Being with the Whole of Experience

Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallace is a journey through the depths of the human experience, as viewed through the lens of the tradition called nondual Shaiva Tantra. This multi-format podcast delves into the fascinating world of classical tantra and its intersections with philosophy, neuroscience, psychology,

human development

and the broader world of spirituality. Today's episode is a meditation. And of all the episodes of the podcast, the meditations are numerically the least popular, but they are in fact the most important. This is where the real transformation happens, through giving yourself over to a meditative process. which is cued or catalyzed by the guidance, but goes much deeper than any words could suggest. And today's particular meditation is perhaps the most foundational and indispensable of them all, being with the whole of experience. And as always, please listen to the entire meditation, not just a piece of it. It's really worth giving 23 minutes of your time to deepening your own inner experience and expanding the range of what is possible for you in this life.

Being with the

whole of experience, Please get settled in your seat or chair and take a few deep breaths. Breathing

in a little deeper, breathing out a little longer

and slower. arrive fully in the body. Arrive in

the now.

Let awareness permeate the body, spreading awareness throughout the whole body. enveloping the whole body in awareness. Let awareness permeate the whole body. Notice the body is within awareness. Not the other way around The body is like a cloud of sensations within awareness There's no need in this practice to scan the body part by part. If you let awareness go into soft focus as it were, then you can encompass the whole

body

with awareness. Please lay aside any thoughts the mind has about the body. There's no need to attend to any little aches and pains or pleasurable sensations. Keep awareness in soft focus, encompassing the whole body. then widen the field of perception so that it encompasses all sounds. Just notice all the sounds in your environment without labeling them. No need to identify any sound

here,

rather attending to the whole field of sound as well as sensation. With this whole field awareness, you notice all sounds simultaneously and all sensations too. At the same time, keep relaxing, relaxing into this whole field perception. Just being with the whole field of sensation and sound. There's nothing to understand about it. There's nothing to do about it.

Just be with it.

And please don't imagine yourself as a witness or a perceiver separate from what is perceived. That is just a kind of subtle thought that's not needed. Rather, Melt yourself into the whole field of awareness. Become the whole field. until all sounds are simply a vibration within what you are. Likewise, all sensations If any thoughts arise, they too are simply a vibration in the medium of awareness. Please don't give any attention to their content, but you can notice them as a particular kind of vibration. It doesn't need to be understood or even registered. If any feelings arise, they too are a kind of vibration in the medium of awareness. Like currents in the ocean,