Clearing the Mind | A Guided Meditation by Eckhart Tolle

for today's meditation I'd like to have a little bit more silence I believe we are ready for that at least most of you I just like to explain how this works in the context of our technology here when I'm not speaking all you do is you look at the screen and you look at the image on the screen my job is to be here in the state of presence which means to hold the state of not thinking and as you look at me please realize that you're not really looking at a person it looks like a person but when there's no thinking no form Consciousness no Concepts where is the person the person is generated by thought so when there is no thought all there is is something that's prior to the person more fundamental more basic more real formless just Consciousness so it can be helpful then if you're receptive to be with someone even if it's only through the means of technology to be with someone who is in that state of no thought which means above thinking not below thinking because that apparent person has become transparent to the light of Consciousness and somehow if there's even the slightest opening in you to that you can sense that there is something there that is deeper than the person in fact the person becomes irrelevant so but that in you that senses that is of the same frequency is consciousness itself so if you even have the slightest glimpse of there's something that transcends the person when you look at the image on the screen you're right but at that moment you have already transcended to some extent your own person person being form identity psychological form identity consists of thoughts and images so it may look at first a little weird as the human mind would tell you to be staring at the at a person on the screen who is staring back at you and perhaps once or twice a thought will come into your head this is weird it's just a thought it's not real weird it's much more weird to be trapped in your mental noise for most of your life and to live on the basis of that of that which is a false sense of identity so what you Endeavor is to as you look at the screen and don't wait for me to say let's start now let's consider that we've already started started with our silent meditation because silence underlies the words and is in between the words all you need to do then is not doing at all really is you're looking at the screen and you're aware of the sense perception and you're aware that you're aware you can sense the presence that you are as you look at the screen so and you're alert you're aware that there is awareness otherwise you wouldn't be seeing anything or hearing anything so the prere requisite for any sense perception is awareness Consciousness so you become aware of that in yourself and the what the technology here provides is a reflection of the Consciousness that you are and helpful reflection that's all when thought comes in you realize a thought has arisen and you watch it like a cloud and then it drifts past and there's a space again don't believe when any thought tells you as we sit here don't believe if a thought tells you that this thought is more important than S sitting here in presence thought likes to do that come into think about this no you've decided that the most important thing as you sit here is to be just present you like you can think for the rest of the day when we finish here plenty of time for thinking but this is a time for not thinking Rising above thinking looking at the image on the screen will help you to stay above thinking when you're feeling drowsy or sleepy then it's a sign you're falling below thinking so the continuously looking at the image helps you to stay alert connect you with alertness e e those of you who find it hard to sit here in presence and whose mind is still very active thinking feel the inner body as you sit here feel the aliveness in the body as you sit and look at the screen feel the aliveness in your hands your feet your legs your arms there's a field of aliveness alive within the body feel that in the background that takes attention away from thinking and then you have two things you have the sense perception that is helpful takes attention away from thinking and the connection with the inner body and those two should keep your mind fairly clear if you're able to hold attention there it's no effort just effortless for Close Your Eyes For a Moment presence spacious awareness aliveness life itself the life that you are consciousness open your eyes present within and without look at your left or right hand for a moment see the hand the skin the texture how it reflects the light without thinking just present awareness sense perception appearing in the field of awareness looking back at the screen awareness Remains What appears changes that's sense perception form look away for a moment any object where you're sitting in the room no matter what it is look at it for a moment take in its shape its color no mental labeling just an aware presence behind the sense perception amazing shift from continuously label in everything and just being there as the presence look back at the screen space of awareness remains this is how you gradually become free of being dominated by the person of course you're still a person in your daily life but there's something more more vital and more powerful that arises from behind the person and begins to shine through the person everything else is meaningless in this life if that doesn't happen in your life what's the point it means Evolution hasn't happened for you now it doesn't matter to the universe but to the little entity it does in Ultimate terms it doesn't matter at all only in relative terms causing Miracles as delay does not matter in eternity but it is tragic in time that