To Live From Loving Presence (AHCW)

To Live From Loving Presence

• Holding Back Our Love Is The Deepest Suffering
• We have a capacity for an unawakened heart that naturally gets shut down when we go into trance
• This aspiration to practice is to be able to recognize trance and be able to wake up from it. 
• The trance itself is like a flag "Oh, ok, judging"
• Once we recognize the suffering of trance, it helps us become more alert. 
• It begins with Bodhicitta, that whatever is happening - may it serve 
• Waking Up our Heart of Love: Two Key Domains
• 1st Simplicity of keep starting where you are. 
• Keep coming back to the widening circles and say what is going on right here, and try to open to it.
• We cannot try to bring empathy to another person without attending to ourselves. We have to attend in an embodied way. Has to be kinesthetic, not just mental. 
• Start where you are, and come into the body. 
• 2nd Purposely look for what is true. 
• What is going on in this other person?
• Part of the trance is we get caught up in what we are feeling and we are doing, rather then the interest of the other person "what is it like for you?" "what do you need?"
• The training, just like me: you feel vulnerable, you too feel fear of failure, you have a longing to connect and a fear about connecting, you fear the loss of loved ones. 
• Never Give Up on Anybody (Case Study)
• The training is to see the vulnerability in others, everyone is going around in this body that is out of our control. 
• To see the the "just like me," the innate goodness, the potential, the wisdom
• "Never give up on anybody" - Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan teacher
• to be able to see that goodness, that potential, no matter how buried it is. 
• Olly Neal story with the librarian from his youth driving to Memphis to buy books to keep him out of trouble even though he had made her cry.
• Bodhichitta, that is the heart that is attuned and understands embarrassment. 
• The heart that sees potential goodness. 
• It is the forgiving and generous heart, that wants to bring out that goodness.
• A blessing, in some way we are touched to  become more to who we are. To wake up our hearts and wake up our minds. She gave him a blessing. 
• You can't impact the measure of seeing goodness and vulnerability and responding with that, it still ripples out in ways we don't know. 
• Every One of Us Needs to be Reminded of Our Goodness
• 1st training is that vow, "may this wake up my heart, whatever is happening"
• Starting right where we are, learning what is there
• Learning to look, to widen the circles by seeing the goodness and vulnerability 
• Then, to express ourselves from that place of seeing; to see what we see to see the truth in another being, and to express our love in whatever way is going to be most helpful. Because each of us forgets. 
• Everyone is imprisoned by trance, we all need reminding
• "To love someone is to learn the song in their heart, and sing it back to them when they have forgotten." -Norwegian writer Arne Garborg
• Practice: Offering and Receiving the Expression of Love
• How do we widen our circles?
• How do we come to that place from our own being of attending and befriending, and how do we widen it?
• How do we notice when we are in trance?
• Remembering this aspiration "may this too awaken my heart."
• How do we start right where we are with what's going on inside us, in an embodied way?
• How do we begin to look at each other and really wonder how the other is doing?
• And, most: how do we express our love?
• Meditation
• Learning to offer that loving and receive it
• Offer yourself, attention, presence, kindness
• Invite the energy of this universe right here, ask for and invite that love to flow into your body, bathing that place that most needs it. 
• Imagine you are being blessed with love, "kiss on the brow"
• Taking in love, and letting it wash through you. 
• Think of someone you love, imagine them close in.
• See their eyes, and the soul that looks through their eyes
• See that persons vulnerability, where they have experienced fear, hurt, and insecurity.
• Also, sense the innate goodness. The aliveness, awakeness.
• Kiss them on the brow, and mentally whisper their name and say "I love you" or whatever blessing you would like. 
• Then, imagine you closing your eyes and that same person offering you the same loving blessing. 
• See if you can allow yourself to receive that blessing. 
• Bring into mind someone else you care for and have affection for
• Seeing the persons vulnerability
• The eyes, the fears, the losses that they live with
• Also, see their goodness. The loving, the care. 
• Imagine offering them a blessing. Whisper their name and say "I love you."
• Then explore receiving the love. Relax into feeling that field of loving. 
• "To love someone is to learn the song in their heart, and sing 
• To offer these blessings of love to receive them, wakes up the radiance of our heart. Bodhicitta. 
• The heart space, that we all belong to. The source of our beings.
• May all beings everywhere realize their very nature as loving presence. 
• May all beings live from loving presence.
• May all beings touch a great and natural peace.
• May all being awaken Bodhicitta and be free.

My Notes:

Just completed the ten lessons of "Awaken Your Heart, Creativity & Wisdom with Tara Brach" - good stuff. I'd like to do a final summary of all the lessons another time. A nice summary and wrap up of everything, I'm making myself write a paper lol. 

Appreciated the reminder about holding back love is deep suffering. And how seeing someone in all aspects of their being, includes their vulnerability and their goodness (no matter how buried). The case study was awesome. 

Love love love the "never give up on anybody" and Arne Garborg's quote

 "To love someone is to learn the song in their heart, and sing it back to them when they have forgotten."

I want to do a better job of this. I've been separating myself, like I've been a victim. I'm not. I am not alone. I want to cherish others more, especially the ones I love and am most comfortable with. I can't just be all talk, actions matter so much. 

I've been so self centered, and selfish for such a long time to people I love most. Haven't always been, and wasn't always but I definitely took some loved ones for granted throughout my life. I have the regrets and shame from the past, but since I can't do anything about that I can only focus on what I have now. 

I love Tara's prayers and meditations, that they are always from a place of forgiveness, sincerity, and love. 

How are they doing? How can I show them love?

Being embodied, is something I'm really taking with me from all this. 

May this awaken my heart.