In This Episode…

In today’s world, it can feel like there are endless options for meditation—each promising a slightly different path. With so many different meditation techniques available to us, it’s easy to feel a bit uncertain about what to actually do when we sit down to meditate.

In this episode, “Meditation Can Be Simple: Three Doorways to Awakening,” Craig clears away the noise and shares a 3-step approach that’s both powerful and easy to follow. He distills the practice of meditation into three simple instructions, guiding you toward the profound depths of your true nature.

These practices are adaptable to any stage of your journey—whether you’re brand new to meditation or have been on the path for a while. And they can be practiced on their own or all together, depending on what resonates with you.

This episode is a guided meditation workshop, so set aside some time to listen when you can relax and be fully present.
If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s approach to meditation, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at: FreeMeditationWorkshop.com

Discover More about Craig’s Awakened Life Membership Program

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

My goal in creating this episode was to distill the essence of direct awakening into one core practice modality that integrates all the other modalities. When teaching, part of the work involves differentiating, getting specific, and isolating the various practices and techniques that can help people on their path. However, there’s also a drive to simplify and integrate. In response to this desire, I distilled everything down to three core practices: being still, relaxing, and being attentive.

What are the deeper dimensions of stillness, relaxation or letting go? What about being awake or attentive? Today we dive into all three and explore how they work together to reveal the ever-present nature of our awakened consciousness, which is always already here.

Three Metaphors for Spiritual Awakening

As you may know, I teach an approach to meditation called “the practice of direct awakening.” This practice is derived from the natural manifestation of awakened consciousness. Awakened consciousness is something we all have access to. When we discover it, we realize it’s our true nature or essence. It has always been here, having our experience, and we just didn’t notice it before.

When you or I experience awakened consciousness, we’re experiencing the same thing. We’re experiencing one essence. Similarly, when we experience unawakened consciousness, or ego consciousness, it’s also the same, even if it’s got different permutations for each of us.

This is a universal human experience we’re exploring, and it shows up in particular ways. Throughout the ages, those who have discovered it have described it in different ways. Certain metaphors have become deeply anchored in our collective consciousness regarding the goal of the spiritual path and what spiritual awakening is.

Each of these three core practice modes or gestures that we’re working with here is an expression of one of the most common metaphors, descriptions or experiences of spiritual awakening. I want to speak a little about those and make that visible to all of us, because it might further illuminate what we’re doing in the practice.

1. The Metaphor of Freedom

One of the most widely used descriptors for spiritual transformation—or the goal of spiritual illumination—is this metaphor of freedom or liberation. In the Hindu Vedanta Indian tradition, the term used to describe the ultimate spiritual attainment is moksha, which means liberation. We hear about inner freedom, spiritual freedom, and spiritual liberation. While there are many ways to discuss what that liberation is pointing to, one simple way to understand it is that it’s a liberation from a certain kind of bondage inherent to the human condition.

To look at this psychologically and simply, the bondage is what is often called “cyclic existence.” It’s the bondage of our conditioning, which means our conditioned reactivity. You would say that a person who is very unfree—who’s not liberated—is totally at the mercy of their impulses, their unconscious programs and cultural conditioning, as well as the expectations of others and the way those weigh on us. Someone who is not at all free can only respond in a completely conditioned way.

We know that most animals are deeply conditioned creatures without much free will, agency, or autonomy—most scientists would even say they have none. If you’ve spent time with animals, you might argue, “No, sometimes they do show some autonomy; they’re not just pure impulse.” But ultimately, we don’t fully understand what’s going on for all of them.

When we look at ourselves, we can identify the ways we’re conditioned, the triggers that affect us, and the habits we keep playing out. Even with the intention to change our habits, it can still be difficult. Why? Because of the force of habit. This is another way of talking about conditioning: a conditioned habit.

Conditioned habits and conditioned reactivity simply mean you’re controlled by something of which you are not conscious. You don’t have conscious freedom because you’re under the control of the momentum of the past. Some of this momentum is collective. Some of it is individual momentum in your life. It can be biologically driven, or more psycho-emotionally driven, but in all these cases it’s this momentum of the past that just keeps playing out.

One way to understand what it means to be free is to no longer be in the grip of those conditioned responses, to be able to break free from them. Even if you feel them, you don’t have to act on them anymore, because you’ve discovered what it means to be free from their influence.

The Stillness of Not Moving and the Practice of Being Free
And so, this is where the practice of stillness—what I’m calling the stillness of not moving or not reacting—comes from. It’s a practice of being free. It’s about saying, “No matter what tugs at me, no matter what strong sensation hits me, no matter what strong emotion hits me, no matter what wild things my mind is doing, I am not reacting to any of it. I’m not moving. I’m simply not moving in response to anything.”

This is a practice of direct liberation—direct freedom from the wheel. In the East, it’s referred to as the wheel of cyclical existence, the wheel of endless karma and becoming. We’re practicing stepping off the wheel into this profound inner freedom, where nothing can control you or your behavior.

Practice #1: Stillness

I want to invite us all to do a brief meditation. Allow yourself to move into your meditation posture. Either close your eyes, or look down at some spot in front of you, and let your gaze relax there. We begin by simply being physically still, simply allowing ourselves to not move physically at all. Simply feel the peace, quiet, and stillness of allowing your body to be still.

Allow that physical stillness to give way to an inner stillness, an inner quietude.

Notice that there’s a part of you that’s always quiet and still.

Your mind may not always be quiet and still. In fact, your mind may not ever be quiet and still. Your mind might always be moving from one thing to the next. But regardless of what the mind is doing, there is a part of you that never moves, that’s not reacting to your mind, that’s not reacting to the world, that’s not reacting to your emotions, just still, unmoving, unchanging, at peace.

Just allow yourself to rest in this stillness that is unperturbed by the comings and goings.

In attempting to do this practice, you may feel that you can’t find a place that’s still and quiet and unmoving. My invitation to go there is not enough, because you don’t know where to go, you don’t know where this quiet place is in yourself. If that’s the case, then don’t look for a quiet, still place. Instead simply practice being still inwardly.

This means not reacting to anything. Thoughts might arise, and they might even be interesting to you, but you don’t give them your attention. You don’t get involved in the thought. You don’t move toward it, but you also don’t try to push the thought away, or move away from it. You’re just being still, not getting involved, not reacting to anything. The stream of thought might keep moving, but you do not move with it.

It’s the same with emotion. You’re letting yourself feel whatever you’re feeling, and there’s no attempt to change how you’re feeling. You are simply being still and not reacting to your feelings.

Just allow yourself to be as inwardly still as you can be.

In this practice of stillness, it doesn’t matter what arises, because we aren’t getting involved with it. We’re not moved by it. We’re free from it.

The whole world keeps moving, sometimes wildly, sometimes violently, but we can remain still, non-reactive, free.

Allow yourself to gently let go of the meditation.

Move your body, look around, and notice the quality of stillness that’s present as a result of your brief practice.

2. The Metaphor of Inner Peace

Another common metaphor for spiritual awakening, especially when considering the goal of the spiritual path, is inner peace. The great quest for inner peace has nearly defined a generation of seekers: “I want peace. I want inner peace, the peace that passes all understanding.”

So, what is inner peace, really?

We’ve all likely been on a path—a quest for inner peace—in some way for a significant part of our lives. At least, many of us have. So, what are we really looking for when we embark on this quest? Superficially we might say, “Well, I just want to feel good all the time. I want to feel peaceful, I want to always experience a gentle, peaceful ease, a peaceful, easy feeling,” as the song goes.

But in a spiritual context, it’s not that simple. We learn that inner peace isn’t merely about achieving a specific emotional state, because emotions all come and go—they’re all part of that wheel of cyclic existence. They come, they go, they change, and any quest for a constant emotional state of inner peace will be doomed.

What is the real inner peace?
So, what is the real inner peace? It’s a spiritual peace that goes deeper than all that.True, inner peace is something that embodies contentment. We are content, we are at peace, regardless of our circumstances. It’s an unconditional peace.

Even if I’m suffering on the surface, enduring a miserable time, bad things are happening in my life and my emotional state is terrible, I’m living from a place that is deeper than all that. I am fundamentally anchored in this deeper peace. I’m at ease no matter what happens. And that only comes from insight into our essence—the insight that at the heart of things, life, the universe, is fundamentally rooted in this deep, abiding goodness.

This deep “yes” is the fundamental sense that everything has always been sacred from the beginning, and who and what I am is part of the glory of this manifest existence. The unmanifest dimension of things is an inherent perfection, which is who and what I am, and also what reality is.

We discover this by awakening to it. When we awaken to this depth, we truly know it, and we have faith in it. So we don’t lose the faith. We stay true to that knowing and then our life becomes an expression of that. No matter what happens, we don’t identify with what’s happening at the surface and go into despair, or develop a negative outlook. We’re deeply at peace, period.

The Practice of Existential Relaxation

The practice here that arises out of that realization—out of that place of inherent perfection—is what I’m calling relaxation. It’s a practice of existential relaxation, which means letting go and letting things be.

So when I talk about relaxing, I’m not just saying relax your body to feel good for a while. I’m saying that relaxing at the deepest level of our being means giving up control, giving up the idea that there is a problem, giving up trying to change this moment. In this moment, we are willing to refrain from trying to change anything in meditation.

Practice #2: Relax

With that, I want to lead us into our second meditation. So, just allow yourself to sink back into your meditation posture.

For this practice, we begin with physical relaxation. Just allow your body to be deeply at ease, letting go of any tension on any level. Take a few deep, slow breaths, and just allow yourself to breathe out anything you’re holding on to, any tension in the body. Any discomfort, just release it with the breath, allowing yourself to deeply and fundamentally relax, and let go.

Allow the physical relaxation to give way to a deep fundamental relaxation at the core of your being. An easefulness, a contentment that has no issue with anything that’s happening right now, in this moment. No problem can be found anywhere. Allow yourself to let everything be as it is.

Relaxing means giving up control of this moment. You’re simply sitting still, and no matter what happens in your meditation, you’re not trying to control it, you’re not trying to steer it. You’re allowing it to be as it is. You’re not judging it to be imperfect or inadequate. This moment, as it is, is enough. It’s just right. We are practicing being content with what is, right now. Not feeling content, but being content, which is expressed as radical acceptance of this moment.

Notice if there’s any part of your experience right now that you’re struggling against, that you are not content with, or something you believe shouldn’t be happening in a meditation. Maybe you’re distracted, tense, or unsettled. It could be anything—like a noise outside your house that irritates you, making you think you could meditate better if it would go away. Whatever it is, simply take a moment to notice.

For most of us, there will be something in this moment that we are not allowing, or are resisting. See if you can notice where that is. For some, it might be multiple things. Whatever it is, when you notice it, simply include it. Allow it and embrace it as part of this moment. Let it be.

Allow yourself to gently ease out of the meditation.

3. The Metaphor of Being Awake

The third metaphor I want to talk briefly about is the metaphor of being awake. It’s one I use a lot: awakening, direct awakening, awakened consciousness. It’s also what the Buddha supposedly said after his profound awakening, which, in some ways, changed the world for billions of people over time. He was walking down the road, and someone came upon him and was struck by how different he seemed. Something about him was just different from any human being they had ever met. They asked, “What are you? Are you a God? Who are you?” And he said, ”No, I’m awake. I’m awake.”

So, what is awake?

Again, there are many dimensions to this. One simple way to understand awakened consciousness is that when we’re awake to who and what we are beyond the conditioned mind and ego, we are awake. We’re awake to consciousness itself. We’re awake to the free, expansive, infinite dimension that is our own awareness, our own consciousness.

Our attention has been freed from identifying with what’s happening in the world, in our minds, or at the level of feeling. We are now aware of the vast context in which all of this occurs, the space in which everything arises. We are awake to our self as that vastness, that infinity, that limitlessness, that open spaciousness. So, how do we practice being awake?

In the context of what we’re doing here, this is the practice of paying attention. On the surface, paying attention just means not being distracted. But as we go deeper into it, what are we really being attentive to and paying attention to? We’re starting to pay attention to awareness itself, consciousness itself—that space in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations of the world arise.

Practice #3: Pay Attention

So, we’re now going to move into our third practice, which focuses on the awakening or attention dimension of being awake.

Settle back into your meditation posture.

I invite you to begin by simply becoming aware of what you’re experiencing in this moment. Bring your attention to your experience of being alive right now. How does your body feel? Notice your body and any physical sensations you can be aware of. Is your body warm or cool? Are you relaxed or tense? Are there any areas of pain or discomfort? How’s your posture? Notice the feeling of the breath moving in and out. Feel your clothing against your skin. Notice any background sounds you’re aware of.

Notice how you feel emotionally right now. Are there any emotions present, or an overall feeling sense? Is there a general sense of wellbeing or perhaps a sense of existential angst, anxiety, or tension around being with what is?

We’re not trying to change anything, we’re just noticing what’s present. Sometimes, on one level, there may be feelings of distress, worry, or concern, while on a larger level, there’s a sense of happiness or contentment at the same time. Just become aware of your “feeling universe” right now.

Now, become aware of what’s happening at the level of thought. Is your mind quiet or still? Are occasional thoughts rising up, or a steady stream? Or perhaps the mind feels peaceful and empty.

Become Aware of Awareness

I want to invite you now to become aware of the awareness that is noticing your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Who or what is aware of all of those things, yet is not a thought, a feeling, or a sensation?

Give all of your attention to the experiencer—the one having the experience of this moment, the one experiencing the thoughts, feelings, sensations, and the world as it arises. Give your attention to the space in which everything is arising.

Being aware of awareness doesn’t mean that thoughts, feelings, and sensations stop occurring or that they won’t momentarily grab your attention. All of the content of consciousness can still arise and present itself. When thoughts do come up, you might find you get captured by them for a moment or two, or longer, and your attention gets reabsorbed in the mind.

Any time you notice that your attention has been captured or absorbed by something smaller than this infinite context of consciousness, if you find yourself fixating on something, simply give your attention to the awareness itself, the consciousness that has become aware that you’re fixated.

You don’t need to try to forcefully let go of any object in consciousness. Instead, gently keep returning to the awareness that is aware of this moment, the awareness that’s aware of the narrowing, the fixation, or the absorption back in the mind and feelings. The awareness that’s aware this is happening is already free awareness. You simply give your attention to that, and you are free as consciousness. You are awake.

If you’re having any difficulty being aware of awareness, or bringing awareness to consciousness, don’t worry about it. You might feel, “I don’t know where to look. Where is this elusive context, this spacious awareness that is registering this moment? Where am I? I can’t find myself, I can’t find my consciousness.” You might feel that.

Stop Paying Attention To Everything Else

If that’s the case and you feel you’ve exhausted all possibilities in trying, instead of trying to become aware of that, or focusing on something that feels elusive, you can simply stop paying attention to everything else.

If you stop paying attention to everything else, the only place left for your attention to go will be on to itself, on to awareness. In other words, if you stop paying attention to the objects arising in consciousness, awareness will naturally become aware of itself as the subject, the one having the experience, because you’ve relinquished all objects.

What that means, practically and simply, is that you just don’t give any attention to your mind. Don’t give any attention to thoughts. Don’t give any attention to your feelings. Don’t give any attention to the sensations you’re experiencing. You don’t give any attention to anything, and you pay attention to no thing at all. Why don’t we just try it that way, and see what happens?

We’re just paying attention in this moment, being undistracted by anything that arises.

As you continue to rest in awareness, allow yourself to be deeply still… still and unmoving, awake and aware.

From this quiet, awake place, allow yourself to let everything be as it is in this moment, with no need for it to be any other way. Simply embrace this moment as it is, without resistance.

We’re simply being still, relaxing, and paying attention.

If your practice ever seems confusing, you feel stuck, or you’re not sure where to focus, you can always come back to these three fundamental inner postures of the practice.

Just be physically still and inwardly still, not reacting, not moving. Simply relax, let go of control, let things be as they are with no need for them to be any other way. Just be content in this moment, even with feelings of discontent, if they’re present. And pay attention, be attentive. Pay attention to your own awareness, your consciousness—which is not really yours and is not limited to you—but pay attention to that which is aware in each moment.

Allow yourself to now let go of the meditation. Look around, move your body, notice the quality of your experience right now.

A Simple Meditation Toolkit

These practices are tools you can work with individually at any time. Again, I brought all this together because I wanted to give you a simple meditation toolkit that could be implemented in any moment. But I also want you to have a way to have an easy win with your meditation.

At any time, you can simply drop into: “I’m just paying attention here. That’s all I’m doing, I’m just being attentive. I’m just not being distracted.” That’s all meditation is—being present in this moment. Don’t go with the mind, the feelings, the sensations. Just stay fully here.

Or you might say: “All I’m doing is relaxing. I’m just sitting here, and I just need to relax. I need to just let things be and not resist what’s happening. I just need to embrace it all.” It’s very simple.

Or: “I’m just being still. I’m just going to rest in this inner stillness. I’m going to not move. Thoughts may come and go, feelings may tug at me. I’m just not moving, I’m not reacting. That’s my whole practice, just being still inwardly.”

At any time you can pull one of those and go right into it like that, or you can work with all three like we did at the end of the meditation: “I’m being still, I’m relaxing, I’m being attentive. I’m moving back and forth between them.”

So being still, relaxing, and paying attention really means being free, at peace, and awake, in an ultimate sense. That’s what these practices are rooted in. That’s what we’re doing when we practice them fully. This is why it’s a practice of direct awakening—it’s a practice of stepping into all of that right now in your practice.