| What is Presence? | | | | nothing and accepts everything-thoughts, |
| Presence arises when your essential nature | | | | emotions, sense perceptions, events, as they |
| -Awareness, awakens to itself in this moment. | | | | arise. True Meditation, honors this open receptivity. |
| Awareness is beyond space and time, beyond life | | | | You learn to accept everything going on around |
| and death. It is omnipresent- everywhere and | | | | you and within you exactly as it is in this moment. |
| nowhere, it is the formless dimension from which | | | | You do not reject anything that arises because |
| all things arise. When you are present, you let go | | | | the mind has a different idea about what |
| of past and future. You surrender to the moment. | | | | meditation should look or feel like. Nor do you |
| There is no resistance to what is. Being present is | | | | utilize any technique to create some kind of |
| not only about being aware of what is happening | | | | preconceived meditative state. There is no |
| on the level of form, it is being aware of the | | | | manipulation necessary. By aligning with your |
| very space in which all forms come and go. | | | | essential nature through the unconditional |
| Most people have had moments when they | | | | acceptance of what is, spiritual wakefulness is |
| recognized Presence, even if they didn't call it that. | | | | arrived upon naturally. |
| Have you ever had the experience of watching a | | | | Another aspect of True Meditation is meditative |
| sunset? The world became still and all thoughts | | | | self-inquiry. Meditative self-inquiry is the |
| disappeared as you sat in awe of the beauty | | | | introduction of a powerful spiritual question that |
| unfolding before you. Or perhaps you have had | | | | resonates within you in such a way that it "points" |
| the experience of running a race, skiing or riding | | | | to the Truth of who you are. It is not a question |
| your bike and suddenly you entered "The Zone" | | | | that serves to stimulate the mind, instead it |
| where you were one with everything, and your | | | | draws the attention into a realm beyond thought, |
| movements were effortless. Or when looking into | | | | where the mind is bypassed and you, as Pure |
| the eyes of a newborn baby or your beloved, | | | | Consciousness, behold Ultimate Truth. A couple of |
| have you ever felt yourself melting into them until | | | | powerful questions to begin with are, "What am |
| all sense of separation dissolved and you | | | | I?" or "Who is the meditator?" |
| experienced Oneness? In all these situations, | | | | 3 Steps to Inner Peace |
| Presence emerged as you became liberated from | | | | Presence is your true nature. Yet today, most |
| identification with the thinking mind and | | | | people live lost in the mind's story of a separate |
| surrendered into the direct experience of The | | | | "me," defined by past and future- both are unreal |
| Now. | | | | and exist only in the head. These 3 steps can be |
| For most people, Presence is something that is | | | | very helpful in shifting from identification with the |
| rare and fleeting. Instead of living in the Now, they | | | | mind into present-moment awareness. |
| listen to the incessant barrage of thoughts of the | | | | First, notice when you are caught in a |
| "thinking mind." It constantly creates a story- | | | | mind-stream of incessant thoughts, creating a |
| judging, evaluating, and labeling as it fixates on a | | | | story about past and future, and losing touch with |
| remembered past or an imagined future. The cost | | | | what is real- the Present Moment. |
| of living in thoughts of past and future is missing | | | | Second, remain open and allow a relaxed, |
| out on of the only thing that is truly real- Life | | | | unconditional acceptance of what is, both internally |
| itself, the Present Moment. How can you awaken | | | | and externally, in each moment. |
| from this delusional dream of identification with | | | | Third, use self-inquiry to deepen the emerging |
| mind and discover the clarity and peace of | | | | Presence. Possible inquiries include, "What am I?", |
| present-moment awareness? | | | | "What never changes?", "Who or what tells me I |
| True Meditation | | | | am not free?" |
| There are many forms of meditation that involve | | | | As you catch glimpses the your "True Self" during |
| controlling the mind, trying to force it to be quiet. | | | | meditation sessions and recognize you are not |
| If you have ever tried to meditate, you may | | | | being separate from the world "out there," you |
| have experienced the mind resisting this agenda | | | | will begin to notice this awareness spilling over into |
| of control. Adyashanti, a self-realized master, | | | | your life as a whole. You begin to realize that the |
| observed during his 15 years of Zen meditation | | | | world of form- physical forms, thought forms, |
| that he, too, was often at war with his mind. | | | | energy forms, emotional forms, is ultimately an |
| When he recognized the futility of battling with | | | | elaborate dream being dreamt by the eternal One |
| the mind, he developed a powerful new approach | | | | Consciousness that you are. Suddenly, the world |
| he calls "True Meditation." | | | | loses the scary, heavy quality it had when it was |
| True Meditation is based on the understanding | | | | understood to be an absolute reality. You begin to |
| that Presence is your natural state. In essence, | | | | live from a place of inner peace and tranquility. |
| you are spacious Awareness. Awareness resists | | | | |