Track 5. Becoming Present Contemplation

Close your eyes, think about the past; everything that’s happened leading to this moment has gone. Think about the future; the future has not yet come. What’s real, what’s actual, is the present moment. In the present moment, listen to the sounds. Now feel the sensations in your body—the sensation of sitting, your neck, your back. Now be aware of your breath coming in, going out. You’ve breathed a lot in the past, you will breathe in the future; the only breath that gives you air is the present breath. Breathe that breath.

Now turning to the inner world, become aware of your mind, of thoughts in your mind. The mind is thinking. We’re not concerned with the content of the thoughts, but just that thoughts are occurring. Be aware of thoughts. At the same time, there’s a feeling aspect of your inner experience. Be aware of your feeling or your mood in present time. It doesn’t matter what the mood is, just be aware that there is some feeling, some mood.

Going deeper, go to the sense of ‘I’. Say ‘I am’ and feel the feeling of being you in this moment. The feeling sense of ‘I’—it’s the most intimate, most personal, closest to the centre feeling: ‘I am.’

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