Summary: Michael points out and has you observe some key qualities of Awareness. Unofficial timestamps: 1:30 - getting ready with "relaxing the core of your mind" practice (aka "dropping the ball" or "shamatha without an object") 16:12 - the quality of boundarylessness ("vast spacious awareness") 20:40 - the quality of stillness ("all the [mental] chaos and ado and disorder and busyness [are] just like teenie tiny waves on the surface of an infinitely deep ocean") 25:40 - the quality of timelessness 30:45 - the quality of knowningness (aka "wakeness" or "luminosity") 39:02 - the quality of continuousness ("it never goes away") 46:12 - the quality of completeness/perfection ("not in need of fixing or amending") 50:38 - the quality of effortlessness 55:46 - the quality of emptiness 1:00:46 "letting go of the meditation" (aka end of meditation and start of dharma talk)
Dove headfirst into this yesterday and I felt contact with the still awareness (what I believe it to be at least) several times. Afterwards as I went about my day I noticed some ability to always sense it. That access has not gone away either. There is still an experience of the stillness around a “me” so I think my next step is to take your Hack the Stack class on here and then perhaps go back to the first SFDC meditations. (I was doing this before I stumbled upon a Reddit thread specifically mentioning this meditation and I’m glad I went with it!) I understand that “me” I mentioned is not actually me of course, but I will say my mind snaps back to it quite quickly still. My current thoughts are to continue to progress through your meditations chronologically on your channel and perhaps that will help me experience the emptiness of the different parts of that egoic “me” and give me the experiential knowledge to know it’s empty and to relax more consistently into the present awareness until I’m always there. Thank you as always and if for some reason you read this and think of a different next step for me, I’m always open and appreciative!
Boundryless, timeless, effortless, and awake. It made a lot of sense today! It's before thought and thought appears in it yet there are no clear boundaries! It is awake! It's not a screen that's "playing" thoughts it's also aware of them! 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️ Thank you Michael Taft Edit: egos appear in awake space! 😮 The dropping ability is proof that you aren't that. The thoughts don't wake up! Already (always ready) awake through which the sensations appear.
I said it before and I’ll say it again; these are the best instructions I have ever received. All categories included. I’ve done this several times a week
This is very helpful. Can anyone confirm that we are dropping away from any body sensations just as much as from what normies would regard as the "mental"? (That is, from thoughts and images and the cognitive aspects of emotion, or the sense of self.) For example, we would relax any grasping onto the breath, or feelings in the hands, as much as anything else. I guess we would even relax the sense of having a body at all, to the extent that one can figure that part out. Someday I also have to figure out how to relax the mind when particularly strong body sensations or emotions arise... (It seems beneficial to work with particularly strong sensations, for the same reason that it's difficult - namely, because they hijack and constrict attention in a particularly obvious way. But sometimes it can feel very overwhelming.)
I have a similar question, although I have an inkling of what Michael would say. Just keep relaxing into emptiness. But, if the emotions are consistent and overwhelming all the time, do some egoic work on them. Psychotherapy, counselling ect. My 2 cents
Thanks so much Michael. Really powerful. I find when really connecting with awareness and dropping out of the mind, if I do this with my eyes open - my vision can get very weird, dark and less formed to the point of near darkness. Good, bad, normal?? Thanks for the powerful and yet simple practices. Simon
I would say so. I would also say there’s something of a paradox in that it seems to be true that most people need some goal-oriented, dualistic practice skills to train attention before they can successfully let go and relax into the awakened, non-dual state that’s always here to recognize - if only we can stop *trying* to find it.
One theory, which was true for me, is that the brain’s self model can’t accept the true all at once and that it needs to see and digest bits of the truth before making a bigger leap or dropping out.
For me, the “goal” of being totally asleep/in the day dream of life was replaced by the goal of seeking after using concentration practices. Perhaps seeking is like the boat that needs to be discarded after you finally cross the river. Hard to leave the boat behind when it’s all you have known.
That is a common view, Mary, but I don't see it that way. I would say most of them are about calming down or thinning out the ego so that awakening becomes easier. So they're not a waste of time, but rather they are "skillful means."
That would require somebody converting the format of a hundred videos or so, and then hosting those mp3s somewhere, I think. Are you up for doing that?
Summary: Michael points out and has you observe some key qualities of Awareness. Unofficial timestamps:
1:30 - getting ready with "relaxing the core of your mind" practice (aka "dropping the ball" or "shamatha without an object")
16:12 - the quality of boundarylessness ("vast spacious awareness")
20:40 - the quality of stillness ("all the [mental] chaos and ado and disorder and busyness [are] just like teenie tiny waves on the surface of an infinitely deep ocean")
25:40 - the quality of timelessness
30:45 - the quality of knowningness (aka "wakeness" or "luminosity")
39:02 - the quality of continuousness ("it never goes away")
46:12 - the quality of completeness/perfection ("not in need of fixing or amending")
50:38 - the quality of effortlessness
55:46 - the quality of emptiness
1:00:46 "letting go of the meditation" (aka end of meditation and start of dharma talk)
thanks so much Chris!
Unalloyed pleasure! So much kindness in your voice.
:)
Dove headfirst into this yesterday and I felt contact with the still awareness (what I believe it to be at least) several times. Afterwards as I went about my day I noticed some ability to always sense it. That access has not gone away either. There is still an experience of the stillness around a “me” so I think my next step is to take your Hack the Stack class on here and then perhaps go back to the first SFDC meditations. (I was doing this before I stumbled upon a Reddit thread specifically mentioning this meditation and I’m glad I went with it!) I understand that “me” I mentioned is not actually me of course, but I will say my mind snaps back to it quite quickly still. My current thoughts are to continue to progress through your meditations chronologically on your channel and perhaps that will help me experience the emptiness of the different parts of that egoic “me” and give me the experiential knowledge to know it’s empty and to relax more consistently into the present awareness until I’m always there. Thank you as always and if for some reason you read this and think of a different next step for me, I’m always open and appreciative!
This guidance was amazing. Thanks for all these meditations Michael, practice has changed my life and your resources were part of it.
Boundryless, timeless, effortless, and awake. It made a lot of sense today! It's before thought and thought appears in it yet there are no clear boundaries!
It is awake! It's not a screen that's "playing" thoughts it's also aware of them! 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️ Thank you Michael Taft
Edit: egos appear in awake space! 😮
The dropping ability is proof that you aren't that. The thoughts don't wake up! Already (always ready) awake through which the sensations appear.
I said it before and I’ll say it again; these are the best instructions I have ever received. All categories included. I’ve done this several times a week
So glad you’re finding it helpful. 🙏🏻
Love the tennis shoe analogy! Many thanks, Michael.
Thank you! Feels good to just jump at it.
The ego definitely wants awakening to be flashier. But, this is also very freeing!
Wow. It worked! Much gratitude.
Whoa after doing this it's like I can't unsee this view.
That's good!
Audio files of Michael's meditations, as per someone's request:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bxZsVY1wr5YYkMj8nqZ1min2A8fW4iYc?usp=sharing
Do you still have these Mark?
Absolutely brilliant, I love these sessions. Thank you so much
Very clear description. Found it great to touch that state I've touched a few rare times before. Thank you for this gift to us all
Thank you for your guidance Micheal!
Hey Michael. Do you recommend usong these guided meditations to compliment an insight practice or are these sufficient by themselevs?
Both uses would be fine.
Love the meditations! Thank you 😊
Thank you!
Bliss - thank you 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for this!
At 40:31 my heart keeps racing! I open my eyes and it’s blurry. How and why??
This is very helpful. Can anyone confirm that we are dropping away from any body sensations just as much as from what normies would regard as the "mental"? (That is, from thoughts and images and the cognitive aspects of emotion, or the sense of self.)
For example, we would relax any grasping onto the breath, or feelings in the hands, as much as anything else. I guess we would even relax the sense of having a body at all, to the extent that one can figure that part out.
Someday I also have to figure out how to relax the mind when particularly strong body sensations or emotions arise... (It seems beneficial to work with particularly strong sensations, for the same reason that it's difficult - namely, because they hijack and constrict attention in a particularly obvious way. But sometimes it can feel very overwhelming.)
I have a similar question, although I have an inkling of what Michael would say. Just keep relaxing into emptiness. But, if the emotions are consistent and overwhelming all the time, do some egoic work on them. Psychotherapy, counselling ect. My 2 cents
Thanks so much Michael. Really powerful. I find when really connecting with awareness and dropping out of the mind, if I do this with my eyes open - my vision can get very weird, dark and less formed to the point of near darkness. Good, bad, normal?? Thanks for the powerful and yet simple practices. Simon
“Who’s” connecting with awareness?
Can happen. Make sure you’re nit rigidly fixating your eye to a single spot. Moving eyes slightly and blinking are fine.
So it seems that most spiritual practices are about chasing various states that are confabulated with being awakened or enlightened?
I would say so. I would also say there’s something of a paradox in that it seems to be true that most people need some goal-oriented, dualistic practice skills to train attention before they can successfully let go and relax into the awakened, non-dual state that’s always here to recognize - if only we can stop *trying* to find it.
One theory, which was true for me, is that the brain’s self model can’t accept the true all at once and that it needs to see and digest bits of the truth before making a bigger leap or dropping out.
For me, the “goal” of being totally asleep/in the day dream of life was replaced by the goal of seeking after using concentration practices. Perhaps seeking is like the boat that needs to be discarded after you finally cross the river. Hard to leave the boat behind when it’s all you have known.
That is a common view, Mary, but I don't see it that way. I would say most of them are about calming down or thinning out the ego so that awakening becomes easier. So they're not a waste of time, but rather they are "skillful means."
@@MichaelTaft108 "thinning out the ego" becoming a gossamer. Brilliant!
Thank you Michael!
Why not add a link to the meditation in MP3 format, so that we can listen to it offline?
Greetings from Belgium 🙂
That would require somebody converting the format of a hundred videos or so, and then hosting those mp3s somewhere, I think. Are you up for doing that?
With a premium version of TH-cam you can download videos and listen to them offline.
@@MichaelTaft108 I could do that. We could host them all on Google Drive. Let me know if you'd like me to proceed. Thanks.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bxZsVY1wr5YYkMj8nqZ1min2A8fW4iYc?usp=sharing
@@MarkRoberts awesome thank you!
Thank you
Is it possibile to do it today? Is it necessary to do it live? Or will you do it again? I would really like to receive pointing out
Just watch the recorded video. It still works.
🙏
What the hell happened was like smoking dmt was that supposed to happen or is a mental trick help
Try it again and see.
🇮🇹 💙