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The following talk was given at the

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Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

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Please visit our website at audioderma.org. Good

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morning, or good

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day. Hello, welcome. And

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as we're coming to the end of this two-week

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series, for

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this meditation I'd like to introduce

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something which, in my mind, my

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heart is kind of the

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gathering together of all that we've done

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these... Good morning. No,

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hang on. All of these days.

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And sometimes

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the word dharma is

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used to refer to something

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profound in our own nature. We

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have the nature of being

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dharma... ...vesicles

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for the dharma. We are...

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There's a wonderful capacity,

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force, wonderful

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processing that is

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within our psychophysical being, which

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we can't exactly appropriate as being

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mind. In

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a sense, from a certain kind of

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way, it's a greater power within us

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that is not what we

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normally identify as me, or

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the me-like kind of thing. the one who's going to

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do something. And

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we have agency, but one

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of the really powerful ways to use

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that agency in Dharma practice is

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to use it to create the

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conditions for our

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own inner nature, Dharma nature, to

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move through us. And

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a lot of the

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Dharma practice sooner

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or later is about getting

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out of the way, not

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interfering, not blocking,

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not messing with

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the natural movement,

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Dharma movement within us. And

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sometimes that movement is a movement towards

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healing, and

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our heart's nature is to

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heal if

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we allow it, if we create the

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conditions and the time and

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non-interference, and

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a radical non-interference, a

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radical way of not being a

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victim, not being a fixer,

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not being a

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a voider, not

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being a builder and maker of making

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things happen. The

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natural movement towards homeostasis

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or towards health

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or towards a certain kind of

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healing. Sometimes

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it's a process of maturation.

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Maybe we are healed in a

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conventional way, psychological way, and

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something begins moving through us to mature

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us, to we grow and develop and

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blossom, come

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into fruition is the Buddhist language for

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it. And

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so to have a

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profound respect, for

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our own

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capacity and everyone's capacity, for

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this natural process of healing, maturation,

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of moving into a kind of wholeness

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or moving into a kind of healing, moving

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into a kind of maturity

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that is wholesome. That

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is in some ways ethical. So

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as we sit with this meditation, the

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task is to sit

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with mindfully present for our

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experience, centered and maybe

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in the breathing and being

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very simple, being here and

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now. But

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notice whatever takes you away. Notice

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whatever takes you away from this inner

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process that needs awareness for

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it to have space for,

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to allow it to come and grow. And

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whatever takes you away, notice

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whatever ways you interfere with it,

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judge it, just try to fix

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it, try to avoid it,

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react to it. To

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see if there can be a radical way of getting

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out of the way of your

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deeper nature of

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your psychophysical system. And

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sometimes certain things will have to get

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more intense before they heal, before they

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resolve. But

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to have the profound trust, to

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trust in getting radically out of the

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way and staying

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present. So I hope this makes

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sense. So

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to assume a meditation. posture.

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And one of the ways of understanding

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this meditation posture, it's

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a posture that doesn't

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interfere with

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the full

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dynamic freedom

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of this inner process while

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we sit still, not

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to hold ourselves still, but

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to softly allow ourselves to

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be still. So

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there's a kind

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of soft space for

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each unique thing that's happening

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within us to

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appear, persist, pass

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away. And

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perhaps you gently close your eyes. And

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with the eyes closed, a

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kind of soft homecoming

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to the body, a

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soft willingness to

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turn the attention here

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in this body at

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this time. And

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as you breathe in, to

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feel the body, feel

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the tensions of the body without reactivity,

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judgments. Feel

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on the inhale and relax on

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the exhale. And

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if relaxing is too active,

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allow for release. Allow

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for letting go in the body as you

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exhale. And

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finding where in your body the

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body's experience of breathing has

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some sense of freedom

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where the inhale begins freely

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on its own, maybe

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in a different place where you might be

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controlling the breath, where

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the exhale happens on its own.

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And as you stay with your

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breathing in and breathing out, maybe

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you can have an appreciation of whatever

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peace, little peace of breathing

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is inevitable.

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process that

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happens without your

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interfering and doing consciously

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and intentionally and it

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could be as simple

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as the contact

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of your skin against your clothes

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how it shifts as you breathe or

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the expanding and contracting movements

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however subtle in

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your back rib cage you

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you and

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then noticing any way in which

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you interfere or avoid

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or judge

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you're trying to fix. Instead,

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leave things alone, radically

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alone. Maybe

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with the support of

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the way in which the breathing

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happens naturally, breathing

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is the centerpiece of

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a natural process that

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everything is part of. If

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we can get out of the way, while

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clearly aware of

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what is here. If

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we can get out of the way, we

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can get out of the way. You

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You You

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You Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Trusting,

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trusting the natural processes within

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us works

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best when

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we're radically thorough

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in non-interference,

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non-interfering awareness.

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Only present here, in

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a clear living way, not

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participating actively in anything,

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leaving all things alone, each

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individual thing that arises within us,

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around us. Let

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it be content

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to just be aware. Let

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it be content to just be aware. Let

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it be content to just be aware. Let

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it be content to just be aware. you

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you you

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you you

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Whatever is happening Make

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room for it Don't

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do anything about it Just

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know it in

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the simplest way you can

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be aware Be

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mindful Know

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that it's happening Like

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you would know clearly a

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cloud floating

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in the sky A

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water flowing down a river Let

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it be Let

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life flow here and

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now You

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Thank you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. Thank

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you. And

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then as we come to the end of this

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sitting, to

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imagine how

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it can be deeply respectful of

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others, to,

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from a place of our confidence,

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our safety, our

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self-respect, that

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we can just know

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others as they are. Take

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the time to listen to others,

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to see them, to hear, know

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them without

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our agendas, without our

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interference. Not

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giving in to others, but

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not asserting ourselves on others,

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not avoiding, but present,

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interested.

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Meeting each person in

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their own right for who they are, not

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for what they are to us. Free

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of our fears. free

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of our desires, just

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allow and know others. And

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maybe there too, there's a natural

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process that unfolds. And

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one of those is our love,

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our goodwill, our

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sense of being in communion together.

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May our goodwill spread

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out into the world. May

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it be a balm, may it be

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medicine for the suffering world that

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we offer it our goodwill, our

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kindness, our

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friendship, compassion,

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love. That

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respects each thing in

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a profound way, free

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of our interference. May

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all beings be

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happy. May

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all beings be safe. May

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all beings be peaceful. May

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all beings be free. Thank

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you. Thank

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you.