Transcript
[0:02] I can see some of
[0:05] people from Europe are joining, so
[0:06] that's great to come together in this
[0:08] way.
[0:15] It's good to take some time to
[0:18] just enjoy that feeling of connecting
[0:21] with others
[0:24] in the mandala of Lama Zopa and Lama
[0:26] Yeshe.
[0:39] And this is actually a part of Mahamudra
[0:42] practices.
[0:44] And that
[0:46] sense of spaciousness, that sense of
[0:48] connectedness
[0:50] that arises when we sit together with
[0:54] the intention to
[0:56] grow up, to heal up for the benefit of
[0:59] all.
[1:01] And the blessings, the protection of
[1:05] the masters of this lineage, they are
[1:08] part of that field.
[1:16] So, you bring your
[1:18] sense a bit into your body, your
[1:22] mindfulness and
[1:25] your attention.
[1:31] And let's just breathe together for
[1:34] a few moments.
[1:43] And in our heart, also open this bridge
[1:45] from Europe to
[1:50] North America.
[2:06] Let's see that some of you have
[2:09] images of Buddhas or teachers in your
[2:13] room.
[2:18] So, that all of that can become part of
[2:21] the field we are sitting in right now.
[2:28] So, you're
[2:30] assuming your seat
[2:33] as a practitioner in this tradition
[2:39] on your sacred spot, on your Vajra seat,
[2:43] under your Bodhi tree.
[2:45] Which is, of course, beautiful that it
[2:48] is in your living room or in the place
[2:51] you're living.
[3:05] Yeah, and if you like, you can close
[3:07] your eyes.
[3:11] If you would keep your eyes open
[3:14] the gaze is relaxed without particular
[3:17] look at looking at something.
[3:37] It might be supportive if you bring the
[3:39] flow of the in and out breath a bit into
[3:42] the foreground.
[3:44] Lightly
[3:46] not as a concentration method, but just
[3:49] lightly resting
[3:52] with the lightness in the breath.
[4:07] And then with the in-breath sliding or
[4:10] dropping into the trunk of your body
[4:15] what's the earth.
[4:25] And then at the out-breath there's a
[4:27] lightness, there's a letting go.
[4:32] The out-breath
[4:33] effortlessly just happens.
[4:46] So that
[4:49] a softening happen in your body and your
[4:52] heart with the out-breath.
[5:08] In your shoulders, in your belly.
[5:21] And remember that we are doing this
[5:24] together
[5:27] in the
[5:30] sacred space
[5:32] uh which arises when we
[5:35] come together as a sangha
[5:40] protected by
[5:43] the presence of the Buddha.
[5:46] Nobody is
[6:02] And thoughts, they become less
[6:04] important.
[6:07] They slide into the background to our
[6:10] peripheral awareness.
[6:16] So you gravitate towards present moment
[6:18] awareness.
[6:27] With the in-breath,
[6:29] holding or touching whatever rises.
[6:34] So you bring with you whatever you bring
[6:37] with you into this moment. Everything is
[6:39] welcomed.
[6:45] Everything is allowed to be just as it
[6:48] is.
[7:08] And if you get entangled into the stream
[7:11] of thinking, into the inner dialogue,
[7:13] then
[7:14] make this gentle treasure map back into
[7:18] the body,
[7:20] into the liveliness of the body.
[7:24] And you welcome yourself.
[7:31] And you are welcomed in the
[7:34] sacred space.
[7:49] You're welcome to the space of our
[7:52] good intention.
[7:57] You're welcome to the space of
[7:58] Bodhicitta.
[8:08] So, there's less and less a sense of
[8:10] that you're meditating
[8:13] and more and more sense of that you're
[8:15] being meditated by the space around you,
[8:18] by the space which we share, the space
[8:20] where we meet
[8:23] from heart to heart.
[8:50] And then for those
[8:52] who have a connection with the Tibetan
[8:55] tradition,
[9:00] I call upon the presence
[9:02] of His Holiness
[9:05] the Dalai Lama and
[9:11] Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
[9:15] And I invite you to be creative and
[9:17] invite
[9:20] your mentors, your guardians,
[9:26] Buddhist and non-Buddhist,
[9:31] male and female.
[9:38] And they just manifest uh
[9:43] like angels, protective angels, guardian
[9:47] angels.
[9:53] And they surround you and they are
[9:55] filling the space between us.
[10:04] You feel the loving gaze.
[10:09] You hear them.
[10:12] Maybe you have a visual image of their
[10:14] faces or their body.
[10:17] But that's not so important.
[10:22] More important is to have a sense of
[10:24] bathing, like bathing in the sun.
[10:32] You can also smell them.
[10:35] You get a sense of loving kindness.
[10:50] And still the breath can be somewhat in
[10:52] the foreground and
[10:54] you breathe in
[10:58] their joy,
[11:00] their warmth.
[11:04] And you also breathe out into the shared
[11:07] space. You breathe out
[11:10] light, healing,
[11:14] loving kindness,
[11:16] care.
[11:36] And then you rest.
[12:03] And let everything just happen.
[12:09] But then
[12:13] the sacred space, the loving space
[12:23] which is all around you, within you.
[12:33] So that there's not only a
[12:36] softening in your inner world, but also
[12:38] in your outer world. The outer landscape
[12:40] is also changing.
[13:33] And returning
[13:36] resting
[13:40] Try to lose interest in the stream of
[13:43] thinking as if it's a radio station
[13:45] which is neither bothering you nor
[13:47] interesting you.
[13:55] And rest in present moment awareness.
[14:03] There's nothing to do right now for you.
[14:06] There's nothing you need to figure out.
[14:10] There's nothing you need to understand.
[14:20] Just being here.
[14:36] In the mandala in the temple of our
[14:38] meeting.
[14:51] For a few moments, allow yourself to be
[14:53] infinitely loved.
[15:05] By the love which is
[15:08] bigger than you
[15:11] but also is in you.
[15:23] With a heart like the sky.
[15:49] The literal layers if you are in the
[15:51] same room with
[15:53] His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa,
[15:56] Jesus.
[16:08] So the narrative self can relax.
[16:23] And the deeper, more open
[16:26] part or aspect of you can reveal itself.
[17:01] Returning
[17:05] and resting
[17:06] and following the out breath into the
[17:09] vastness.
[17:15] As if you let things go, and they are
[17:18] like balloons disappearing in the
[17:20] vastness of the autumn sky.
[17:41] Bathing with your whole body, every cell
[17:44] of your body
[17:46] is opening like a flower
[17:50] in the sun of Bodhicitta.
[18:14] And really appreciate that we have
[18:16] together, that we are meeting.
[18:19] Our hearts are mingling.
[18:23] And it's not only this group. There is
[18:26] countless other people right now
[18:29] in the presence of the divine
[18:33] in their homes, in monasteries, in
[18:36] temples, in churches.
[19:10] And then you rest. There's literally
[19:12] nothing to do.
[19:22] Sense of surrendering.
[19:33] Sense of
[19:35] letting go of control.
[19:41] And letting yourself be loved.
[19:58] There might be There might be some
[20:01] tension.
[20:03] There might be some
[20:06] restlessness or tiredness.
[20:12] And here in this way of meditating, we
[20:14] don't apply apply antidotes. We just
[20:19] stay aware.
[20:23] And bathing in
[20:25] essence love. Bathing in
[20:32] the
[20:34] always present llama.
[21:34] And then I invite you to become aware of
[21:36] the fact that whatever you experience
[21:40] right now,
[21:42] you experience within consciousness,
[21:44] within awareness,
[21:47] within mind.
[21:59] So, even the walls around you or
[22:02] the
[22:05] the floor you sit on,
[22:08] all the sense of
[22:10] being localized in this body,
[22:13] even that, all of that is happening, is
[22:17] experienced within consciousness, within
[22:20] awareness, within mind.
[22:29] So, you could say whatever you
[22:31] experience right now is inside, also
[22:33] this voice,
[22:37] inside of consciousness, inside of
[22:39] awareness.
[22:58] So, even if you have your eyes open,
[23:01] the
[23:02] image,
[23:04] experience is an experience within
[23:07] consciousness within awareness.
[23:12] In that way we we can say that this
[23:14] moment is like a dream.
[23:28] It vividly appears this moment.
[23:38] But it is an empty appearance, a
[23:41] appearance without substance, exactly
[23:43] like a dream.
[23:46] Exactly like a dream image vividly
[23:48] appearing but
[23:50] has no substance.
[24:01] Just want to check up for yourself.
[24:05] Do you experience anything
[24:07] outside of awareness, outside of
[24:10] consciousness?
[24:24] And that what you experience, even if it
[24:26] seems to be quite solid, quite real,
[24:30] what is it made of? The experience
[24:32] itself.
[24:35] What is it made of? Isn't it made out of
[24:38] the same stuff your dreams are made of?
[24:54] And then you rest, just in that
[24:56] recognition that
[24:59] what you experience
[25:01] is an experience within awareness.
[25:07] And the experience itself has a
[25:09] dream-like nature.
[25:18] And then you rest.
[25:24] In spaciousness.
[25:43] Notice that also the sense of I, the
[25:46] sense of me,
[25:48] the sense of myself
[25:51] is also an experience, like the other
[25:54] experiences,
[25:56] within consciousness, within awareness.
[26:00] And it also has no substance.
[26:03] It is like a dream.
[26:31] So, you could say that there's two
[26:33] things happening.
[26:35] That's
[26:38] the
[26:40] conditioned mind,
[26:44] the moving mind,
[26:48] all that which you experience right now,
[26:50] the content of your experience.
[26:54] Sensations, thoughts, feelings, sounds.
[26:59] Touch.
[27:05] The display of your karma.
[27:10] Including the sense of I.
[27:18] So, that is one level.
[27:21] The conditioned level.
[27:25] Which is changing moment by moment.
[27:27] You can notice that very easily.
[27:32] Could be almost a sense of a stream.
[27:38] Or clouds passing.
[27:42] And that's just happening.
[27:50] And softening and opening to that.
[28:07] But then there is also something else.
[28:13] Something which is not changing.
[28:22] Like the sky.
[28:24] Does not change when clouds pass
[28:26] through.
[28:28] Pass through.
[28:44] Isn't there also stillness?
[28:48] Presence.
[28:52] Spaciousness.
[28:55] Peace.
[29:15] And even if you just have a glimpse,
[29:22] a taste
[29:24] of spaciousness, of peace,
[29:27] of love,
[29:33] of loving presence,
[29:40] but you feel itself in this sacred space
[29:43] we share.
[29:50] So, even if you have a just a glimpse of
[29:52] it, of course, we don't know what I'm
[29:54] talking about.
[29:56] It's a glimpse of the heart it is.
[30:02] Not understanding something or finding
[30:06] something.
[30:08] More mysterious than that.
[30:15] So, even if there's only a glimpse,
[30:19] maybe only a short moment where the
[30:22] light comes through,
[30:24] where the love comes through,
[30:32] then bring that to the foreground.
[30:37] Breathe with it.
[30:47] Even if there's only a glimpse of the
[30:49] mighty loving stillness of this holiness
[30:52] of the Dalai Lama.
[30:56] Let's bring it to the foreground.
[31:00] And then
[31:01] rest.
[31:26] So if there's a bit of shrinking inside
[31:28] because
[31:30] the sacred space within which we mingle
[31:33] can be also a bit threatening, almost
[31:36] overwhelming.
[31:39] Then that's a good sign.
[31:45] If there's a bit of fear or
[31:47] respect.
[31:53] But softening and opening and just
[31:55] staying.
[32:00] As much as you can let go of the mini-me
[32:05] of the narcissistic endless loop of the
[32:08] narrative self.
[32:12] Let it just fade away like a balloon
[32:15] rising up into the autumn moon.
[32:25] And let yourself be held and protected,
[32:28] guarded
[32:33] by the field.
[32:44] effortlessly
[32:48] just being here.
[32:54] Not knowing where here is.
[33:22] Is there stillness here?
[33:24] Is there peace here?
[33:29] Is the llama here?
[33:47] Now, let the
[33:48] experiences within the felt sense of
[33:50] your body
[33:52] and your thoughts, your feelings, just
[33:56] give it over into the space.
[34:06] Sitting in the midst of your experience.
[34:16] And resting as the stillness, as the
[34:19] peace.
[34:20] Resting as the space
[34:25] through which
[34:27] this moment flows.
[34:54] And if there's a glimpse of that
[34:55] stillness,
[34:57] a glimpse of that natural peace,
[35:10] just bring it to the foreground.
[35:18] As if you are sinking into the depths of
[35:21] the ocean,
[35:23] where the clouds doesn't disturb you,
[35:26] and the waves where the waves
[35:31] don't disturb you.
[35:43] And then you rest.
[35:52] Could you allow yourself to gravitate
[35:57] towards the sense of
[36:00] satisfaction,
[36:01] wholeness.
[36:52] Then of course, you might get carried
[36:54] away again and entangled.
[36:57] Maybe you find yourself trying to do
[36:59] something.
[37:03] And then there's the possibility to with
[37:06] the out breath to let go again, to let
[37:08] the balloon disappear in the vastness of
[37:11] the autumn sky.
[37:16] And then short calling upon the llama.
[37:24] A short glimpse of unconditional love.
[37:29] Bathing you.
[37:35] And then resting in the
[37:38] boundaryless
[37:41] centerless
[37:46] transpersonal
[37:50] effortless
[37:57] heart of all the Buddhas.
[38:29] And that's why we are
[38:31] here together.
[38:39] To make contact with the heart
[38:42] of the Buddha heart
[38:45] within us.
[38:58] Allowing the
[39:03] sun of love and wisdom, your true nature
[39:06] to reveal itself
[39:18] for the benefit of all.
[39:49] Then if you have your eyes closed, I
[39:53] invite you in your own pace to open
[39:55] them.
[39:58] To shift a bit
[40:01] out of this meditation
[40:04] but without leaving your seat as
[40:10] a son
[40:11] as a daughter of the Buddhas.
[40:18] So, the content of your experiences is
[40:20] changing. Maybe you want to stretch your
[40:22] body body a bit.
[40:25] You bring your attention maybe more to
[40:26] the screen again.
[40:30] But all that is happening within our
[40:33] meditation.
[41:14] Yeah, so the
[41:18] topic of our meetings
[41:21] tomorrow and then also the other weekend
[41:23] in December is
[41:25] Mahamudra.
[41:32] Yes, so this will not be like a
[41:36] traditional
[41:38] philosophical exploration of the topic,
[41:41] but um
[41:46] more um
[41:48] an experiential
[41:50] approach.
[41:53] And more in the in the style of uh
[41:57] of the meditation we just did, but in a
[41:59] way was also a teaching.
[42:02] In the same way
[42:04] uh what I'm saying now is also a bit of
[42:06] a guided meditation.
[42:19] So, in the Kalachakra tradition
[42:21] uh the Mahamudra practice is based on a
[42:25] text by the Panchen Lama Kunga Gyaltsen.
[42:31] It's quite
[42:33] an ancient text.
[42:35] A few hundred years old.
[42:39] And um
[42:43] there's a commentary of Lama Yeshe
[42:45] on that text, on that root text of the
[42:48] Mahamudra practice in the Kalachakra
[42:50] tradition.
[42:53] So, I will refer to that book and I will
[42:57] also refer to Lama Yeshe's book
[43:00] Transformation of Desire.
[43:03] Introduction into Tantra.
[43:08] And because there's also a big chapter
[43:10] there on the nature of consciousness, on
[43:13] the nature of mind, and how to meditate
[43:15] upon it.
[43:26] So, I myself have been
[43:28] interested in Mahamudra practice or the
[43:33] exploration of
[43:35] consciousness, of awareness, the nature
[43:37] of awareness, which is
[43:39] of course exploring
[43:42] uh myself. Yeah, so if you want to
[43:45] answer the question who am I,
[43:48] uh of course then you can go through all
[43:50] the relative stuff.
[43:53] Uh all what we identified with,
[43:56] but at one point you would want to go
[43:58] deeper. So, because there's a sense that
[44:00] there's something more, that there's
[44:02] something deeper.
[44:04] So, Mahamudra practice is in a way
[44:08] very similar to self-inquiry in Advaita
[44:11] Vedanta.
[44:12] So, looking into
[44:14] who I am beyond all that this which
[44:17] comes and goes and which will will die
[44:19] soon. Is there something?
[44:22] Or is there just the conditioned, the
[44:26] relative?
[44:27] Is there something more? And I guess
[44:30] uh all of us here because you know
[44:32] that's why we
[44:34] are interested in a meeting like this,
[44:36] have a sense maybe even since childhood
[44:39] that there is something
[44:42] something more, something mysterious
[44:44] which you can't grasp, which you
[44:47] you know and and children actually
[44:50] they do a lot of these kind of crazy
[44:52] questions which are
[44:55] found actually in the Mahamudra
[44:57] tradition, yeah.
[44:59] Like going trying to go to the boundary
[45:02] of awareness. So, what's behind that?
[45:04] And
[45:05] uh you know children children sometimes
[45:07] they do that, yeah.
[45:16] So, as all these texts um also this uh
[45:20] text starts with uh
[45:23] the preparation practices, the
[45:26] the preliminaries or how can we create
[45:29] the
[45:31] a foundation
[45:34] uh
[45:34] where we can
[45:36] rest, you know, a refuge where we can
[45:39] rest.
[45:40] So, that which is
[45:44] that which wants to reveal itself,
[45:46] unconditional love,
[45:49] your Buddha nature, you know, so that
[45:51] something within us which wants to
[45:53] reveal itself, which wants to shine
[45:55] through you.
[45:57] Uh through the way you look at other
[45:59] people, through the way you look your at
[46:01] yourself, through your hands, through
[46:03] your voice.
[46:05] So there's there's a yearning, a longing
[46:08] within us to
[46:10] be more and more brave to, you know,
[46:16] shine.
[46:19] And to be ordered to to be uh
[46:22] to contribute.
[46:28] So in the preliminary practices is
[46:30] about, you know, creating a space so
[46:32] that that
[46:34] foundations or
[46:36] that
[46:38] the shift can actually happen.
[46:42] And but this uh
[46:46] these
[46:48] uh weekend and next weekend I don't want
[46:51] to emphasize the preparation practices.
[46:57] And
[46:58] and I assume that uh you know, all of
[47:01] us, we are doing some kind of
[47:05] preparation practices
[47:07] in the different traditions.
[47:10] So all healing practices and I would
[47:14] would also include psychotherapy here
[47:17] and
[47:18] uh maybe some of you do some traditional
[47:21] preparation practices and
[47:24] and
[47:26] depending on your background, depending
[47:28] on the tradition you are practicing or
[47:31] maybe you are you are having not taking
[47:34] a seat within one certain tradition.
[47:37] That's completely fine because Mahamudra
[47:40] meditation is really universal.
[47:43] And
[47:45] uh
[47:46] it's
[47:47] definitely
[47:50] or at least that's my opinion
[47:53] uh the it is the mystic experience on
[47:57] which all spiritual traditions
[48:00] on this planet rest upon. So, I am I
[48:03] have a sense not only me, but many also
[48:06] have the sense that
[48:08] the experience of non-duality, which
[48:11] Mahamudra leads into
[48:13] the experience of non-duality, the
[48:15] experience of unity
[48:18] the experience of
[48:20] connectedness and openness and the
[48:23] experience that it is all about love.
[48:27] Uh even
[48:29] even the tough things uh somehow
[48:32] connected with an expression of wisdom
[48:35] and love.
[48:38] Uh
[48:39] so
[48:40] I think Mahamudra meditation and
[48:43] particularly experience of non-duality,
[48:46] which
[48:47] Mahamudra meditation leads into
[48:50] is universal. It's a universal human
[48:53] experience.
[48:55] It doesn't depend on
[48:57] you know, which kind of language you
[48:59] speak or which time you lived or what
[49:03] kind of philosophical view you have.
[49:07] It's a very
[49:08] shared common
[49:10] human experience
[49:12] when the sacred when the
[49:17] when the divine breaks into our life.
[49:31] So, I would like to um
[49:34] pick on some of the aspects of the
[49:40] of the meditation, which is that
[49:43] some of the ingredients of Mahamudra
[49:46] meditation.
[49:51] And part of part of these aspects, they
[49:54] actually belong into the category of the
[49:58] preparation practice of the preliminary
[50:01] practices.
[50:07] And the first
[50:08] thing here I want to mention in the
[50:11] meditation we just did
[50:14] is taking taking your seat.
[50:23] So, the foundation or the the
[50:26] the fundament of the
[50:29] uh
[50:29] of the posture.
[50:33] And taking the seat here means that you
[50:36] maybe assume a meditation posture like
[50:40] sitting,
[50:41] standing, lying down, walking. So, all
[50:45] these are these are the four meditation
[50:47] posture
[50:48] postures the Buddha taught.
[50:52] And that within that posture you take
[50:54] your seat.
[50:56] And you take your seat in the same way
[50:58] the Buddha took his seat, his Vajra seat
[51:02] in the midst of the of Buddhism under
[51:04] the Bodhi tree in
[51:06] Bodh Gaya.
[51:08] Uh
[51:09] but
[51:10] to to take your seat, that means also
[51:13] that
[51:15] with that seat, taking your seat as a
[51:17] practitioner,
[51:19] with that comes the commitment that you
[51:22] are willing to touch and hold everything
[51:26] what arises.
[51:28] Exactly like the Buddha under Bodhi
[51:29] tree.
[51:31] And probably many of you know the
[51:33] stories. So, he was sitting down with
[51:35] that strong commitment, this is my seat
[51:37] where I will awake.
[51:40] Where I will uh where I will liberate
[51:43] where I will find liberation.
[51:47] And no matter what is coming up, I will
[51:50] stay seated.
[51:55] And before you do anything in your
[51:57] meditation, it's really helpful to
[52:00] take some time to assume that seat and
[52:04] and feel
[52:06] the earth, feel your body.
[52:09] And soften your front. So, you soften
[52:12] your belly, you soften your chest.
[52:17] As a sign of your
[52:19] loyalty your loyalty towards your
[52:22] experience.
[52:24] As a sign that you are willing to bring
[52:27] yourself along as you are into this
[52:30] moment.
[52:31] So, you also notice that you take some
[52:33] time to reconnect with the inner
[52:35] weather.
[52:40] In that In that seat, there is also
[52:44] a healthy sense of pride.
[52:47] It's like take you take your seat. I
[52:50] have the right to be here.
[52:52] This is my space.
[52:56] So, you feel a strong back and a soft
[52:59] front.
[53:06] And then in the beginning of the
[53:07] meditation, I was
[53:13] I was
[53:14] inviting you to more deeply connect with
[53:17] the felt sense of your body.
[53:20] And this is so important.
[53:23] And you know, any
[53:25] Mahamudra meditation in a way is body
[53:28] work.
[53:32] So, it's not mental work.
[53:35] It's It's body work.
[53:40] By the way, I think this is actually
[53:43] true for any kind of meditation, so that
[53:46] when we do our prayers or sadhanas or
[53:48] mantra
[53:50] uh to to be aware that we are working
[53:53] with a subtle energy body with these
[53:55] practices.
[53:57] It's happening. The awakening, the
[53:59] compassion, there's something happening
[54:01] within your body. And you can feel it.
[54:08] So, you know, sometimes you know,
[54:11] Mahamudra is is ex- is explained as um
[54:15] the meditation on the nature of mind.
[54:18] Yeah, but this is not like up here. The
[54:20] nature of mind is not up here.
[54:26] But it can happen uh that uh in our
[54:29] meditation practice and also in
[54:31] Mahamudra practice, because we are so so
[54:33] heady, we are so disassociated, and
[54:38] and some of us don't feel safe it's you
[54:40] don't you might not feel safe in the
[54:42] body.
[54:43] Yeah.
[54:45] Um
[54:46] so it's so important to
[54:48] bring whatever practices you do and also
[54:51] for my Mahamudra practice, to bring that
[54:54] your body, your whole body into the
[54:56] meditation.
[55:15] So, that means also
[55:18] that
[55:20] you bring your anger within with you you
[55:24] with your you bring your anger with you
[55:27] into the Mahamudra
[55:28] Mahamudra meditation. You bring your
[55:30] tiredness into the
[55:32] Mahamudra meditation. You bring your
[55:35] your joy into the Mahamudra meditation.
[55:38] You know, just the soup of the day. So
[55:41] you bring the soup of the day
[55:43] into Mahamudra meditation. And it's it's
[55:46] very different different kinds of soups,
[55:49] you know, like slightly different every
[55:51] day.
[56:03] So the
[56:05] another ingredient in this meditation
[56:08] was the intention. So the intention why
[56:12] why are we are practicing? And to bring
[56:15] a to bring the intention of Buddha
[56:17] cheater
[56:19] into the into the practice that
[56:25] that
[56:27] that we are yearning for healing and
[56:30] growing up.
[56:33] Because we want to remove
[56:37] the obstacles
[56:40] uh of the
[56:43] narrative self, the obstacles of the
[56:45] conditioned mind. We want to remove that
[56:48] so that we are more able to help others.
[56:59] So also there might be as a side effect
[57:02] of Mahamudra meditation
[57:05] a
[57:06] a sense of a deeper well-being, a more
[57:09] fundamental well-being. Yeah.
[57:12] Yeah, but that fundamental well-being is
[57:16] then
[57:17] uh is is then offered, is then shared.
[57:35] So Bodhicitta to bring the intention of
[57:38] Bodhicitta.
[57:40] But also this moment, you know, what I
[57:42] say
[57:44] and what you hear, you know, what you
[57:46] experience.
[57:49] Uh that all of that is uh held within
[57:53] the intention of Bodhicitta.
[58:06] And then the third ingredient here I
[58:09] want to mention is um
[58:12] of the meditation which is that is
[58:15] uh
[58:16] a kind of Guru Yoga, you know, what is
[58:19] called Guru Yoga.
[58:25] I in Scandinavia, I don't say Guru Yoga
[58:28] because then I have lost 90%
[58:31] of the audience.
[58:34] Um
[58:36] but so there I call it the mentor
[58:39] bonding process.
[58:41] Yeah.
[58:44] The mentor bonding process.
[58:49] And it's not only a mentor bonding
[58:51] process so I can also sometimes I say uh
[58:55] to unify with the mentor, you know, so
[58:58] it's not only a bonding with a lama is
[59:00] to melt, to unify, to mingle with a
[59:03] heart of the lama.
[59:09] And
[59:11] uh for those uh who don't have a
[59:15] connection like that or you know
[59:18] uh
[59:20] uh of course that
[59:22] that
[59:23] refuge field
[59:27] uh
[59:28] um can be very personal and very
[59:30] very creative.
[59:35] Inviting
[59:37] people into the space who for you embody
[59:41] loving awareness.
[59:48] So this um
[59:52] heart connection to
[59:56] to a mentor
[59:59] uh
[1:00:00] is
[1:00:01] within the Mahamudra tradition one of
[1:00:03] the most important
[1:00:08] uh
[1:00:11] the most important preparation
[1:00:15] to cultivate a bond like that.
[1:00:21] In Mahamudra practice at one point
[1:00:26] we are at a threshold
[1:00:29] where we have to let go
[1:00:32] of our identification with that what we
[1:00:35] believe we are.
[1:00:39] So there is and you are in
[1:00:42] you are just you are on that threshold
[1:00:46] of boundlessness, centerlessness,
[1:00:50] openness.
[1:00:53] But
[1:00:54] where you still feel safe
[1:00:59] uh
[1:01:00] is the mess of the narrative self.
[1:01:03] It sucks, but at least we know who we
[1:01:06] are and where we are.
[1:01:14] So to let go of the identification with
[1:01:17] the content of your experience, this is
[1:01:19] like dying. This is what exactly happens
[1:01:22] in the death process.
[1:01:26] In a way you could say Mahamudra
[1:01:28] meditation is
[1:01:32] going through the death process. And it
[1:01:34] is one of the best preparation for
[1:01:39] uh for the death process.
[1:01:43] Because in the death process, you know,
[1:01:45] some of you might be familiar with the
[1:01:47] teachings uh on the eight dissolution
[1:01:51] in the death process.
[1:01:53] So, there's a lot of knowledge within
[1:01:55] the Tibetan tradition uh
[1:01:57] where you can
[1:01:59] where you learn uh you know, where they
[1:02:02] describe the process of death and
[1:02:05] so, the process of death is this process
[1:02:07] of dissolution
[1:02:09] of the conditioned mind, of that what we
[1:02:13] think we are.
[1:02:15] That what we
[1:02:16] identified with.
[1:02:28] So, in order to
[1:02:30] let go over that stretch threshold,
[1:02:36] it's very good when there's a llama
[1:02:38] standing there and
[1:02:40] taking your hand and
[1:02:43] you know, and uh bringing you over the
[1:02:45] threshold
[1:02:47] into the loving nothingness.
[1:02:52] Which you unfortunately
[1:02:55] you can't bring yourself alone.
[1:02:58] Yes, so.
[1:03:02] It would be what That's what the
[1:03:03] narrative self wants. It wants to awake
[1:03:06] at itself. Uh it wants to heal as
[1:03:10] itself.
[1:03:12] It'd be a more be a more awakened eye.
[1:03:18] But it So, to to kind of
[1:03:21] be able to make that step,
[1:03:27] it's really helpful.
[1:03:30] In the Tibetan tradition, one would even
[1:03:32] say necessary
[1:03:34] to have that
[1:03:38] heart of the llama to step into,
[1:03:42] which is your own heart.
[1:03:47] It's your It's the real you.
[1:03:51] But the little you, the narrative self,
[1:03:55] uh
[1:03:56] is not going to happily just dissolve.
[1:04:05] Uh Did you want to ask something, David?
[1:04:10] Yeah.
[1:04:21] Mhm.
[1:04:29] Mhm.
[1:04:34] Mhm.
[1:04:47] Mhm.
[1:04:55] No, uh we are talking about
[1:04:58] the same.
[1:05:01] Uh and right And at the same time, it's
[1:05:04] good to understand that we don't know
[1:05:06] what we're talking about.
[1:05:08] Yeah, but but we're talking about the
[1:05:10] same.
[1:05:13] Just we don't have any clue what we are
[1:05:15] talking about.
[1:05:16] Uh but in that
[1:05:18] uh that and I I can
[1:05:20] see at your smile that you understand
[1:05:22] what I'm saying.
[1:05:24] So, that means there is a security
[1:05:26] between us right now that we are talking
[1:05:28] about the same thing. It's just we don't
[1:05:31] know what we're talking about.
[1:05:36] So, if that is No, if that kind of what
[1:05:39] just is happening now, if that kind of
[1:05:43] gives you all like something glimpse or
[1:05:46] something like that.
[1:05:48] So, that in a way you could say I mean,
[1:05:50] I'm not giving transmission or pointing
[1:05:52] out trans- transmit
[1:05:54] pointing out instructions. But in a way
[1:05:57] this is like
[1:05:58] a light version of a pointing out
[1:06:00] instruction.
[1:06:01] And what is for me so joyful is it
[1:06:05] happens between just two people who just
[1:06:08] have met each other. We don't know each
[1:06:10] other. You know, I don't know anything
[1:06:12] about you.
[1:06:14] Uh
[1:06:14] and
[1:06:15] so, sometimes this kind of recognition
[1:06:20] um when it arises in a situation like
[1:06:22] this, it's it's it's also it's it's
[1:06:25] sometimes more important than having a
[1:06:27] kind of full-blown pointing out
[1:06:29] instruction with a llama.
[1:06:31] Yeah, so but that it can
[1:06:33] that it can happen this glimpse, yeah,
[1:06:35] in a moment like this.
[1:06:40] Mhm.
[1:06:50] So, in in
[1:06:51] there there is you know
[1:06:53] also in the in the text Chökyi Nyima
[1:06:56] Rinpoche describes three three three
[1:06:59] ways to practice Mahamudra and
[1:07:02] what I talked about
[1:07:05] the conversation with David right now
[1:07:07] happened in the context of what is
[1:07:09] called essence Mahamudra.
[1:07:12] And essence Mahamudra is the same as
[1:07:15] Dzogchen practice.
[1:07:19] And if you read
[1:07:21] your
[1:07:22] the the the books of Lama Yeshe, well, I
[1:07:26] I've never met Lama Yeshe, but
[1:07:29] maybe some of you did.
[1:07:31] Uh but
[1:07:33] um a lot of the way Lama Yeshe was
[1:07:36] teaching and it shines through the books
[1:07:38] also that there is a lot of essence
[1:07:40] Mahamudra in
[1:07:42] in his teachings, meaning meaning
[1:07:45] the direct path, yeah? So, the direct
[1:07:48] pointing
[1:07:50] to the possibility to have a glimpse, an
[1:07:53] experience
[1:07:55] of
[1:07:57] Buddha nature
[1:07:59] uh in the present moment.
[1:08:02] Not in the future once we have done all
[1:08:05] the preliminaries and all the studies.
[1:08:07] So, that's the progressive path, the
[1:08:09] gradual path. It of obviously it has its
[1:08:13] its value.
[1:08:15] And we all benefit from from these
[1:08:17] practices. But these practices they all
[1:08:20] provisional, yeah? So, they all about
[1:08:23] uh changing the dream, you know, having
[1:08:27] a better dream.
[1:08:29] Uh
[1:08:31] So, essence Mahamudra is that
[1:08:36] that kind of direct pointing to the sky.
[1:08:44] And this direct pointing
[1:08:48] needs relationship.
[1:08:56] And
[1:08:58] for some people it works very well uh to
[1:09:03] have this devotional relationship to a
[1:09:05] llama and uh you know, being pointed to
[1:09:10] being pointed out the nature of mind
[1:09:13] from heart to heart.
[1:09:17] But, uh
[1:09:18] for me this just was a
[1:09:21] beautiful example with David that
[1:09:24] there can be a bit of a pointing out, a
[1:09:26] bit of glimpse, a bit of
[1:09:28] opening the breathing space. You're
[1:09:30] feeling some relief, uh also in
[1:09:34] in in in a
[1:09:37] in the relationship and the condition to
[1:09:40] uh
[1:09:41] right now, like just
[1:09:44] students coming together.
[1:09:58] Yeah, maybe there's another question.
[1:10:32] Mhm.
[1:10:35] Mhm.
[1:10:42] Uh yeah, so
[1:10:44] the possibility is um if you connect
[1:10:48] with the way I I talk and you can stand
[1:10:51] my German accent and
[1:10:53] and uh
[1:10:55] uh
[1:10:56] you know, something you know, something
[1:10:58] you enjoy in this field, then
[1:11:02] you could listen to
[1:11:04] some guided meditation
[1:11:07] on my podcast, which is called Natural
[1:11:09] Meditation Podcast.
[1:11:12] It's you can listen it on, you know, all
[1:11:15] the podcast apps or or directly on
[1:11:17] SoundCloud.
[1:11:19] So So that what So that what it would be
[1:11:22] a possibility. But
[1:11:24] also probably you have already the you
[1:11:28] know, your favorites
[1:11:30] of in terms of pointing out or you know,
[1:11:34] if you want to stay in a in the Tibetan
[1:11:36] tradition,
[1:11:38] so there's
[1:11:39] you know, teachers who emphasize
[1:11:42] the kind of more direct pointing out.
[1:11:45] But probably if you are in this kind of
[1:11:49] interest in in non-duality, yeah, so
[1:11:54] Buddhism is a non-dual experience.
[1:11:57] All the Buddhist teachings are meant to
[1:12:01] give birth to the experience of
[1:12:03] non-duality.
[1:12:05] So there's also, you know, other
[1:12:07] non-dual teachers pointing out
[1:12:09] instructions like teachings around on
[1:12:13] YouTube.
[1:12:14] Yeah, but you could also, you know,
[1:12:16] since we meet together tomorrow, so
[1:12:19] maybe you want to listen to some
[1:12:23] And this kind of Mahamudra approach in
[1:12:26] meditation
[1:12:27] you will find in almost all my guided
[1:12:30] meditations. So even if I
[1:12:32] lead a
[1:12:33] loving kindness meditation or I
[1:12:35] emphasize shamatha, uh
[1:12:38] it's always,
[1:12:40] you know, in the flavor of
[1:12:42] bit of pointing out or
[1:12:45] uh shifting into awareness,
[1:12:48] it's always there in my guided
[1:12:49] meditations.
[1:12:54] Yeah, so I mentioned shamatha just in a
[1:12:57] sentence before.
[1:12:59] And
[1:13:01] so this is uh
[1:13:03] a big part of this text by
[1:13:06] Panchen Lama Chökyi Gyaltsen is around
[1:13:08] shamatha.
[1:13:11] Stabilizing the mind.
[1:13:15] Uh
[1:13:17] and if you are around the Tibetan
[1:13:19] tradition for a while, you'll probably
[1:13:21] receive teachings of the nine stages of
[1:13:24] shamatha.
[1:13:25] And definitely in the Gelug tradition,
[1:13:27] you would always receive the teachings
[1:13:29] before you do anything else uh regarding
[1:13:33] meditating on the nature of mind,
[1:13:35] mahamudra meditating. First, you need to
[1:13:37] cultivate shamatha. So that's a very
[1:13:39] strong
[1:13:41] uh emphasis in the Gelug tradition,
[1:13:44] yeah. But it is debatable and it is uh
[1:13:48] more So there's other views around this.
[1:13:51] Obviously, it helps to
[1:13:54] um
[1:13:55] have some tools
[1:13:57] uh to come into a place where you can
[1:14:01] actually
[1:14:03] where there is enough space so that you
[1:14:05] can
[1:14:06] uh meet your inner life and you can let
[1:14:10] it be as it is.
[1:14:12] Uh and part of this could be a bit of
[1:14:16] uh stabili- stabilizing your mind with
[1:14:18] an object like the breath or
[1:14:21] um
[1:14:23] but uh
[1:14:25] in essence mahamudra or I also in the
[1:14:28] Dzogchen view
[1:14:30] it is recognized that of course, the sky
[1:14:35] is untouched. The sky is always there.
[1:14:39] It doesn't matter if there's only a few
[1:14:41] clouds or if there's just a
[1:14:43] thunderstorm.
[1:14:45] Uh or you know, the example of the
[1:14:48] boiling water, yeah. So, the clarity of
[1:14:51] the water
[1:14:53] is present. The essence of water is
[1:14:56] presence, no matter in what aggregates
[1:14:59] aggregate the the water is. So, ice is
[1:15:02] still water and boiling water is is
[1:15:04] still water and the clarity
[1:15:07] of water is untouched.
[1:15:10] So, in the same way,
[1:15:12] although it's difficult, but I guess we
[1:15:15] can all kind of understand that
[1:15:18] the spaciousness of mind, the clarity,
[1:15:22] the innate clarity, which is in the
[1:15:23] nature of love. This is
[1:15:25] very important.
[1:15:27] To bring this love aspect into So,
[1:15:31] meditation on the emptiness of mind,
[1:15:33] that sounds kind of
[1:15:35] it doesn't sound so sexy, yeah, if if
[1:15:38] you don't know what what we're talking
[1:15:39] about.
[1:15:42] Why should I meditate on the emptiness
[1:15:44] of something?
[1:15:48] So, it's important that that from the
[1:15:51] beginning, and this is one of the most
[1:15:54] enjoyable sentences
[1:15:57] for me in in Lama Yeshe's book
[1:16:01] in in the introduction into tantra,
[1:16:03] where he says that
[1:16:07] the mind of non-duality,
[1:16:09] the the unconditioned mind, you know,
[1:16:12] the primordial mind is in the nature of
[1:16:14] love.
[1:16:18] Is in the nature of love.
[1:16:34] And here, yes.
[1:16:37] Yeah?
[1:16:39] Okay, no, I didn't see that.
[1:16:45] Ah, okay. Ah, there's chat question. Oh,
[1:16:47] I didn't notice that.
[1:16:50] Could you explain more about the
[1:16:52] selection of a llama relationship?
[1:16:55] Have listened to you for a few years
[1:16:57] among many others.
[1:16:59] Okay.
[1:17:02] Selection. Yeah.
[1:17:08] So, this is um
[1:17:11] I mean, this is a vast topic.
[1:17:15] But, yeah. So, we have some some minutes
[1:17:18] left and it is important.
[1:17:21] It is an important uh
[1:17:25] you know, particularly in Mahamudra
[1:17:27] practice or in in awareness of awareness
[1:17:29] practice, even like in the other
[1:17:31] traditions.
[1:17:33] Um you know, that the relationship to
[1:17:36] the guru,
[1:17:37] the relationship to a mentor.
[1:17:41] Yeah, for sure in the Tibetan tradition,
[1:17:43] they would say that
[1:17:45] uh
[1:17:47] that only within a bond like that
[1:17:50] uh
[1:17:52] the nature of mind can reveal itself.
[1:17:54] You know, the the essence of love can
[1:17:56] reveal itself.
[1:17:57] I'm not sure if that is a bit too
[1:17:59] dogmatic uh
[1:18:01] because there seems to be people who
[1:18:03] have genuine experience of awakening,
[1:18:06] like lasting experiences of awakening
[1:18:10] uh outside of this kind of relationship.
[1:18:13] And definitely, it doesn't happen only
[1:18:15] in the Tibetan tradition. Yeah.
[1:18:21] Yeah, the choice.
[1:18:24] The selection.
[1:18:26] I mean, definitely, you need to like
[1:18:28] that person. Yeah. I like the I mean,
[1:18:30] that's like uh
[1:18:34] um
[1:18:43] Okay.
[1:18:44] It depends. I mean, it's also it's very
[1:18:46] different for everyone because uh
[1:18:49] and more and more kind of rational uh
[1:18:52] guided person, you know,
[1:18:54] a person who tries to figure things out.
[1:18:57] I mean, you can uh you know, choose a
[1:19:00] teacher
[1:19:02] uh
[1:19:03] or like on you know, on co- your common
[1:19:06] sense. Like, okay, so what?
[1:19:09] Yeah, you know, like you check out the
[1:19:12] centers in the area where you live
[1:19:15] uh and you you you just check up. Uh you
[1:19:19] look into the qualification of the
[1:19:21] teacher,
[1:19:23] uh his training,
[1:19:25] uh you look into what kind of stuff he's
[1:19:27] teaching or she's teaching.
[1:19:30] Um
[1:19:32] so
[1:19:33] there's a bit of a common sense
[1:19:35] checking, yeah? Also, there's a lot of
[1:19:38] uh frauds around.
[1:19:41] Uh
[1:19:42] it's but but you know, in these days,
[1:19:45] these days of the internet, it's it's
[1:19:47] it's quite easy to
[1:19:49] you know, to do some research and and
[1:19:51] and check up.
[1:19:53] Also, check up the if the teacher is
[1:19:56] connected with an organization or with a
[1:19:58] lineage.
[1:20:00] Yeah, to to check up the organization.
[1:20:04] Sometimes it also has this practical
[1:20:07] reasons, yeah? So, you you go to a
[1:20:09] nearby Dharma center and yeah, and the
[1:20:12] guy there or
[1:20:14] the
[1:20:15] the teacher, she is okay.
[1:20:17] And
[1:20:19] yeah, and then you just continue.
[1:20:24] For some people, it's more
[1:20:26] they they have
[1:20:29] by chance, yeah? Like coincidences
[1:20:31] coming together, you just drop in
[1:20:35] somewhere and you have no idea
[1:20:39] what kind of tradition this is or as you
[1:20:43] know, it just happens or you drawn to a
[1:20:45] certain event
[1:20:47] and you go there and something is deeply
[1:20:50] touched in you.
[1:20:56] And
[1:20:57] this
[1:20:59] deeply being deeply touched um
[1:21:04] So, that is definitely a criteria.
[1:21:09] uh
[1:21:12] to uh you know, to
[1:21:15] come back to come back and then slowly
[1:21:17] slowly
[1:21:19] cultivate a relationship to that
[1:21:21] teacher.
[1:21:24] So, if you come across
[1:21:27] you know, listening to different
[1:21:28] teachers
[1:21:31] maybe in different traditions initially.
[1:21:34] Maybe you already feel more safe within
[1:21:36] the Tibetan tradition, so
[1:21:39] there's also differences there.
[1:21:41] But then if you come in touch with
[1:21:44] someone
[1:21:46] somehow
[1:21:48] who
[1:21:51] touches you, who
[1:21:54] where you feel more breathing space,
[1:21:56] where
[1:21:57] something bigger
[1:22:00] reveals itself for you. Kind of the
[1:22:02] narrative self
[1:22:04] you know, the shadow of the narrative
[1:22:06] self
[1:22:07] quietens down a bit.
[1:22:12] And you have an experience to be in the
[1:22:15] presence of the divine. And that doesn't
[1:22:17] I I'm I'm not necessary talk about the
[1:22:20] dramatic
[1:22:22] a dramatic thing, yeah.
[1:22:25] So, it could be just like a
[1:22:27] uh
[1:22:29] And then
[1:22:31] next week you come back to that room to
[1:22:33] that teacher
[1:22:35] and you feel the same. So it was not
[1:22:37] just a one-time thing. You know, you sit
[1:22:39] down and you
[1:22:41] What was my problem?
[1:22:43] Oh I
[1:22:45] For a moment I forgot that I have a
[1:22:47] problem and that I have so many
[1:22:49] questions. Yeah.
[1:22:53] Then still
[1:22:55] I think at that point it's good to not
[1:22:58] uh
[1:22:58] throw the common sense uh
[1:23:01] into the basket.
[1:23:04] And you know, still check.
[1:23:06] Check with the older students.
[1:23:09] You know,
[1:23:11] how what's the Is Is the organization
[1:23:13] transparent? Yeah. What is with the
[1:23:15] finances? Yeah.
[1:23:19] Would you like to join that club for a
[1:23:21] while? Yeah.
[1:23:27] And yes, and then the journey begins of
[1:23:30] cultivating that relationship. So that's
[1:23:33] So that's so important.
[1:23:36] So it's not like you just passively go
[1:23:39] there
[1:23:40] uh for years.
[1:23:42] You know, so
[1:23:45] You You You need to show up, you know,
[1:23:48] and and share, ask questions, you know,
[1:23:50] contribute.
[1:23:53] To to to to to develop a relationship.
[1:23:59] And you do that, you cultivate that
[1:24:01] relationship um
[1:24:03] as long as you grow, as long as there's
[1:24:07] healing happening.
[1:24:09] And even then if you move on, you keep
[1:24:13] that bond
[1:24:15] to to that to that teacher.
[1:24:26] Is it necessary
[1:24:30] to have a bond like this? Uh, my
[1:24:33] personal answer to that is no.
[1:24:36] Uh, but that's debatable. Yeah, so
[1:24:40] some people would strongly disagree with
[1:24:42] that. Yeah.
[1:24:45] Yeah, so for me, I I it's not I mean,
[1:24:47] this in my
[1:24:49] observation, I don't I don't see
[1:24:52] necessarily more development in terms of
[1:24:55] healing and becoming a better person
[1:24:59] just because people have a guru. Yeah.
[1:25:03] I have a guru as if that is like a
[1:25:09] You know,
[1:25:14] Yeah, and on the other hand, I I I I see
[1:25:19] a lot of people who
[1:25:21] don't have that kind of traditional
[1:25:23] relationship
[1:25:25] and they
[1:25:27] they do a a serious growing up, waking
[1:25:30] up, and healing project, which
[1:25:33] also shows in their being.
[1:25:41] So, there's no rush. Yeah, so
[1:25:47] No, there's a lot of
[1:25:50] in tomorrow, I will share with you some
[1:25:52] of the kind of traditional
[1:25:57] uh, questions
[1:26:02] within the coming from the Mahamudra
[1:26:04] tradition.
[1:26:05] So,
[1:26:06] we we don't need
[1:26:09] No, to kind of benefit from these
[1:26:11] practices and have first experiences.
[1:26:14] And anyway, if If come back tomorrow,
[1:26:17] the in a way, so then we have a
[1:26:19] relationship, right? So, that
[1:26:21] it's it's it's it's happening right now.
[1:26:24] And I mean, I'm I'm not this kind of I
[1:26:27] have students teacher guy, but uh
[1:26:31] uh
[1:26:31] So, if you come back tomorrow, then
[1:26:34] then, you know, there's there must be
[1:26:36] some trust, yeah?
[1:26:39] Yes, something, you know?
[1:26:42] Uh
[1:26:43] And so, that that that I think that's a
[1:26:46] good enough relationship for
[1:26:48] initial having glimpses. It can even
[1:26:51] happen in a YouTube video.
[1:26:54] Yeah, so you listen to someone who you
[1:26:56] are karmically, energetically connected
[1:26:58] with, and
[1:26:59] and and the YouTube video
[1:27:02] can become a kind of pointing out
[1:27:04] instruction. So, pointing out
[1:27:06] instruction here is a term from the
[1:27:08] Dzogchen tradition.
[1:27:10] It is that practice of pointing to the
[1:27:12] sky directly in the present moment, not
[1:27:15] in the future, but now.
[1:27:18] And it's based on the assumption that
[1:27:20] like Lama Yeshe says in Introduction to
[1:27:23] Tantra,
[1:27:24] that we actually have everything
[1:27:27] available in this moment to be complete,
[1:27:30] to come to the end of seeking.
[1:27:33] It's just a matter of recognizing that.
[1:27:38] And and that recognition
[1:27:41] uh
[1:27:42] that is the deepest level of Mahamudra
[1:27:45] practice.
[1:27:48] But Mahamudra practice also has this
[1:27:50] initial phase
[1:27:53] of
[1:27:54] relating to the content of your
[1:27:56] experience.
[1:27:59] Changing the relationship to the content
[1:28:01] of your experience.
[1:28:04] And I did that a bit in the in in the
[1:28:06] meditation. Yeah?
[1:28:09] And
[1:28:11] so, the change is
[1:28:16] softening the resistance
[1:28:19] and
[1:28:21] sliding into a compassionate presence.
[1:28:26] Uh sliding into loving awareness.
[1:28:31] And being willing
[1:28:33] uh not to back up
[1:28:35] from the content, from that which shows
[1:28:38] itself.
