Our Basic Goodness

Transcript

[0:03] Let's practice.

[0:21] Taking our seat. Uplifting our spine. As we sit on the earth. While also reaching towards the heavens.

[1:24] Allowing our mind to come to rest in this awake, alert fashion. Coming closer to the body.

[2:00] Placing our attention consciously with the experience of breathing out.

[2:36] And as we breathe out, mixing with space, and resting in open space while the body breathes in.

[3:41] And as we consciously choose to be with this breathing out, thoughts arise. And we can just say, ah, thinking. And let it fade, as simply as it arose. We don't need to push it away. Just as we don't need to hold on to it. Let it be.

[5:03] As we practice. As we choose to stay with the breath and open into space. We see that thoughts arise in mind. Thoughts are thought. That's their nature. They're thunk. So it's not a problem.

[6:13] As we breathe in space.

[6:34] And we begin to dis-identify from the thoughts. No matter what the thoughts are, whether they're bad, good, compassionate or murderous. And we can completely let go of the idea that these thoughts somehow define us. This is just an idea. It's a belief that one particular thought is a good thought. But this other thought, well, that makes us a bad person because we thought that thought.

[8:13] We can begin to see the passing of these thoughts. And begin to give no particular weight to one thought versus another. It's just the passing activity of the mind. Staying with the breath. We can release attachment to particular thoughts. Like the storm clouds passing through the sky. It doesn't make the sky bad. We can release our analysis. Am I a good person when I'm thinking these things? Or which things should I be thinking in order to be a good person? I better be thinking different thoughts to be a good friend, good mother, father. Worker. We begin to see these thoughts as just another thought the mind is thinking. It's the nature of mind. And so we practice just letting these thoughts be even the bad ones, the hateful ones, the worrying, analysis, self-judgment, and just let them be. And notice that they have nothing to do with you. They don't define you.

[11:51] And resting in space. These thoughts occur within a much bigger space. This space allows for these thoughts to arise, abide, and fall. But the space is unaffected.

[12:47] Breathing out. Then resting in space. And we can begin then to notice our basic goodness. The nature of this space. Rather than judgment of the thoughts that occur. This space. Our nature is primordially good. And it doesn't depend on which thoughts we're thinking. This is who we are. Unconditionally good. We don't reject the sky or the stars or the ocean or a lion based on what they think. They just are. Fundamentally good. And so too we, humans, are of this earth. We are of this earth. And are fundamentally good. We are animated earth. We are made of earth, water, fire and air. Breathing. As the trees breathe. You are as needed as the trees.

[16:02] Feeling the energy flowing through you. Your connection to earth. To air. To fire. To water. This life energy. We call it lungta or wind horse.

[16:55] As we sit on the earth and breathe, and rest in this open space, we can feel this ocean of our basic goodness, that we all swim in, below all our day-to-day concerns. These thoughts that we believe too much in.

[18:18] We can let these thoughts speak.

[18:35] And instead pay more attention to the wonder we see and feel smelling a flower. Seeing raindrops beating on a blade of grass. Or the full-color experience watching a loved one die.

[19:38] And this basic beauty and the impermanence. of everything. Which is what creates the specialness of this life. And choosing to spend more time in this space. this basic goodness. Our fundamental right to exist. Unconditionally.

[21:02] Breathing. And resting in space.