Podcasts religion Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat 40 Awareness of Awareness, part 4

40 Awareness of Awareness, part 4

Published: Sept. 19, 2011, 9:27 a.m.

Instruction and meditation: Awareness of awareness (\u201cThe Shamata Express\u201d)\n
The most common question/concern asked by current retreatants about this practice is \u201cAm I doing it correctly?\u201d It is simpler than you think. In fact, don\u2019t think. If you have uncertainty, it is a sign that you are doing more than necessary. There\u2019s already the seed of the practice in both the mindfulness of breathing and settling the mind in its natural state. Now we are just peeling away the layers, seeing what is left: awareness. Don\u2019t elaborate or adorn. You are simply not attending to anything else except awareness. You are withdrawing into awareness. It\u2019s not that you are coming into your head, into a cramped space. It\u2019s not that. Awareness has no locus/no location. However much you extend your awareness is where it is. It\u2019s not attending to appearances or locality. It is no place in physical space. You might feel hyper, tense or tight \u2013 especially in your chest. Then balance the practice with mindfulness of breathing. Go out on a limb and then go back to the trunk. \n
Meditation starts at 6:13