the gentle breath The soft movement in the belly, in the chest
The warmth of the body The heartbeat
Notice how in this moment of being In this moment of presence There is no one doing anything
In a way Whatever is unfolding Is unfolding on its own
And there is no distance No separation
It’s so lovely when there is this inner quiet Not trying to fix anything or get somewhere Or remember something.
Like a child in mother’s arms Abandoned in her embrace and her love
Simply noticing without knowing what we are noticing Being without knowing what being is
The mind appears to you Meaning thoughts, images Sensations Stories They appear to you
Nothing happens to you You may perceive a beautiful sunset or a stormy sky
The surface of the ocean may be quiet or windy Maybe there is some movement within the body Nothing is happening to you
And, in a deeper sense Nothing is happening at all
Like, waves on the surface of the ocean Nothing is happening to the ocean
But when we struggle with the waves Wanting the surface of the ocean to be quiet This very struggle that defeats the peace Veils the screen
What stands in the way of happiness and peace? What is it we’re trying to protect To maintain, to safeguard?
The world-body-mind is constantly in flux The dance of Shiva.
What is it that wants to interfere with this dance?
We are not apart from this dance The totality of it
And there is this transparent Silent, still aware presence It’s always there.
Whenever we take a look at being The transparency of being It’s right there The elephant in the room Not visible to the senses
But the senses are merely an instrument To perceive the play, the human play Part of the grand design
The Maya
Sometimes we sit on the bank of a stream or a river We love watching the flow of the river The flow of the stream. Hearing the sound of the gurgle of the brook The birds chirping
Inwardly, it is possible for us to sit on the bank of the stream Watching the stream
Now and then a leaf may fall Onto the surface of the stream And we may decide to pick a stick and play with it or not
There is no personal goal Or something we’re trying to attain We’re amazed by how the stream flows
And yet, we live spinning around personal concerns We want peace and happiness And at the same time we want our personhood to flourish We want safety for the personhood
So the mind and the body become very engaged In fixing, managing, adjusting Correcting, resisting, blaming, avoiding
The complexity of trying to safeguard an illusory me-character Trying to safeguard my family My tribe, my goods, my future The future of my tribe My ancestry, my progeny
Can we see this complex process Of maintaining a personal identity Being so preoccupied about this me, this me-hood?
And then the ray of the sun shines Through the window, Onto our face, onto the desk
Such effortlessness and creativity
The preoccupied mind Preoccupied with the me-bubble Me, inside my bubble Overlooks the beauty
And now and then, we see through it A glimpse into the illusion of a separate entity
A collapse of the structure A moment of pure happiness and peace And Aha!
It’s always available to us, this Aha! I am not what I imagine myself to be I am not defined by the structures of the mind Not defined by the shape of the body I am not what I believe myself to be
I am is! I am is undeniable and transparent This invisible reality Which right now is And knows it is I am, and I know that I am
Sat Chit Ananda
