Tara Brach - Meditation: Mind Like a Vast Sky (2018-04-18)

Episode Date: April 19, 2018

Meditation: Mind Like a Vast Sky (2018-04-18) - This meditation opens with listening and discovering the sky-like awareness that includes changing sounds, thoughts, feelings and sensations. The sounding of bells and chimes assists in connecting to and resting in the boundless and loving awareness that is our true home. Free download of Tara's 10 min meditation: "Mindful Breathing: Finding Calm and Ease" when you join her email list.

The following meditation is led by Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. Find yourself a sitting posture that allows you to be relaxed and alert. And as you settle, let the attention come to the heart area, just feeling the breath at the heart, listening to your heart with an inner inquiry, which is what is my deep intention for practicing right now?

What is that I long for? What really matters to me? That brings me to meditation. See if you can touch that place of sincerity that really cares about waking up, about opening your heart, living from an awake heart. Take a moment to

scan through your body and if there's any areas of obvious tension or tightness, see what might want to let go a little. Perhaps softening the shoulders, the hands, relaxing and softening the belly. You might take a few more full breaths. So you inhale deeply and feel the breath filling you, even in a cellular way. And then with the out breath, sense of letting go, relaxing, in-breath, opening, receiving, full attention in the body, and that out-breath of releasing, relaxing outward,

letting go. One more time, a nice, full in-breath, and a slow out-breath, releasing, letting go, letting go. And as the breath resumes its natural rhythm, I sense the presence sits here, the stillness, and gently shifting your awareness from the body and begin to listen to the play of sounds around you. Notice them all, those that are loud and those soft,

the close-in sounds, sensing the space in the room, the sounds in the room, the spaces between the sounds, the more distant sounds, and sensing that open presence that includes even the most distant sounds through listening not just with your ears but your whole awareness in a global way. Notice how sounds arise and vanish, leaving no trace. Listen for a time in this relaxed open way, including the sounds, the bills and the gongs, just listen, arising and vanishing.

As you listen, let yourself sense or feel or imagine in any way you can that your mind is not limited to the size of your head, since your mind is expanding, becoming huge, an awareness that's open like the sky, clear and vast, like space, sense, picture, or feel, in any way you can that the awareness of your mind opens in every direction like the sky. And notice how sounds you hear arise and pass like clouds in the open space of your own mind. Relax in this openness and just listen. Let the sounds come and go like clouds in the vast sky of your own awareness, appearing and disappearing. Without resistance, sounds come and go like clouds or bubbles. You are the space of awareness. As you rest in this open awareness,

notice too how thoughts and images also arise and vanish in this space, just like sounds. Let them come and go without resistance. Spacious awareness has no struggle. Pleasant and unpleasant thoughts and feelings also move through the space of mind, like clouds, ideas and memories, joy and soul. sorrow, arise and vanish like clouds as you rest in the clear, open sky of mind. Rest in this spacious awareness. It is your home.

Now let the spacious awareness notice your body as well. In the space of awareness the body is felt as a field of changing sensations. tingling, hard and soft, warm and cool, vibrating, pulsing, all floating in awareness. Relax back and let the sensations float and change while you are at ease. Let awareness be vast like sky, open and spacious. Rest in this openness. Let you are at ease. Let awareness be vast like sky, open and spacious rest in this openness let sensations float and change allow sounds to come and go like clouds in a clear open sky let the thoughts images feelings arise and pass as they will like waves or clouds and the mind remains transparent, timeless, without conflict, allowing all things but not limited by them.

Finally, let this spacious awareness be filled with love and compassion. Compassion for all of us who lose our way. Let the sky be one of loving awareness, open and tender. Trust this. This is your own true nature. It is home.