Please sit in a comfortable position. Today we are going to explore meditation and sound.

Note:
In order for this meditation to work you need to get some children in the group to make disturbing noises - they will love it!

Remember Mindfulness of the body is the pole that helps us not to get carried away by our sense impressions. If we mange to tie our mindfulness to the body, sense impressions don't have the power to pull or attention outward. (click here for more details)

We can bring mindfulness to the body by closing our eyes and by directing our attention to the breathing. Breathe naturally. Where is your body? do you feel the breath?
Where is the air cooler - when it comes in through the nostrils or when it flows out?

Do you feel your lungs expanding, filling with air? Where do you feel your body contracting during breathing out? Stay with these sensations of breathing for a while, until you get a good sense of your breathing.

Now when you have your mindfulness established around the sensations of breathing can you feel at ease with it and alert?

Then, slowly, open your awareness to the space of sound. Please try to stay in touch with the sensations of breathing - they are the pole - the center - of your awareness and sound vibrations come from the space around what sounds do you hear?

Do these sound-impressions pull you away from the awareness of your breathing, or are you able to stay centered and just open up to the sound?

If you get pulled out for a moment, gently bring your attention back to the breathing can you do that?

You can choose. You are the subject choosing the object of your attention your mind is free not to focus on sound - let sound just flow off without guessing meaning or judgement make a clear intention that you want to establish your mindfulness around the body breathing. You can't avoid hearing sound vibrations but you can stay centered and aware of the pole of your body.

Sound happens
( keyword for kids to make a disturbances)

Notice your reactions
Can you bring your attention back to the sensations of breathing? Back to your pole?
When your mind is getting involved with what is happening outside gently bring it back to the sensations of breathing in and breathing out. Like this you can train your muscles for the mindfulness of the body.

Do you get agitated by the sounds you are hearing? Angry? Amused? Just notice your reaction and come back to the sensations of your breathing

Do you get resentful? Do you start to form views and opinion? Like they should be silent. Parents should take care of their children. Why are small children allowed in the shrine room. I need silence otherwise I can't meditate. Somethings like that?

Can you feel the peacefulness, when you are able to allow sound just to flow?

Again and again let the sound just happen in this wide open space of awareness which has a warm breathing center.

-Bell-

By the way many thanks to the dhamma doodle group they have made up all these disturbing scenes among themselves and I had asked them to come up with something disturbing in order to challenge your mindfulness and to strengthen your meditation skills.

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