How does Thay feel when he is meditating?

(Half-Bell)

(Bell)

(FRENCH)
How do you feel
when you are deep in meditation?

(Sr Pine) Dear Thay,

how do you feel
when you are deep in meditation,

fully meditating?

It depends on the kind of meditation
that you are doing.

Suppose you notice that a
feeling of pain is coming up.

The painful feeling is disturbing you.

Like a feeling of anger, sadness...

you need meditation.

This is meditation on anger.

There are many kinds of meditation:

meditation on love, on anger,
on beginning, on ending,

many kinds of meditation.

So you cannot use the word meditation,

generally like that.

In the case of painful feelings,
as a meditator, as a practitioner,

you know how to practice mindful walking,
mindful breathing,

in order to generate
the energy of mindfulness.

With that energy of mindfulness

you recognize that painful feeling.

Breathing in, I know there is

a painful feeling in me,

Breathing out,

I smile to my painful feeling.

You embrace your painful feeling

tenderly like a mother embracing her baby.

Your feeling in that moment is that

although there is a painful feeling

in you, and you suffer.

There is also a feeling of
peace and understanding,

in you at the same time.

Because your mindfulness is

holding, embracing tenderly
your painful feelings,

you suffer less.

You suffer less during that time.

If you don't do meditation then

you are a victim of your painful feelings,

and you are dominated by that feeling,

you are overwhelmed.

That is a meditation when you deal with

a painful feeling or an emotion.

When you sit down,

just to enjoy your body,

meditation on your body,

not on the feeling anymore,

but on your body,

you breathe in mindfully.

You focus your attention
on your in-breath only,

and you release everything else,

the past, the future, the projects.

You bring your mind home to your body.

You are suddenly aware
that you have a body.

It is very nice to go home
to your body.

When you are aware of your body,

you may notice that there is tension

in your body that makes you unhappy.

Therefore you want to release that tension.

So you practice,

Breathing in,

I am aware of the tension in my body,

breathing out,

I release the tension in my body.

While you are practicing like that,

you feel better and better all the time.

In the beginning there is still some pain,
some tension,

but as you continue, the peace,

the calm, the well-being, increases.

The feeling in you changes like that,

for the better.

So you have to learn
many ways of meditation,

in order to deal with many states
of mind and body.

Ok?

(Half-Bell)

(Bell)