SITTING
MEDITATION - THE EARTH ELEMENT
e.Become
aware of the touch contact with the pillow, the mat, and the floor - realize
that it is the earth element touching the earth. element - touching the compactness
of the pillow, mat and floor with the compactness of the body.
f.Become
aware of the earth element around you - the walls, the chairs -everything
that is compact and solid.
g.Direct
your mind to the awareness of the entire building - the floor, the walls, and
the roof- all of it is the earth element.
h.Let
the mind reach outside the house to the solid earth - know it as compactness and
heaviness - taking in your mind as much of the earth as you can.
i.Lean
against a tree - it is the earth element of the body touching the earth
element of the tree - it is difficult
to see where one ends and one begins.
j.Insects
and animals - touch them and you are touching the earth element.
k.Come
back to yourself- feel the earth element in the body making connection
with the earth element in the mat
- feel the oneness with the mat - let go of barriers and
boundaries of your particular body and let the earth element of your body
flow into and merge with the earth element of the mat.
l.Flow
from the mat to the floor to the person sitting next to you - experience
the same compactness and solidity
- there is no boundary between the two of you.
m.Let
go of boundaries - the earth element is the same wherever it is found.
n.Go
back to insight practice using the breath.
WALKING
MEDITATION - THE EARTH ELEMENT
a.First
coordinate the breath with the walking.
b.As
your foot touches the floor experience your own earth element merging with
the earth element of the floor.
c.Go
outside and experience the merging of your earth element with all that
you
touch - Where does one end and the
other begin?
SITTING
MEDITATION - THE WATER ELEMENT
a.Place
your attention on your breath watching it rise and fall.
b.Become
aware of the water element within you.
c.Find
it inside your mouth as your saliva, as perspiration, or as the experience
of the blood pulsing through you.
d.Become
aware that the water element manifests as sap in the trees.
e.Lean
against the tree and know that your blood and the sap are the same - flow into
the experience - let blood and sap merge.
f.The
blood in all the insects and animals is also the same water element.
g.See
yourself standing in a lake, a creek, a stream, a river or the ocean -
let the water
element within you merge with the water element in the body of water in which
you are standing - let go of all boundaries - become one without separation.
h.Come
back to the experience of the water element in your body - the water element
has the quality of binding the body together - move from the experience of
your body being bound together to the binding quality in the cushion, the
mat and the floor.
i.Feel
yourself surrounded by the binding element everywhere in nature - how all things
are held together by this same binding quality that is present for you.
j.Go
back to insight practice using the breath
.
a.Coordinate
your breath with your walking movements.
b.Find
some water - a puddle, snow, dew, and so forth - recognize that the water
element in you is the same as the water element you are seeing in front
of you.
SITTING
MEDITATION - THE FIRE ELEMENT
b.Experience
the fire element which manifests as the temperature of the body, by noticing
the difference in temperature outside your body and inside your body.
c.Notice
that it is cooler where the air touches you and hotter where one body part touches
another body part.
d.Become
aware of the temperature of the cushion you are sitting on and connect fire
element to fire element - the body temperature to cushion temperature.
e.Place
your attention back on your own fire element - feel your fire element merging
with the fire (temperature) of the air around you, and flow into and merge
with the temperature of the person sitting next to you knowing no boundaries
between your fire element and their fire element (Radiating between self-
air - the other person).
f.Think
of the people near and dear to you and flow with your fire element into their
fire element.
g.Go
back to insight practice using the breath.
WALKING
MEDITATION - THE FIRE ELEMENT
d.Lean
against the tree and feel the warmth of the body merging with the warmth
of the tree.
e.Notice
the decay of the tree and of everything else around you - it is the same
as decay in the body, which is the fire element destroying it.
SITTING
MEDITATION - THE AIR ELEMENT
b.Become
aware of the air or wind element through the movement of your breath.
c.Notice
how subtle it can be.
d.Become
aware of the movement of the air outside the body.
e.Let
your wind element flow into the outside wind element, letting all barriers
and boundaries go - try to feel
at one with the wind and air outside.
f.Come
back to your breath once more.
g.Connect
to the breath of the person sitting next to you, knowing that there is
no separation between your wind element, the outside wind element, and
the other person's wind element.
h.Feel
the same connection through the breath to everyone else in the room.
i.Feel
the same connection through the breath with everyone near and dear to you.
j.Try
to remove all boundaries and barriers and feel the connection through thebreath
with everyone else in the world
k.Everything
is mere vibrations of energy
l.Go
back to insight practice using the breath.
f.Transfer
weight to the foot you just put down - earth element predominant.