Hi friends, No dharma talk tonight however I did offer a guided meditation on the level of concentration. I wrote everything I said down into easy to follow steps. I hope this helps you deepen your practice, and allow the mind to unfold. With love, Brandon — A Guided Concentration Meditation *A practice for settling the mind, grounding the body, and resting in awareness. Set aside about twenty to thirty minutes. Find a posture that feels both alert and at ease.* --- 1. Arriving Take a moment to give your body what it needs. Move it however feels right. Then take three deep breaths in and out through the nose. Breathe fully in. Pause. Take in a little more. Then let it go fully out through the nose. Once more, fully in. Pause. And release. 2. White Light, Gray Smoke Now we add a visual. As you inhale, imagine you are breathing in a white light that represents everything good. As you exhale, imagine you are breathing out a gray smoke that carries away any negativity, any limiting beliefs, anything that holds you back. You can close your eyes here. Inhale the white light. Hold it. Take in a little more. Let it permeate your whole body. Then exhale the gray smoke, fully out. Keep going for a few rounds. Inhale everything good. Exhale everything you do not need, anything that is not serving you. 3. The Circle of Teachers Now imagine you are surrounded by great meditation teachers, great spiritual leaders, mentors, any being that has helped you on your path. You may or may not have met them. They can be whoever you like. Picture these beings sitting in a circle, with you in the center. Feel the field that forms. Feel the impact of their presence. These beings are overjoyed that you are meditating, that you are facing the mind and resting in it. Ask, from your heart, for their help in the practice. They are happy to give it. Imagine them showering you in blessings. Like an empty vessel, receive everything you need as it is poured into you. Just receive for a moment.

In today's guided meditation, we started on the level of non-duality, then we went to emptiness of self, and then we rested on the breath. This is a reversal from what we typically do, and you might find it helpful, so let us know. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments.

We focused on concentration and single-pointedness — the antidote to the scattered, fragmented attention that short-form content creates. This is foundational work. What we practiced: - Alternate nostril breathing to settle the nervous system - Body scanning to drop out of the head and into felt experience - Grounding awareness at the base of the body (root chakra) — your anchor for safety and stability - Resting the mind into the body, the body into the earth Key concepts: - Single-pointedness — training attention to stay, not wander - Non-meditation (Tibetan Buddhist tradition) — the art of easing up after focused effort, which is often when flow states emerge - Thinking during meditation is normal — noticing thought and returning without judgment is the practice, not a failure - Bodhicitta — wishing well for others as a way to break the self-referential loop of meditating only for yourself Take it off the cushion: Maintain awareness of your body's aliveness throughout the day. That's where this becomes real. Coming up: In-person retreats in Austin — donation-based, open to all — covering concentration and non-dual meditation.

Hi friends, Today we explored Nondual Meditation through a progression of practices rooted in the Chan (Chinese Zen) lineage. We began by settling the mind, then turned our attention inward to search for the self. From there, we expanded our awareness outward — feeling the room as an extension of the body. We then dropped into a vast, open awareness: ocean beneath us, sky above us. We rested in the changeless nature of that awareness. Finally, we opened to include everything — sensations, the self, emotions, and perceptions — as unique expressions of this totality. If you'd like to share your experience, ask a question, or drop a GIF of how the session landed for you, we'd love to hear it. 🙏 See you tomorrow for Free For All Friday! With love, Brandon

Learn to use great spiritual masters to enhance your meditation practice and fine tune your focus. In this meditation, you can pretend to meditate like a true master. Enjoy!