There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take the images outside of them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself.
HERMAN HESSE
PRACTICE
ONE WITH THE ETERNAL EVERYTHING
(Guided Meditation)
While I’m not huge on guided meditations, the following is an abridged version of one I learned from Ram Dass’s wonderful book Polishing the Mirror,1 and that I incorporate into my practice from time to time. It’s a wonderful way of experiencing the unfolding evolution of Spirit as well as cultivating the experience of our Witnessing Awareness, not to mention Everything Mind. Here’s an abridged breakdown, bullet-point style for you:
• Begin by closing your eyes and, as with any type of meditation practice, sit as straight as you can without being overly rigid. Just make sure your spine is erect, your shoulders and belly relaxed, your chin slightly tucked in so your neck is in alignment with your spine, and from there you’re good to go. Once you’ve found your sweet spot, proceed to take three deep in- and out-breaths, either through your nose or mouth. (Whichever feels right for you is totally cool.)
• Bring your awareness to your heart center (located in the middle of your chest) and once there, begin to breathe. This no ordinary breathing you’re going to be doing, though. Nope, instead imagine that your heart is doing the breathing—in and out of your chest—rather than in and out of your nose or mouth. This may seem weird to some people at first, which is totally fine; just stick with it for a moment or two, and you’ll feel more comfortable and anchored into it.
• Once this heart breathing feels natural, imagine yourself surrounded by illumined teachers that inspire you on your spiritual path. Maybe there’s the Buddha or Christ or Krishna; possibly Black Elk, Gandhi, Anandamayi Ma, Krishnamurti, Teresa of Ávila, Ramana Maharshi, the Virgin Mary, Ramakrishna, Maharajji, or Paramahansa Yogananda; or maybe none of these, which is absolutely fine. The important thing is to imagine whoever is an inspiration for your spiritual journey.
• As these illumined beings surround you, picture a golden mist leaving their bodies and filling the air. With each breath you take in (still breathing from your heart center), breathe this golden mist into you, all the way down to the tips of your toes, and all the way back up to the top of your head. Breathe it in until your entire body is full of this golden mist, and then, on each out-breath, release any negative feelings you become aware of. Take a moment to see if you’ve been suppressing (consciously or otherwise) any unpleasant thoughts or emotions. They may be subtle, so be sure to really give yourself a few moments to allow anything unpleasant to make itself known to you, and after it does, release it by breathing it out.
• Now, bring your focus back to your heart center, and as you do, draw all the golden mist that’s inside of you, from your head to your toes, into the middle of your chest. This is another part of the meditation that may be a little weird for some people, but I encourage you to lay aside whatever thoughts your mind may be conjuring and just roll with it. This meditation is worth it in the end—I promise! So imagine the golden mist you’ve just drawn into your heart center taking the shape of a tiny being (roughly the size of your thumb) and sitting on top of a lotus blossom.
• Picture this tiny being sitting peacefully, emanating a quiet radiance throughout your heart center with light shining in every possible direction from his/her/its essence. This being represents the embodiment of complete and perfect wisdom, compassion, and love. Allow yourself to feel these qualities arising in you as much as possible. If for any reason you’re having trouble feeling these qualities, remind yourself that they are all a part of your inherent, natural state, and, regardless of whether you’ve been on the spiritual path for one day, or fifty years, it’s your right to experience and embody them.
• Now, visualize this tiny being expanding until he/she/it fills your entire body—from the top of your head, down through your chest and stomach, into your arms, legs, fingers, and toes. Recognize your communion with this being as yourself. Feel its perfect love, joy, and compassion.
• When you feel ready, slowly let this being—who you now are rather than your physical body—grow in size so that it encompasses within itself everything in your immediate surroundings. Everything you’re aware of, the sights, sounds, and even the physical body you normally identify with, is now inside of you as this being.
• Continue to grow in size until your head reaches the sky. Look down and see that things like your local coffee shop, skate park, library, yoga studio, family, friends, and strangers passing by are all within you. Look down with great compassion on all this, acknowledging the myriad human experiences that are happening—the suffering and love, the hope and hopelessness—because all this too is within you.
• Continue growing in size until you’re in the middle of the galaxy. The earth is now deep within your belly, and all humanity is within you—as are all its pleasures and pains. Feel them deeply and, in your perfect peace and compassion, extend all beings love.
• When you feel ready, grow even larger, expanding so that every galaxy and all creation is within you. Feel your ISness, your perfect peace. Become aware of your boundlessness. There is no one else but you—time immemorial and even beyond that is who you are. As you rest in this place of stillness, notice that even the awareness of all the galaxies is beginning to fade as you dissolve into complete abstraction, a perfect nondual formlessness.
• Honor this place of complete perfection for as long as feels right, and when you’re ready, slowly begin taking form again. Come back from the farthest reaches of the galaxy until you’re looking down again upon the earth.
• Continue returning slowly, until your head is back at the top of the room where you began this meditation. Once there, look down and see your material self seated in meditation. Recognize the fears, doubts, and anything else that your physical body may be clinging to, and then look beyond those feelings and remember the purity of who you really are.
• As your still-large and illumined Self, reach down, gently placing your hand (metaphorically of course) on your meditating self’s head. Extend the perfect love and compassion that you are to your physical self so that it too may come to know and experience the truth of who you really are.
• When you’re ready, re-enter your body and stay there for a moment, completely engulfed in the perfect light, love, compassion, and joy that you are as this being. While there, extend these feelings of love and compassion to all beings, everywhere. Send these loving feelings to those who are healthy and those who are sick, those in your community and those on the other side of the planet. All beings, everywhere, send them all love.
• Now, watch this being continue to shrink in size (again, to roughly that of a thumb) in your heart center and return to the top of the lotus blossom. The being continues to radiate light, love, compassion, and well-being. This tiny form of the entire universe knows all and is all within you. All you need to do is simply quiet your mind to connect with him/her/it, because in the depths of reality, this being is the truth of who you really are. As you go about your days, please take time to remember yourself as such, sharing your brilliant love and compassion with this weird and beautiful and scary and inspiring world.