AGOL 31, Медитация — стенограмма

[Speaker 1]
There's a special meditation. I've been teaching it for about two or three years now. We started it in Mexico.

Can the Mexico group stand up?

[Speaker 2]
They all became teachers. They finished the 18 courses, ACI course, and now they are teaching the ACI course.

[Speaker 1]
So I hope you can learn to do that. But we started this meditation, I remember we started it in Mexico. So let me tell you the story of this meditation.

[Speaker 2]
I told it to you last time, but it comes from a Sangha.

[Speaker 1]
He lived 1,700 years ago. His books are famous in China, especially Mahayana Sangraha, collection of Mahayana. Many of his books were translated by Xuanzang.

So I think, and he's mostly mind-only school. So I think his books are most famous in Tang Chao, in Chang'an. Very helpful.

So he met Maitreya, future Buddha, and he studied with him. And Mila taught him this meditation.

[Speaker 2]
Very famous.

[Speaker 1]
Okay, and this meditation is supposed to be very good for understanding your future life. Okay, so we will work on that.

[Speaker 2]
It has five parts.

[Speaker 1]
Usually I do one part in a retreat. I think you guys are ready to go for five parts. Okay, it takes a little bit long.

So each day we will do one more part. Okay, so let's do together. Okay, here we go.

You ready? Sometimes when I teach meditation, some people will get on the floor quickly. Kishla, we are meditating.

[Speaker 2]
We have to do this thing.

[Speaker 1]
Then I say, why? Oh, Buddha always sit like that, on the floor. I said, you don't understand why.

[Speaker 2]
Two thousand years ago, no chair. Okay, chair is fine. It's fine to meditate on a chair.

[Speaker 1]
I have a Lion's Dance official meditation cushion from Stanley's company.

[Speaker 2]
But I put it on my couch. And more comfortable.

[Speaker 1]
Okay, so you can sit in a chair. And sit up straight.

[Speaker 2]
Feet are on the floor. Don't cross your legs when you're in a chair. Just sit up straight.

When we meditate in a group, it's very important to be quiet.

[Speaker 1]
It helps the other people. Okay, so Buddha said, always turn off your cell phone before meditation. And it's good to clear your throat now.

[Speaker 2]
Finish. Now, no more.

[Speaker 1]
Okay.

[Speaker 2]
Hands, you have choice.

[Speaker 1]
If the room's a little bit cold for you, you can put left hand down first. You could put right down on hand.

[Speaker 2]
In the picture, the Buddha is like this. But if you do like this, it actually distracts from meditation. Because you're thinking about your thumb.

How to keep up. So, I like to just relax. Like this.

You can just relax.

[Speaker 1]
Or, if the room is too warm, you can do on your ...

[Speaker 2]
You have three choices.

[Speaker 1]
You can go like this. You can go like this. I like between.

Like this. Then this doesn't hurt. So, I also did three-year silent retreat.

[Speaker 2]
2000 to 2003.

[Speaker 1]
Stay in one room. Don't talk for three years.

[Speaker 2]
So, I tried everything.

[Speaker 1]
And I found the correct one.

[Speaker 2]
The correct one is what is good for you.

[Speaker 1]
Okay?

[Speaker 2]
Everybody different.

[Speaker 1]
Everybody has different body. So, try different one. And what's comfortable for you?

My body, your body different. For example, Geshe Michael ...

[Speaker 2]
Then, I need to sit different way.

[Speaker 1]
Maybe your ... is medium size.

[Speaker 2]
Maybe you have generous ... And everybody different. Okay?

So, sit different. Try different thing. And see what's comfortable for you.

[Speaker 1]
Okay, here we go. Whatever way you do, it's good to have first finger and thumb are close to each other. And the prana will travel like this.

Close circle.

[Speaker 2]
Qi.

[Speaker 1]
You can try not quite touch.

[Speaker 2]
You can feel Qi moving. Qi will jump across.

[Speaker 1]
Okay?

[Speaker 2]
Check it out.

[Speaker 1]
Okay, here we go. Face is very relaxed.

[Speaker 2]
Usually, when I meditate, when I concentrate, my shoulders get tight.

[Speaker 1]
And I have to be careful to loosen my shoulders. Many meditation teacher told me, my shoulders are too tight. Mouth is relaxed.

Small smile will help the prana to move. The stomach should be slightly tight. And the forehead should be relaxed.

And the eyes should be relaxed. Now, we are going to learn the lion's dance. And we will learn one part today.

In this, usually in meditation, we start by watching our breath. But in the lion's dance, we don't start with the breath.

[Speaker 2]
We start with some sound in the room.

[Speaker 1]
So, in this room, we have a small air-conditioned sound. Then focus on this sound.

[Speaker 2]
Put your mind on the sound. When we go to sleep at night, we put our head on the pillow.

[Speaker 1]
In the lion's dance, you put your mind on the sound like you put your head on your pillow. Okay, let's try. Just listen to the sound.

We are starting concentration. Now, we go deeper. And try to feel the beating of your heart.

So, the mind goes to the beating of the heart. Now, let's go inside the heart. So, the heart is like a small apartment.

And imagine you are inside the heart. The walls of the heart are beating around you. And it's not a dark wet place.

It's a very elegant small apartment. The sunlight is coming in the windows. It feels very beautiful and open.

So, let's go into our heart. And enjoy more silence. We will be meditating for many days.

And the prana will increase.

[Speaker 2]
And sometimes it increases too much.

[Speaker 1]
So, there's a special way to help that the prana doesn't increase too much.

[Speaker 2]
And I'd like you to learn it right now.

[Speaker 1]
Because we will be meditating for many days. When you breathe out, the lungs will stop at the end of the breath. But there's still a little bit of breath inside the lungs.

And it will build up.

[Speaker 2]
And you will get too much qi.

[Speaker 1]
Then you will feel nervous. So, there's a special method you can use.

[Speaker 2]
When you breathe out, when the lungs stop breathing out, then push a little bit more out.

[Speaker 1]
So, the exhale becomes long exhale, then pause, and then a little bit more exhale. If you are very aware of your out-breath, and you do this special method, then you won't get nervous and you won't feel tight.

[Speaker 2]
So, let's try it for five or six breaths.

[Speaker 1]
When you breathe out, at the end of the breath, a little bit extra breathe out. The rest is usual, normal. Let's try together.

[Speaker 2]
When the lungs pause on the exhale, then breathe out a little bit more.

[Speaker 1]
Now let's go back to the apartment in the heart. Now imagine that apartment is a little bit bigger. I like to make it a penthouse apartment at the top of the building.

Has a lot of rooms. Then I will walk to the room in the center, and I will meditate there. Still a lot of sunlight, but the sound of the walls of the heart beating sounds a little bit far away.

More quiet. Now in that small meditation room, and there's a small table next to me. On the table is a small pot of sugar.

I open the lid of that small pot of sugar. I put my finger in the sugar, and when I take the finger out, there's a small piece of sugar on the finger. Then I want my meditation to be deeper and stronger.

So I decide to put my mind inside the piece of sugar. So my mind gets smaller and smaller. And a small window opens in the sugar crystal.

And my mind goes inside the sugar crystal. Very tiny. Like the tip of a needle.

[Speaker 2]
And when I get inside the sugar crystal, I'm very surprised. Inside is very beautiful room.

[Speaker 1]
Like very rich, expensive wood. Lots of beautiful cushions.

[Speaker 2]
And the soft sunlight coming in. Perfect meditation room. And I stay in this very quiet place.

[Speaker 1]
Enjoy. Now I like to open my mind a little bit. Because this small sugar crystal maybe feels a little bit tight.

[Speaker 2]
So my mind becomes the water of the Pacific Ocean. And it spreads to the edges of this world.

[Speaker 1]
Some of it is touching Thailand. Some of it is touching China. Some of it is touching California.

Very, very big. Very wide. Very quiet.

Very deep. So imagine your still inside the sugar crystal.

[Speaker 2]
But as big as the Pacific Ocean.

[Speaker 1]
And calm. And quiet. And very deep.

Now I like my mind to go bigger. And I expand the mind to the sky. Over the ocean.

So my mind spreads through all the water of the ocean. And half my mind spread to all the sky.

[Speaker 2]
All the blue sky.

[Speaker 1]
Very big. Very open. Very quiet.

Very relaxed. Then please take three deep exhales. Don't forget to push out more after the exhale is finished.

And then slowly open your eyes. I like to take a stretch.

[Speaker 2]
And it's very good to drink some.