The Meditation Body

A Guided Meditation on Breath and Posture

Settle into a comfortable seated position. Find a chair or a cushion on the floor where you can sit upright with ease. Allow your back to be straight, but not stiff. You are here to simply be aware.
Posture
First, let's turn our attention to the body's posture. Bring your awareness to your shoulders. Gently roll them back and down, allowing your chest to open slightly. Feel your spine naturally straighten, supporting your head and neck. This is a posture of quiet strength and ease.
Now, bring your attention to your jaw. Notice any tension you might be holding there. Gently allow your jaw to relax. Let the muscles soften. You can even part your lips slightly. Feel how relaxing the jaw also helps to release tension in your neck and across your shoulders. This relaxation spreads through your head and down into the rest of your body.
Take a moment to simply sit in this posture—with relaxed shoulders and a soft jaw.
Breathing
Now, let's turn our awareness to your breath.
Take a deep breath in through your nostrils. Imagine you are filling a balloon deep in your belly. The in-breath is slow, deep, and full. Notice how your diaphragm expands as you draw the air in. Be aware of the entire journey of the breath as it fills you up, all the way down to your belly.
Once you are full, begin to breathe out. As you exhale, let the breath flow from your belly. Gently, very gently, feel a slight pushback of air from the area around your voice box. This is a very subtle sensation—a soft pressure, as if you are monitoring the air as it passes. This little bit of awareness at the voice box helps you to control and be present with the out-breath.
Continue to breathe in and out with this awareness. In-breathing, deep and slow, filling your belly. Out-breathing, gentle and steady, with that subtle, relaxing pushback from your voice box.
Remember to keep your jaw, neck, and shoulders relaxed as you do this. The practice is to maintain this awareness without tensing any muscles. The body remains soft and at ease while the mind gently monitors the breath.
Continue to practice these four steps—relaxed shoulders, soft jaw, deep in-breath, and gentle out-breath with a slight pushback—for the next 20 minutes. Simply sit and be aware.

AN 6.63, the Nibbedhika Sutta - Penetrative. Sensual Desires

Bhayabherava Sutta

Ecclesiastes 1 and 4

Optimism For AI

Some people fear what they might mean for the future of their jobs. I fear that too in some ways because I know it will change and it's changing now already. Not just for us, but in the way we live all our styles already. It has immersed in many many things. Object recognition and CCTVs. Many things the way we drive a car. And an interesting thing is though I feel very optimistic of it. I feel quite happy about it. I feel it's like a great equalizer. I'm hoping that it will be anyway. I feel that there's lots of possibilities about make a very more equal world. We're distributed. Certainly we're working on a better deal for distributed. So, as basically what it is, and it's a more wider distribution of ability. We'll have abilities, skills, knowledge. So, I think it will change the workplace automatically in a very good way. Because the workplace, the hierarchy, is the structure of our organization is organized. It needs a completely vamp. Don't you think? I think so. How it's built on privileged people at the top. And those people are not even voted in. They're chosen in. So, issues that we, that will be compared, that we don't see now. People in the future will see. Things like, for example, how we do hiring. The intricacies of the biases that we have in recruiting, in managing a team as well. In organizing, in promoting people. How you see many times in my organization, a certain type of person is fast-tracked to the top. Always the same type of people. You don't see with other types. Physically, mentally, background, educationally. And it's not even noticed by those people who are doing the full-strike game or making this a lot of out. Who are doing the promotion. And it's not noticed by the people who are being promoted. They themselves feel. It's because of their talent, their skill, their ability. Imagine a world where you go to work and it really doesn't matter. How you look, how you are. Because you can go to work with an avatar and everybody does the same. They just choose. You just assume the way someone looks is not how they are. What they do is how they behave. It's more subtle things. It's not when they show up. It's more to do with how they do it. And hierarchy doesn't matter anymore. What about in the world of work and in the world of business where everyone? It didn't really matter. How much you could afford that much to have assistance because everyone could have virtual assistance. That develop all that kind of wealth didn't matter in your background or in your hierarchy. I think that would be such a different place. Maybe it will be like I did every aspect. But to some degree in some aspects wouldn't be interesting in a world, in a new world. If things were a bit like that and they went in that direction. That's how I think hierarchy is going to be in very positive force and I'm very hopeful for it.

Yoniso manasikāra

Yoniso manasikāra is a key concept in Buddhism that translates to "wise attention" or "systematic attention." It refers to the process of skillfully and carefully observing one's experiences, thoughts, and feelings, rather than reacting to them habitually or superficially.
It's about looking beneath the surface of things to understand their true nature, particularly in terms of impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta).
Here's a breakdown of what it involves:
Careful Observation: Instead of just experiencing something, you're actively paying attention to how it arises, how it changes, and how it ceases.
Discernment: You're distinguishing between what is wholesome and unwholesome, what leads to liberation and what leads to suffering.
Rooted in Wisdom: It's not just about paying attention, but paying attention with the intention of developing insight and understanding. This often means applying the teachings of the Buddha to your experience.
Reflecting on Causes and Conditions: Instead of getting caught up in the immediate feeling, you're looking at what led to that feeling and what might arise from it.
Essentially, yoniso manasikāra is the mental faculty that allows a practitioner to engage with their experience in a way that leads to liberation from suffering. It's often contrasted with ayoniso manasikāra, which is unwise or unskillful attention, leading to further delusion and suffering.

2025-08-15 Lokavipatti Sutta

Guided meditation: working with hindrances

Begin by settling into a comfortable meditation posture, allowing your body to relax while keeping an alert yet easeful presence. Take a few deep breaths, grounding yourself in the moment, and set the intention to observe your mind with curiosity and kindness. As you settle into stillness, bring awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath, using it as an anchor to the present.
The Five Hindrances are common obstacles that arise in meditation—sensory desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt. Rather than resisting them, this practice invites you to recognize them with mindfulness, understanding their nature and learning to work skillfully with their energy. Start by scanning your body and mind: Are there places of tension, distraction, or heaviness? Notice without judgment whatever is present.
If sensory desire arises—a pull toward pleasant sounds, thoughts, or memories—simply acknowledge it. Reflect on how all experiences are fleeting, and gently return your focus to the breath or a neutral object. When ill-will surfaces—anger, irritation, or aversion—meet it with loving-kindness. Soften around the resistance, silently offering wishes for peace: “May this heart be free.” If the mind grows dull or sleepy, reconnect with alertness by straightening your posture, opening your eyes slightly, or taking deeper breaths.
Restlessness and worry often manifest as a churning mind, replaying past regrets or future anxieties. When this happens, remind yourself, “Right now, I am here. I am safe.” Let thoughts pass like clouds, returning again and again to the steadiness of the breath. And if doubt creeps in—questioning the practice, your progress, or your ability—meet it with patience. Recall that doubt is just another thought, not a truth. Trust in the simple act of being present.
As you close the meditation, reflect on any hindrances that appeared, not as failures but as teachers. Each time you recognize and release them, the mind grows clearer and more resilient. Close with a moment of gratitude for your practice, dedicating its benefits to all beings who seek freedom from inner obstacles.

Can desire be transformed into compassion for the world?

Yes — but it’s not automatic. Transforming desire into compassion in the world is possible if the underlying energy of wanting is redirected.
Desire at its root is an impulse toward connection, fulfillment, or relief from suffering — it’s just that in everyday life it often gets channeled toward personal gratification. If we can shift the focus from “I want for me” to “I want well-being for others (and myself)”, the same drive can become compassion.
Here’s a simple progression:
Recognize the raw energy of desireInstead of suppressing or shaming it, notice that desire is a form of life force — it’s movement toward something.
Look deeper into the need behind the desireMany personal wants (love, security, respect) are shared by everyone. Seeing that others want the same things opens the door to empathy.
Expand the scope of the desireFor example, if you desire safety for yourself, you can expand that to “I also wish safety for all beings.”
Practice active compassionEngage that desire-energy in action: helping, protecting, advocating, listening. The emotional drive fuels sustained compassionate work.
In spiritual traditions, this is sometimes called transforming attachment into loving-kindness — not by denying desire, but by refining and enlarging it until it is no longer just about “me.”

Guided Meditation: Connecting with Self & Breath

Find a comfortable position, whether sitting or lying down, and allow your body to settle into stillness. Close your eyes softly if it feels safe, or simply lower your gaze. Begin by taking a slow, deep breath in through your nose, filling your lungs completely, then release it with a gentle sigh through your mouth. Do this two more times, each exhale letting go of any tension you’ve been holding. Then, let your breath return to its natural rhythm, neither forcing nor controlling it. Simply observe where you feel it most—perhaps at the tip of your nose, the gentle expansion of your chest, or the subtle rise and fall of your belly.
Now, bring your awareness to your body as a whole. Start at the top of your head and slowly scan downward, noticing any sensations without judgment. Relax your forehead, soften your jaw, and release any tightness in your shoulders. Let your arms and hands rest heavily, observing their weight and warmth. Feel the steady rhythm of your chest and belly as you breathe. Then, bring your attention to your legs and feet, imagining them rooted into the ground, supported and stable. If you notice any areas of tension, imagine your breath flowing into that space, softening and releasing with each exhale.
As you settle deeper into this moment, gently focus on the natural flow of your breath. Follow each inhale as it enters your body, pause briefly at the top, then trace the exhale as it leaves. There’s no need to change anything—simply witness the breath as it is. If it helps, visualize your inhale as a soothing, golden light filling you with calm, and your exhale as a soft gray mist carrying away any stress or distraction. When thoughts arise—as they naturally will—acknowledge them with kindness, perhaps silently saying, "Thinking," and then guide your attention back to your breath.
Now, bring one hand to rest over your heart, feeling its steady beat. Silently whisper to yourself, "I am here for you." Take a moment to ask inwardly, "What do I need right now to feel at peace?" Listen without expectation, allowing any response—whether a word, a feeling, or simply stillness—to arise. Imagine your breath as a warm embrace, wrapping around your inner self with care and acceptance. There is nothing to fix or change; just this quiet moment of being exactly as you are.
To close, take three deeper breaths, feeling the fullness of your presence—body, breath, and awareness united. Gently begin to wiggle your fingers and toes, reawakening your senses. When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes, carrying this sense of grounded calm with you into the rest of your day.
This practice is always available to you, a refuge in the rhythm of your own breath. Return to it whenever you need to reconnect with yourself.