Meditation Instructions

Your mind's natural inclination is to rise up like a hot air balloon to the highest mental state, unless something is pulling it back down.

You don't need to do anything to be happy.

Meditation is undoing of the stress-making process. It happens on its own if you just sit.

This page describes one possible meditation technique that has worked for me.

1. Sit in an upright, relaxed position.
   • Just sit normally. The #1 mistake here is being too tight or trying to have "good posture." Meditation is not a postural exercise.
2. Establish mindful awareness. Hear all the sounds, feel all the sensations going on right now. After five minutes, close your eyes.
3. Buddha's smile: relax your eyes into a peaceful, kind, slight smile like you see on Buddha statues. This helps create wholesome and effortless intentions.
4. Anapanasati: be aware of expansion and contraction (e.g. breath sensations) and where they are appearing in the body. But no need to focus or try to control attention.
5. Let go of tension.
   • As you meditate, tensions will arise in your mind/body.
   • They feel a bit like a clenched fist, or like the "fabric" of your mind is being pulled through a small opening.
   • Tensions are caused by clinging to a sensation or thought.
   • When you notice tension, relax with an exhale and remind yourself that it's okay to let the thought/sensation drop. Then just dispassionately observe the thoughts / tension until they go away on their own.
6. After detecting tension, refresh your awareness and wholesome/effortless smile.

For more detail, please check out youtube.com/@onthatpath