A short guided meditation/transcript prompting heart-centered self-inquiry to identify and compassionately attend to difficult emotions that recur and don't serve the listener. It emphasizes repeatedly asking precise, soulful questions (e.g., “What do I most need?”) to move from circular suffering into curiosity, inner guidance, and healing, and frames contemplation itself as a sustaining practice.
Inquiry from the Heart Let yourself as clearly as possible identify the feeling or feelings that you feel stuck in or are aware that they're running through you in a repetitive way that isn't serving you. Pause. Let yourself really feel what those feelings are or what that feeling is. It could be anxiety, anger, inadequacy, despair. Only you know. So really let yourself look. Keep asking yourself what is the feeling or what are the feelings that really I get consumed in and they really don't serve me that I want to keep my eyes on so that they don't play as big a role in my life? This savoring of your awareness is worth doing not only for this moment but but it will serve to support you to do it more forever. A deepening of a healthy pattern of serving yourself by staying aware. Look for the part of your heart that wants to care for you while you're feeling this difficult emotion or state of suffering. You may have words like I really want to guide myself or care for myself. Let yourself ponder what is the specific question I want to ask now to give me the best chance of helping myself, given what I'm feeling and facing? This question would be asking you in words, what is it that I most need? What qualities, thoughts or actions would be most beneficial to give attention to? Realize again and again again that this type of question will guide you from being caught in the circular thinking or feeling that you're immersed in and repeat it as much as it's needed. Pay close attention to the tone of your question that it be reaching deeply into your heart to the part that most wants to find, soothing, strength, or whatever quality is most central to your need. Let it be musical with a melody in the asking of the question, recognize that you're in a noble pursuit of your own wisdom, guidance and healing. If no guidance comes, let yourself appreciate that you're shifting from circular suffering to an asking open mind and curiosity. Recognize it as an expression of your caring heart and wisdom. Looking for what can be of greatest support. Inquiring from the heart, especially when you aren't feeling good, is a state and source of great courage, persistence and wisdom. Trust yourself that this is contemplation and recognize that for all of us, contemplation can be a state of fulfillment in itself. Many times this inquiring from the heart is more important and inspiring than the answers that actually ultimately come. We can't possibly find our own wisdom if we don't respect and practice contemplation and this kind of questioning. You might ask how can I find more courage when I'm afraid. How can I find harmlessness when I'm angry? How can I find trust and persistence to keep asking my questions when I'm confused? Being as exacting as about the question as much as you can Stay with your question. Let it be central and sustained both in this meditation and beyond. Let it relate to the present and near future. Realize that when you really get the benefits of being centered in your heart in these questions, you will feel I get to ask these questions. It's not that you should. It's not that you have to. It's that you realize the questions are a pathway to your heart. It doesn't cost me anything and it's such a way of caring for myself. Repeat these encouraging words with as much sincerity of wanting to be a contemplator as much as possible and appreciate that it is both a way of loving yourself and the world. I get to ask these questions no matter what is happening or what I'm feeling. As I remember this and practice it, I become more and more liberated. Sa.
