Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation 6/15/16 with Jon Aaron

Episode Date: June 30, 2016

Every Wednesday, the Rubin Museum of Art presents a meditation session led by a prominent meditation teacher from the New York area. This podcast is a recording of the weekly practice. If you would like to attend in person, please visit our website at RubinMuseum.org/meditation to learn more. We are proud to be partnering with Sharon Salzberg and the teachers from the NY Insight Meditation Center. This week’s session is led by Jon Aaron focusing on the theme of Perception. To view a related artwork from the Rubin Museum's permanent collection, please visit: rma.cm/14o

Thank you. join us in person, please visit our website at rubymuseum.org slash meditation. We are proud to be partnering with Sharon Salzberg and the teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center. In the description for each episode, you will find information about the theme for that week's session, including an image of a related artwork chosen from the Rubin Museum's permanent collection. And now, please enjoy your practice. John Aaron teaches at the New York Insight Meditation Center and is one of the guiding teachers at the Macomb Meditation Community at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.

He is a certified teacher of mindfulness-based stress reduction and has taught over 60 cycles of the seminal curriculum. He is a co-founding member of New York Mindfulness Meditation Collaborative. Please welcome back John Aaron. Thank you. Manjushri. that sword, which Don referred to as cutting through delusion or cutting through confusion or cutting through our misperceptions,

also has the flame. And the flame has more to do with actually transforming than cutting through. So as heat transforms, swords cut through. So there's a combination of those two. And what's important, of course, wisdom, for most of us anyway, wisdom doesn't just suddenly appear.

We actually have to see where the delusion is before we have any hope at wisdom. And probably, well, the major teaching of the Buddha is the teaching of anatta, which is non-self, not self. teaching of anatta, which is non-self, not self. And when we're talking about perception, which is one of the five aggregates, as I mentioned last week, the five aggregates of clinging, form, feeling, perception, volitional actions and thoughts and consciousness. These are all aggregates that create this perception of self. Or, looked at another way, creates this misperception of self.

And what's interesting is that the self is really nothing more than a series of changing experiences and perceptions. But of course, we may experience the self in that way, but then we immediately cling to it as something that's solid and unchanging. And we need the sense of self, of course, to get through our daily activities. But if we misperceive that sense of self as something that's unchanging and something that we can cling to, then we immediately start to feel some sense of distress or suffering. And I would challenge you, actually, as you go through your day, to just notice when any notion of distress arises in you, and this can be something silly like waiting for the subway or waiting in line at the grocery store, start to really look closely

at that and see what's really happening. What's really happening is that the mind is telling you, you are late, or this person in front of you is in your way, is taking your space, that there are too many people on the subway line, too many people on the subway platform, and you're feeling crowded, you know, forgetting that you are actually part of the crowd, right? So we get stuck in traffic and we blame the traffic, forgetting that we are part of the traffic because we perceive ourselves as being different from the traffic, yeah, or different from the crowd. So it's this notion of this solid I am

that really gets in the way of our experience, that gets in the way of living fully. There's a wonderful quote that some of you may know by Albert Einstein, who says, A human being is part of a whole called by us, universe. A part limited in time and space. One experiences oneself, one's thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest.

A kind of optical delusion of one's consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures

and the whole of nature and its beauty. That's Einstein. So in the last few days, naturally it's been hard not to take in the events of the weekend, you know, into this context and how does our misperception of self, or our clinging to the perception of self, actually get in the way of any sort of action that we might be able to take in relationship to not just what happened this weekend, but, you know, what's been happening to our world in general over the last, I don't know, I want to say how many years, but here we are, sadly. And for many people, we sort of feel powerless.

And why do we feel powerless? Because we feel that we as individuals, me as an individual, can't do anything of significance, right? Forgetting that the me as an individual is actually part of a whole, yeah? And, you know, when I get stuck in that perception of I can't do anything, I'm powerless, I can make a contribution, but that's not going to do anything. I can sign a petition, but that's not going to do anything. I can be part of a protest or vigil or whatever. That's not going to do anything.

We're only seeing that through the perception of self, this fixed perception of self, forgetting that that self is part of a universal whole. And this is where we really get stuck. And, in fact, some of us can hide behind meditation and hide behind mindfulness and think, oh, you know, I'm just, I'm above it all. Sort of false equanimity, false balance.

You know, when, in fact, just the opposite has happened. So we need to really be aware of this. And as we practice today, as we meditate today, can we really take that in and be fully present with this notion that here we are, sitting in individual chairs as individual beings, physical beings, but practicing as a whole. And of course, it's one of the reasons why when you practice with a group of people,

there is a sense of wholeness, there's a greater sense of balance, perhaps. For most people, it's easier to practice with others, right? Because there is that interdependence, interconnectivity, because there is a whole for which you are practicing as part of. And so when students go off and worry about being able to practice on their own, I always remind them that even though you may be practicing alone in your home, there are millions of other people practicing at the same time around the world, and you're part of that whole. But today, as we're sitting and as I guide the practice,

just remember that you're with a group of people all doing the same thing, and that while there may be a feeling of separateness, that is only a perception. And that if you soften around that perception of separateness, something actually shifts. So let's meditate together and then we'll talk a bit more afterward. So just coming to a posture which is upright and alert. And if you're comfortable, allowing the eyes to close. If not, just having a soft gaze in front of you. And simply dropping the notion that you are meditating. Just be with meditating.

Knowing the body sitting. Knowing the body breathing, knowing sensations of contact, weight, volume. And though there may be a perception of a solid body sitting here, if you actually attend attend to where the body ends and the space around it begins. What is known at that moment? Simply allowing awareness to rest on this breath, on this body. Knowing sensation arising and fading away. And as you're sitting, if there's a moment where there's any sort of resistance that arises, attend to that resistance. Don't resist the resistance, but just explore the resistance. And you may discover that that resistance is simply an identification with on to. That you're holding on to as being who you are,

as being part of you. Yet it's simply just experience arising and fading away. Thank you. Takk for ating med. Thank you. Thank you. Just checking in. Noticing what's present. Thank you. Takk for ating med. Thank you. Takk for ating med. Thank you. Takk for ating med. Thank you.... What is present now in mind? If there's a particularly strong emotional state or strong thought, simply notice if there's a clinging to this, simply notice if there's a clinging to this or if it's possible to be present with its arising and fading away. If there's an identification with it. Thank you. Takk for watching! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Takk for ating mediet. Amen. Takk for watching! Amen. Thank you. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 51, 52, 53, 59, 52, 53, 59, 52, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, Thank you. Takk for ating med. Thank you. May all beings be free

and may all beings find peace. That concludes this week's practice. If you'd like to attend in person, please check out our website, rubinmuseum.org slash meditation to learn more. Sessions are free to rubin museum members just one of the many benefits of membership thank you for listening have a mindful day