0:00:16.666,0:00:23.500 So I'm going to talk about the Jhanas. 0:00:23.500,0:00:27.710 The stages of meditative absorption. 0:00:27.958,0:00:32.041 And I want to kind of put them in context. 0:00:32.166,0:00:40.173 So these stages of absorption are [br]something that come from very 0:00:40.173,0:00:46.958 ancient traditions. So this is sort of [br]pre sectarian Buddhism 0:00:46.958,0:00:51.041 from the Upanishads you know, [br]long time ago. 0:00:51.083,0:01:00.188 So a lot of modern Buddhism,[br]is now about insight meditation. 0:01:00.625,0:01:03.625 There are still people [br]teaching the Jhanas, 0:01:03.666,0:01:10.583 And often these things [br]are taught separately. 0:01:10.583,0:01:17.638 As there are practices for the Jhanas[br]and practices for insight meditation. 0:01:18.083,0:01:23.125 Practices, for direct inquiry[br]or the non dual practices. 0:01:23.750,0:01:29.933 And I see them all at [br]a certain point converging 0:01:29.933,0:01:33.958 and I want to kind of point[br]in that direction. 0:01:35.083,0:01:42.500 That's where I'm going in this talk, and[br]I want to kind of make it clear that 0:01:42.500,0:01:48.833 these are all facets of what unfolds,[br]when we start to really inquire 0:01:48.875,0:01:53.166 or meditate, or whatever you want to call[br]this process we're engaged in here. 0:01:54.193,0:01:59.500 And so this is part of the landscape[br]or part of the phenomena. 0:02:00.375,0:02:09.485 And I'm going to go into the [br]Theravada sort of framework 0:02:09.958,0:02:17.041 of the Jhanas, just because it's [br]very thorough and complete. 0:02:17.041,0:02:19.958 But I don't consider it to be like a map. 0:02:19.958,0:02:22.958 I don't considered to be definitive. 0:02:23.625,0:02:27.291 People have awakenings without[br]encountering any of this stuff. 0:02:28.541,0:02:31.541 But I think it can be helpful[br]for some people, 0:02:33.333,0:02:37.955 especially when we're really going[br]into a meditation practice. 0:02:38.125,0:02:41.833 You know, the Jhanas are really [br]related to practice. 0:02:42.208,0:02:49.458 So as we're cultivating concentration, [br]attention, equanimity, 0:02:49.458,0:02:53.472 there are these stages[br]that seem to unfold. 0:02:54.583,0:02:59.791 So, we can also completely[br]forget about all this stuff. 0:02:59.791,0:03:04.708 And as Dogen said, we just sit. [br]Just sit and just be 0:03:05.083,0:03:09.416 and we can end up awakening[br]through that path as well. 0:03:09.958,0:03:13.890 So again, it always comes down to this[br]'Always being Buddha, 0:03:13.890,0:03:15.666 always becoming Buddha'. 0:03:15.666,0:03:22.108 This is a developmental process,[br]so it's unfolding through time. 0:03:22.291,0:03:25.291 So it's pertaining to the self structure, 0:03:25.500,0:03:29.340 but yet we can wake up[br]from the self structure at any time. 0:03:29.833,0:03:34.783 So with these Jhanas in our practice, 0:03:35.333,0:03:40.583 as we cultivate these meditation [br]skills, then we can, 0:03:40.583,0:03:46.000 jump into these different stages[br]of absorption more easily. 0:03:46.208,0:03:49.208 So the more advanced[br]we are in our practice, 0:03:49.375,0:03:52.833 the later the stages [br]we can just jump into. 0:03:52.833,0:03:55.916 So we don't have to go all [br]through them in every sit. 0:03:56.833,0:04:00.500 These are found in all different[br]traditions. 0:04:00.500,0:04:04.875 So, Patanjali talks about these[br]in the Yoga Sutras, 0:04:06.100,0:04:12.378 sometimes when people are talking[br]about stages of Samadhi, 0:04:13.166,0:04:19.986 they're talking about the Jhanas, [br]basically. It's just different terminology 0:04:20.541,0:04:28.500 But sometimes Samadhi is used to refer to[br]the final awakening or the final merging 0:04:28.500,0:04:31.375 like Savikalpa or a Nirvikalpa. 0:04:31.375,0:04:37.500 But other times they divide up all these [br]different Samadhis, and when you get 0:04:37.500,0:04:44.125 into that, then it's the same as these[br]stages of Jhanas absorption. 0:04:44.125,0:04:47.896 So I have Patanjali's teaching here, 0:04:49.656,0:04:56.605 and even in Christianity, the Christian [br]mystics, they call it sometimes 0:04:56.605,0:05:04.965 the Religious Ecstasies. So there are [br]energetic unfolding in these Jhanas. 0:05:05.000,0:05:13.201 So if you listen or read the works of[br]Saint Teresa of Avila or Saint John of 0:05:13.201,0:05:19.333 the Cross, or Saint Francis [br]of Assisi, you find 0:05:19.333,0:05:23.125 these religious ecstasies[br]as they go deeper into prayer. 0:05:23.541,0:05:27.875 And there are these different [br]stages that unfold. 0:05:28.333,0:05:34.916 And they don't all exactly correlate.[br]But you get a sense that 0:05:34.916,0:05:39.920 it's the same landscape,[br]it's the same phenomena unfolding. 0:05:41.041,0:05:48.833 So in Patanjali's teachings, and the[br]last three limbs of yoga 0:05:48.833,0:05:55.971 are essentially what we're doing here, in[br]this retreat. This is called Samyama, 0:05:57.505,0:06:06.083 There is Dharana, which is concentration[br]Dhyana, which is the meditation, 0:06:06.083,0:06:12.833 and then Samadhi which is sort of the[br]fruition of that practice. 0:06:14.642,0:06:23.632 So what he says, as we spoke about [br]previously, Dharana is the 0:06:23.632,0:06:29.750 fixing of consciousness on one point,[br]or one region, which is concentration. 0:06:29.750,0:06:32.750 So focusing on one point. 0:06:33.500,0:06:40.833 Then Dhyana is the continuous flow of[br]attention towards the same point or region 0:06:40.833,0:06:46.160 So that continuity through time[br]is the attention span. 0:06:46.166,0:06:53.751 And then he says, when the object of[br]meditation engulfs the meditator appearing 0:06:53.751,0:06:59.750 as the subject, self-awareness is lost.[br]and this is Samadhi. 0:06:59.750,0:07:04.250 So you become one[br]with the meditation object. 0:07:04.250,0:07:07.250 So your concentration and attention 0:07:07.375,0:07:14.071 becomes so focused, so single[br]pointed, that the distinguishing, 0:07:14.071,0:07:19.125 between subject and object falls away.[br]That duality falls away. 0:07:19.125,0:07:25.250 So there's just the breath [br]and it's you, essentially, 0:07:25.250,0:07:30.160 or there's just whatever that [br]meditation object is. 0:07:32.875,0:07:40.583 So this is pointing towards the Jhanas,[br]this absorption, meditative absorption, 0:07:40.583,0:07:44.033 you becoming absorbed[br]in the meditation object. 0:07:44.333,0:07:48.641 So the first Jhana is... 0:07:49.625,0:07:53.875 you know, we start out in meditation[br]and we have the monkey mind, 0:07:54.083,0:07:58.991 it's busy, and we have these [br]hindrances that are coming up, 0:07:58.991,0:08:01.171 which we've been talking about. 0:08:01.171,0:08:07.871 And so the first, Jhana, is when that [br]monkey mind is settling down, 0:08:08.791,0:08:15.958 the hindrances are not a problem anymore.[br]We sort of move beyond the hindrances. 0:08:15.958,0:08:21.000 And we're not necessarily continuously 0:08:21.375,0:08:26.416 present with the meditation object, but[br]we're starting to really stick with it. 0:08:26.916,0:08:31.125 And so the monkey mind is settled down, 0:08:31.416,0:08:34.416 and we're generally [br]staying with the object. 0:08:34.916,0:08:40.416 So there's at this point, still [br]thoughts arising from time to time, 0:08:40.416,0:08:44.493 But generally you're you're doing [br]something that really looks 0:08:44.493,0:08:49.208 like meditation at this point.[br]You're actually sticking with it. 0:08:50.798,0:09:01.563 And so there's what they call Piti, in [br]Pali, starts to arise, which is an energy 0:09:01.708,0:09:06.416 So the energy that was going into these[br]old patterns starts to become present. 0:09:06.458,0:09:11.000 There's this feeling of of energy[br]and a generally feels good. 0:09:11.208,0:09:14.208 It's a good feeling at this point. 0:09:17.151,0:09:24.528 And so we start to go deeper, and so the[br]Dukkah at the beginning, 0:09:24.528,0:09:29.705 that unsatisfactoryness, because of the[br]hindrances, is starting to fall away. 0:09:29.750,0:09:36.500 and then this satisfactoryness starts to[br]grow. So this is called Sukha. 0:09:36.500,0:09:44.833 So we have Dukkha and Sukha. So this [br]Sukha also sort of comes and goes as well. 0:09:44.833,0:09:48.833 Sometimes it'll be there,[br]sometimes it isn't there. 0:09:49.166,0:09:52.833 And so this is a really important point. 0:09:52.833,0:09:59.564 A lot of people really stall out,[br]they get what Shinzen Young calls 0:09:59.564,0:10:01.793 'Stuck in a good place'. 0:10:02.138,0:10:08.500 So there is this [br]satisfactoriness that comes, 0:10:08.500,0:10:14.458 and what happens is we can start [br]to play this game of sensation. 0:10:14.958,0:10:22.041 So with the hindrances, [br]we can learn to surrender. 0:10:22.041,0:10:26.791 We're not labeling our pain [br]as pain anymore, 0:10:26.791,0:10:29.958 we're just, being [br]equanimous with what is. 0:10:30.375,0:10:38.691 And then we find that it produces[br]this kind of bliss or satisfactoryness. 0:10:40.375,0:10:44.708 And so we can start seeking that. 0:10:44.708,0:10:54.866 So the good blissful feelings [br]will be there and then they'll subside, 0:10:54.866,0:10:57.581 and then we'll be craving[br]to get them back again. 0:10:57.708,0:11:01.250 And, there's this game of sensation, 0:11:01.250,0:11:08.741 there's this subtle seeking in the mind[br]of wanting that state or that bliss. 0:11:12.166,0:11:15.710 We don't progress beyond the second Jana 0:11:15.710,0:11:21.708 until we really have no preference [br]towards that Sukah. 0:11:21.708,0:11:25.916 until we're willing to let [br]that phenomena come and go. 0:11:26.875,0:11:34.875 So, even that bliss that is born out [br]of progress in our meditation, 0:11:34.875,0:11:39.360 we're really surrendering, if that's [br]coming, can just become 0:11:39.360,0:11:42.390 another prison or another attachment. 0:11:42.458,0:11:45.458 So we have to even let that go. 0:11:45.583,0:11:53.291 And so the next stage, the third stage,[br]is really being equanimous. 0:11:53.291,0:11:58.708 We're really being sort of grounded[br]in equanimity, 0:11:59.333,0:12:03.750 having no preference of any phenomena[br]that's coming and going. 0:12:04.375,0:12:13.250 And it's with this equanimity, if we [br]can really be okay with whatever 0:12:13.250,0:12:17.916 is coming up in our practice,[br]this equanimity kind of goes hand in hand 0:12:18.333,0:12:25.866 with the next thing that arises, [br]and that is true single pointedness. 0:12:25.958,0:12:31.410 That's the true single pointedness, where[br]you're really there continuously 0:12:31.410,0:12:35.458 with your meditation objects.[br]So there's there's no more break. 0:12:35.458,0:12:41.833 So it's like what Patanjali was talking[br]about, that continuous attention 0:12:41.833,0:12:44.833 that leads to Samadhi. 0:12:47.583,0:12:54.916 So that will lead into the fourth Jhana,[br]which it's sort of characterized 0:12:54.916,0:12:59.541 by this feeling that you [br]can meditate forever. 0:12:59.875,0:13:09.771 There's just this feeling that [br]there's, total focus, total presence, 0:13:11.458,0:13:16.258 just this this energy is present, [br]because the energy now 0:13:16.258,0:13:19.333 is single pointed, or [br]the focus is single pointed. 0:13:19.333,0:13:25.075 So that energy, all of that energy that's[br]normally going into the conditioned mind 0:13:25.075,0:13:34.215 becomes present and it somehow supports[br]this single pointed presence 0:13:34.215,0:13:36.333 with your meditation object. 0:13:36.333,0:13:41.746 So this is the point at which that[br]that merging starts to happen 0:13:41.746,0:13:45.436 or that Samadhi state happens. 0:13:45.833,0:13:47.666 And I'm going to read, 0:13:49.000,0:13:53.791 this is from the Buddha himself. 0:13:53.791,0:14:00.291 This is on his night of enlightenment,[br]and he's talking about the Jhanas. 0:14:00.291,0:14:03.833 He's talking about how he's going [br]into the Jhanas. 0:14:03.833,0:14:08.125 So he's at this point where he says 0:14:08.541,0:14:17.250 'Tireless energy was aroused in me, and[br]unrelenting mindfulness was established. 0:14:17.250,0:14:25.121 My body was tranquil and untroubled,[br]my mind concentrated and unified, 0:14:25.541,0:14:31.250 quite secluded from central pleasures,[br]secluded from unwholesome states. 0:14:31.500,0:14:38.741 I entered upon, and abided in the first [br]Jhana, the second Jhana, the third Jhana, 0:14:38.741,0:14:40.950 the fourth, and so on. 0:14:42.166,0:14:51.090 So he talks about how .... This is [br]his big sitting under the bodhi tree, 0:14:51.090,0:14:55.810 really going for it. He had that[br]absolute determination. 0:14:55.833,0:15:01.430 You know, the story goes that he[br]decided he was going to sit 0:15:01.430,0:15:04.755 under that tree, [br]until he got to the truth. 0:15:04.755,0:15:10.686 Whatever happened,, he was going [br]to be unrelenting in that. 0:15:12.333,0:15:18.231 What really stands out to me is, you know,[br]unrelenting mindfulness was established, 0:15:18.875,0:15:25.180 tireless energy was aroused.[br]So this is the Jhanas. 0:15:28.708,0:15:39.500 So as we go deeper in our practice,[br]we have these capabilities, 0:15:39.500,0:15:49.716 the attention, concentration, equanimity,[br]these literally get wired into this avatar 0:15:52.958,0:16:01.306 It's like our baseline of meditative[br]capacity just gets increased 0:16:01.306,0:16:06.625 as we progress through the Jhanas. 0:16:06.958,0:16:15.501 So one of the things that is described in[br]the teachings of the mystics 0:16:15.501,0:16:23.375 is , as we progress on the path, at every[br]stage there's this sort of dropping off 0:16:23.375,0:16:31.958 of mind, and there's an increase in [br]the benefit of that dropping off. 0:16:31.958,0:16:43.666 So we go deeper into these feelings[br]of joy or energy or ecstasy, rapture. 0:16:43.666,0:16:48.416 And the deeper we go, the more beautiful[br]these experiences are. 0:16:48.791,0:16:58.388 And simultaneously, the more sticky[br]they are, because, when the real rapture 0:16:58.500,0:17:07.860 starts to come, these non dual experiences[br]of being one with God, 0:17:07.860,0:17:11.208 everything in our being [br]wants to stay there. 0:17:11.541,0:17:19.825 So to be equanimous with that as a[br]temporary state is is challenging, 0:17:19.825,0:17:22.008 it's very challenging. 0:17:22.008,0:17:28.458 So it's like the stakes get higher[br]as we go further with the Jhanas. 0:17:28.458,0:17:36.848 It gets very difficult for the mind [br]to not be attached. 0:17:37.333,0:17:46.125 So in direct inquiry, we intend to [br]directly experience our true nature. 0:17:46.125,0:17:52.708 It's always in the now, we're not [br]progressing through these different stages 0:17:52.708,0:18:03.041 And when we awaken, we find a peace [br]and a joy and happiness 0:18:03.041,0:18:08.583 that is not contingent on[br]anything, on anything external. 0:18:08.583,0:18:20.135 So in all of these Jhanas, all of the [br]experiences that come and go are temporary 0:18:20.458,0:18:29.000 They're all contingent on this practice [br]that we're doing, 0:18:29.000,0:18:32.791 This letting go, and this [br]dropping off of mind. 0:18:32.791,0:18:39.256 But eventually, when we go [br]to the end of the Jhanas, 0:18:39.703,0:18:44.541 you know, the first four Jhanas are [br]what they call the material Jhanas, 0:18:44.541,0:18:48.833 which are pretty equivalent to the[br]Salvikalpa Samadhi. 0:18:48.833,0:18:55.033 Sometimes it's called [br]'Samadhi with a seed'. 0:18:55.041,0:19:01.684 So there's a seed of form, [br]there's a seed of pattern there. 0:19:01.684,0:19:05.999 So it's temporary. 0:19:05.999,0:19:10.250 The pattern will grow back, basically.[br]The seed is still there. 0:19:12.416,0:19:20.166 So they call those the material Jhanas.[br]Material having to do with form. 0:19:20.166,0:19:29.125 And the Immaterial Jhanas, are when we[br]enter into that Savikalpa Samadhi state. 0:19:29.125,0:19:34.845 So we merge with our meditation object,[br]then there can be the dropping away 0:19:34.845,0:19:41.066 of the mind and body, and we enter[br]into the immaterial Jhanas. 0:19:41.125,0:19:46.043 So there are four immaterial Jhanas,[br]and I'm not going to really talk 0:19:46.043,0:19:50.591 about those, because they're,[br]not really good to talk about, 0:19:50.591,0:19:53.995 they're best left for direct experience. 0:19:54.416,0:19:57.708 But I'll just say what they are. 0:19:57.750,0:20:02.666 So the first one is infinite space. 0:20:02.846,0:20:08.381 There's a sense of infinite space,[br]and then that will drop away, 0:20:08.381,0:20:16.650 and there's a sense that infinite[br]space is infinite consciousness. 0:20:17.416,0:20:28.875 And that infinite consciousness drops away[br]into this even more subtle no thingness. 0:20:28.875,0:20:36.565 And that nothingness drops away into what[br]they call neither perception, 0:20:36.565,0:20:42.120 nor non-perception. So it's getting [br]pretty abstract here. 0:20:43.916,0:20:47.250 and you don't have to learn these things. 0:20:47.250,0:20:55.983 These are just phenomena that unfold[br]naturally as a result of practice. 0:20:57.041,0:21:05.261 And so hanging out in either perception[br]or non perception, then the final sort of 0:21:06.083,0:21:13.333 realization in that Jhana progression is[br]what they call Nirodha Samāpatti, 0:21:13.333,0:21:18.521 which is what the Buddha experienced. 0:21:18.850,0:21:28.013 So it's a very rare phenomenon, where[br]the beings that enters into that, 0:21:30.458,0:21:35.125 they're able to meditate for an insanely [br]long periods of time, 0:21:35.125,0:21:39.625 they go into essentially a meditative [br]state for weeks, 0:21:39.625,0:21:43.708 and basically burn off[br]all the rest of their karma. 0:21:43.791,0:21:46.250 So nobody does that. 0:21:46.250,0:21:51.000 So it's like very rare, but it's a[br]thing, you know. 0:21:51.000,0:21:58.670 And some of the the great masters[br]have experienced that. 0:21:59.781,0:22:09.003 So, the convergence is in that total [br]dropping off of mind and body, 0:22:09.541,0:22:15.041 is realizing what remains in that state. 0:22:15.583,0:22:21.170 And no one can tell you what remains[br]in that state, and you have to realize it. 0:22:22.291,0:22:26.287 So, this is where, the direct path 0:22:26.287,0:22:31.250 and the Jana path converge[br]is in that final realization. 0:22:31.250,0:22:34.952 They're both coming to the same place. 0:22:35.333,0:22:41.118 So it ultimately doesn't really matter [br]if you are just sitting, 0:22:41.810,0:22:46.041 if you're just sitting, you're going to [br]go through all this stuff anyway, 0:22:46.041,0:22:50.500 whatever's in the unconscious, is [br]going to present itself. 0:22:50.833,0:22:55.966 Energy will be freed, these stages[br]of bliss, and all this stuff. 0:22:56.250,0:23:00.905 And, some people experience it.[br]Really strong energy, 0:23:00.905,0:23:04.958 and other people have different [br]phenomena. 0:23:05.000,0:23:13.070 they have different 'letting gos' or,[br]different ways that 0:23:13.070,0:23:19.056 letting go pattern will manifest[br]in experience. 0:23:23.588,0:23:31.410 In Buddhism they call it the dry path, the[br]inside path, where you don't necessarily 0:23:31.410,0:23:40.203 go through rapture and this unfolding [br]of Kundalini and all this stuff. 0:23:40.375,0:23:46.235 It's possible for this flip to happen in [br]just a more direct way, 0:23:46.235,0:23:48.333 without this unfolding. 0:23:48.333,0:23:51.583 So it's kind of mysterious, [br]I'm not sure why that is. 0:23:51.583,0:24:00.416 Some people have all the bells[br]and whistles on their path, 0:24:00.416,0:24:09.905 this whole unfolding of Jhanas,[br]and for other people it's not necessary. 0:24:11.708,0:24:21.226 Yeah. So any questions about that[br]before we move on? 0:24:22.083,0:24:24.000 [ Participant ][br]I have a question about karma... 0:24:24.625,0:24:39.456 ( inaudible ) 0:24:39.750,0:24:43.904 [ DAN ] Yeah, but everything that we're[br]doing, all this purification of Samskaras, 0:24:43.904,0:24:50.097 this is all, you could say, purifying or[br]becoming free of karma. 0:24:50.875,0:24:53.375 Yeah, of course. Yeah. 0:24:53.375,0:25:00.787 To me, it's all what we're doing, every[br]time we're seeing a big mind pattern 0:25:00.787,0:25:07.883 and we're able to let it go, we're [br]becoming free of that karma. 0:25:08.416,0:25:14.750 And there's an interesting thing[br]with karma. For me, 0:25:14.750,0:25:21.300 when we finally have that flip[br]to awareness, where we realize, 0:25:21.300,0:25:28.041 I'm actually not this character that[br]is going through this whole process, 0:25:28.041,0:25:34.916 the crazy thing is that awareness[br]was never bound at all by karma. 0:25:34.916,0:25:37.083 It was never touched by karma. 0:25:37.083,0:25:43.205 So yeah, the whole thing with karma[br]is kind of a red herring, 0:25:45.416,0:25:49.791 it seems like there's something to do [br]there, but yet when that flip happens, 0:25:49.791,0:25:53.291 it's like a awareness was never bound[br]in the first place. 0:25:53.875,0:25:59.250 So, who does karma belong to?[br]It belongs to the character. 0:25:59.250,0:26:06.000 So it's kind of ridiculous, you know?[br]The whole worry about karma, 0:26:06.000,0:26:11.291 And there's this whole thing in Buddhism[br]about once returners 0:26:13.581,0:26:17.125 coming back, and... Who comes back? 0:26:18.768,0:26:21.916 It's all awareness playing hide and seek.[br]It's ONE awareness. 0:26:21.916,0:26:27.508 So to me, it's a little bit of a non-issue,[br]you know? 0:26:28.703,0:26:31.323 Yeah, yeah, 0:26:35.708,0:26:39.666 [ Participant ][br]inaudible 0:26:41.083,0:26:46.841 in our meditation practice more easily,[br]because we're like stuck in the retreat 0:26:46.841,0:26:50.813 and, it's no escape for the [br]mind, and all that 0:26:51.166,0:26:56.875 And as the retreat progresses,[br]the mind is quieter and quieter, 0:26:56.875,0:27:00.553 so it goes further in meditation. 0:27:00.750,0:27:06.125 My question is, when we get out[br]of this retreat, like I meditate, 0:27:06.125,0:27:09.518 each day for one hour. 0:27:09.518,0:27:18.898 It is enough, is this depth, [br]these profound experiences, 0:27:18.916,0:27:26.249 can we just sit an hour a day and then,[br]all the rest of your life going on, 0:27:26.249,0:27:28.111 where you have all your worries? 0:27:29.000,0:27:33.811 [Dan] Yeah. That's the question [br]that always comes up. 0:27:33.875,0:27:41.403 The truth is, and this is something [br]we talk about all the time. 0:27:43.041,0:27:49.009 You know, we have awakenings, we put [br]ourselves in these conditions of no escape 0:27:49.009,0:27:55.416 and then go back to life. And the truth is[br]it doesn't always get easier. 0:27:55.416,0:28:01.916 Actually, we get very sensitized to the[br]patterns. 0:28:01.916,0:28:05.416 We can see the patterns so clearly. 0:28:05.541,0:28:09.875 When you know who you are, you know[br]you're not that conditioned mind. 0:28:10.208,0:28:14.291 But yeah, there's still Samskaras[br]or some patterns in play, 0:28:14.291,0:28:21.220 still the character goes back to life. 0:28:22.750,0:28:27.416 so it becomes very, very clear that[br]those patterns are there, 0:28:27.416,0:28:30.940 and we feel them, fully, when [br]we go back to life. 0:28:31.160,0:28:37.035 So in some ways, I always say [br]it's the beginning of a 0:28:37.035,0:28:42.625 really accelerated purification process. 0:28:42.625,0:28:47.890 And when we go back to life, because we[br]feel and see whatever is remaining 0:28:47.890,0:28:54.351 to be purified, it'll be more obvious, [br]It'll come up more clearly. 0:28:56.761,0:29:06.286 But at the same time, the key for coming[br]to a practice like this, doing this and 0:29:06.286,0:29:14.583 finding out the truth; that conditioned [br]mind that was seeking and doing something 0:29:14.583,0:29:21.166 isn't you and that it can't do it. [br]It has to drop away, and essentially fail. 0:29:21.166,0:29:27.458 So so the main difference is the end of[br]seeking. There's no more seeking. 0:29:27.458,0:29:30.791 You don't need to be seeking anything[br]when you go back to life. 0:29:30.791,0:29:35.731 You don't need to be searching for[br]who you are because 0:29:35.731,0:29:38.166 who you are is always right here. 0:29:38.166,0:29:45.560 It's that fundamental delusion of the[br]mind that it has to do something. 0:29:46.760,0:29:52.403 That the peace that I'm feeling in this[br]meditation retreat, 0:29:52.403,0:29:59.458 the mind will always go, (it's so sneaky),[br]it will just say, 'How do I keep it, 0:29:59.458,0:30:01.333 how do I hold onto it?' 0:30:01.333,0:30:08.083 The mind is saying that, always. Like [br]how do I hold it, how do I integrate it? 0:30:08.083,0:30:13.083 But that's the delusion of the mind,[br]right? The mind can't do it. 0:30:13.083,0:30:21.750 There's nothing the mind needs to do.[br]So we can go back into life and operate 0:30:21.750,0:30:26.250 the same way we're operating in[br]this retreat. Just let it happen, 0:30:26.250,0:30:31.958 just let it unfold. That purification[br]is going to happen 0:30:31.958,0:30:36.416 just by you being you,[br]just by being. 0:30:36.416,0:30:40.146 Yeah, yeah, 0:30:40.375,0:30:45.458 So, the truth is not an easy ride always. 0:30:45.458,0:30:55.791 We go back, we fall, we get snagged [br]over and over, we fall into a pattern, 0:30:55.791,0:31:01.796 we then we realize who's falling [br]into pattern or what's happening 0:31:01.796,0:31:06.500 and this is part of that [br]purification process. 0:31:06.500,0:31:10.250 And, by coming back into being[br]over and over, 0:31:10.250,0:31:16.166 there's this purification that happens,[br]and eventually the outer life 0:31:16.166,0:31:24.968 will rearrange as a reflection[br]of more true expression of who we are. 0:31:25.208,0:31:26.250 Yeah. 0:31:26.250,0:31:31.791 [ Participant ] [br]inaudible 0:31:36.166,0:31:42.800 [ Dan ] Yeah, and that energy, that is[br]alive as well, that sensitizes you. 0:31:45.916,0:31:50.750 A lot of the big patterns that need to [br]shift in the outer world become so obvious 0:31:51.083,0:31:59.213 that you can't go back in that box, [br]the energy is out now, and it's free. 0:31:59.750,0:32:05.125 So it's really obvious, it's not even[br]a choice anymore. 0:32:05.291,0:32:09.291 It's like the energy has made [br]the choice for you. 0:32:09.791,0:32:11.583 Yeah. 0:32:11.583,0:32:17.551 It's very, very helpful.[br]Extremely helpful, thank you. 0:32:18.502,0:32:20.202 Thank you. 0:32:25.573,0:34:02.208 [ Participant ] [br]inaudible, commenting on a film... 0:34:02.208,0:34:03.291 That's it. 0:34:03.291,0:34:09.756 So it's different for everyone,[br]that flowering of the lotus or whatever 0:34:09.756,0:34:17.583 you want to call it, he listen to that[br]direction, he knew something in him 0:34:17.583,0:34:23.000 was saying he had to go to America[br]and that was clear, 0:34:23.000,0:34:27.345 That was his path and he listened,[br]he aligned with that energy. 0:34:27.375,0:34:34.541 And that is enlightenment. Yeah.[br]When we aligned with that inner direction. 0:34:34.541,0:34:38.308 Whereas for somebody else, maybe it is[br]going in that cave, 0:34:38.308,0:34:40.500 maybe that's their path, right? 0:34:40.500,0:34:45.666 So we just never know, or it could be[br]absolutely anything, 0:34:45.875,0:34:54.005 it could be, being an artist where [br]you express what's coming through, 0:34:54.005,0:34:56.458 or a musician, or whatever, 0:34:56.458,0:34:57.458 Yeah. 0:34:57.875,0:35:06.980 So, yeah, it's just that willingness to [br]follow and trust that inner guidance. 0:35:07.250,0:35:12.625 And it's so simple. It's just what [br]excites us. That's all it is. 0:35:12.625,0:35:15.625 You know, It's very childlike, really. 0:35:18.055,0:35:22.248 Sometimes people, at the end of the [br]retreat, they'll be like, okay, 0:35:22.248,0:35:24.546 I know who I am, but what's my purpose? 0:35:27.556,0:35:35.333 And it's such a burden to have a purpose,[br]it's like a projection into the future. 0:35:35.333,0:35:39.500 Again, that's the mind. That's the trap of[br]the mind. Like, what's my purpose? 0:35:39.500,0:35:46.916 What a what a heavy burden to have,[br]like some mission that you have to fulfill 0:35:46.916,0:35:56.000 So to me is more like, when people look[br]at my website awakentheworld.com 0:35:56.000,0:36:00.240 and think, oh! you've got some big mission[br]some big purpose or something. 0:36:00.416,0:36:06.553 But it's that moment to moment,[br]following your excitement is it. 0:36:06.553,0:36:11.791 Like Joseph Campbell said,[br]'Follow your Bliss'. That's it. 0:36:13.576,0:36:17.750 And it's... like a little kid doesn't,[br]doesn't say what's my purpose. 0:36:17.750,0:36:22.583 they don't try to figure out their mission[br]in life. They just go and play 0:36:22.583,0:36:26.406 with the next toy or, [br]they're just excited naturally. 0:36:26.541,0:36:30.583 And it's that feeling[br]that is our compass. 0:36:31.208,0:36:33.890 [ Participant ][br]inaudible 0:36:34.208,0:36:35.166 Joseph Campbell. 0:36:35.166,0:36:42.041 Yeah. He's famous for that that phrase.[br]Follow your Bliss. Yeah. 0:36:48.791,0:36:51.708 yeah. 0:36:51.708,0:36:54.208 All right. 0:36:56.017,0:37:02.000 So yeah, I will take a short break[br]and then come back for a meditation.