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Guided Meditation: Here and Now, Onward Flow; Qualities of the Dharma - Kim Allen

The following talk was given by Kim Allen at Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA on November 03, 2025. Please visit the website www.audiodharma.org for more information.

Guided Meditation: Here and Now, Onward Flow

I am going to offer brief guidance for our sit. It won't be for the entire time, but it is a way of orienting and beginning to touch into the topic that we will talk about later.

Please begin by settling into a meditation posture that is comfortable for you—comfortable enough—and gently allowing the eyes to close if that is okay for you. This allows the attention to come inward.

It is useful at the beginning of a sit to pay some attention to your posture. It is not the same kind of sitting as you do in your chair for the computer or sitting at a table to eat. If you are on the floor, it may be an unusual posture for you. Take a moment to really sense where you are sitting: your seat against the cushion, your seat against the chair, your legs or feet against the floor.

The general idea is to be upright and relaxed. It is easy to be relaxed and not upright; it is easy to be bolt upright and very tight. Neither of those is a helpful posture for meditation. Find the spot where you are sitting and allow yourself to balance. You can even rock slightly back and forth or forward and back to sense into the balance point where it takes very little effort for the body to be upright. Just natural straightness to the spine, ease to the shoulders. I sometimes see it like a sea plant that is anchored to the seafloor and just rises naturally in the water buoying it upward. The meditation posture can feel that natural and simple.

Sense into the body in general in the sitting posture: the shape of the body, the balance of it, softening the body around that central straight core. A simple, balanced posture supports having a simple presence of mind. They are not unrelated.

Turn the attention gently toward the simple sensations of breathing. Breathing in, breathing out. Natural breath. We don't make it into anything; just how it is. The breath can provide a nice anchor or point of orientation for the mind to help it stay in the here and now. The breath doesn't need to be all-consuming of your attention, but it can go in the foreground as you also hear sounds like the sound of my voice, sounds in the room, or sounds in whatever room you are in if you are online.

You may also have other body sensations. There may be an emotion or two in your mind, or some thoughts. These are all fine. We can connect with them through the simple sensations of breathing in and breathing out. With that in the foreground, these other things can come and go as they do in the background.

The quality of mindfulness is about being with the present moment experience. And then the experience of the next moment, and the next. Here and now. There is a wonderful immediacy to just resting with what is happening now—also an intimacy.

When the mind picks up a thought and gets lost in that world, following the ideas along, it is not really in the present moment anymore. It has entered a different realm. But it is always possible, when we see that, to again sense the immediacy of here and now, the freshness of this moment. We can even enjoy that and be curious about it.

When we begin connecting with the "here-and-nowness" of experience, it can feel restful. The mind is so tired from wandering all around the thought realm much of the day. Ah, to arrive here. Thinking is exhausting.

I will invite one more dimension before we settle into silence together. That is that when the mind does settle in and become somewhat more still, we can tune in to a very natural flow that is present in experience. Experience is here and now, just this moment, and it has an onward-flowing quality to it that is very different from the way our wandering thoughts flow.

The flow of natural experience is more like the flow of a stream or river, operating under the laws of gravity and fluid mechanics. Can we sense that there is the here and now—the immediacy—and a simple onward flow that is also relaxing to enter into? There is not so much to do, except to invite awareness and gently help the mind not to wander away. Allow yourself to abide in the here and now with its onward flow.

Qualities of the Dharma

Speaker introduction: Good morning everyone. Welcome to the Insight Meditation Center (IMC). I would like to introduce our teacher for the day, Kim Allen. Kim began meditating in 2003, seeking both a path out of suffering and the deeper truths of life. She trains mainly under the guidance of Gil Fronsdal¹ at the Insight Meditation Center and has also practiced in Sri Lanka and more recently with a few Mahayana² teachers. Kim was drawn early on to long retreat practice and has sat a cumulative three years of retreat. Engagement with the Pali Canon³ and texts from other Buddhist traditions informs her practice and her life. A teacher and author, Kim aims to bring classical Dharma to a modern context and to encourage lay practitioners in fully living a life of Dharma. Kim also serves on the board of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies. Her education includes a Ph.D. in physics and a master's degree in environmental sustainability. Her website is uncontrived.org.

We often use this word Dharma⁴. Probably many of you are here because you heard that there would be a "Dharma talk" this morning, or maybe some of you say that you "practice the Dharma." You are a Dharma practitioner. Some people are inspired to live the Dharma, embody the Dharma, or realize the Dharma. Maybe we have come to see the Dharma as a refuge in our life in some way.

But what is the Dharma? Do we know? Are we clear on what that word means to us or how it was used in Buddhist teachings?

There isn't just one answer to that question. There are many different meanings of the term Dharma. Even within the Buddha's dispensation, there are a lot of different meanings; it is very multifaceted. For each of us, there may be different aspects that feel most relevant or prominent at certain times.

Today we are going to explore different dimensions of the Dharma that can help to deepen our understanding and our experience of the path toward liberation. We will talk about it in a way that is supportive for practice. That means we are not going to try to be exhaustive or use academic definitions—which would be hard to do anyway. It is an invitation for you to consider which dimensions feel most relevant, rich, immediate, and inspiring for you at this time. What is drawing your interest or engagement with the Dharma?

To start with some orientation, one of the key meanings of Dharma is the teachings themselves—the teachings of the Buddha, sometimes called the Buddha-Dharma.

Dharma can also mean the particular experiences that we have, such as a mind state happening right now. We would say that is a dharma, or a dharma passing through the mind. There is a whole area of practice called "mindfulness of dharmas," which means mindfulness of the different mental states coming through.

A large meaning of the word Dharma is that it can simply mean nature. It refers not just to the experiences we have, which are part of nature unfolding in our being, but also more subtly to the underlying natural laws that are operating as we experience life. How life unfolds is also Dharma.

The Buddha described the Dharma (or Dhamma in Pali) with a series of phrases. These succinct phrases are chanted in monasteries every day as a way of praising, celebrating, or reflecting on the beauty of the Dharma. Some laypeople also do this chant or reflection. It is really for all of us. The words go like this:

The Dharma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, visible here and now, immediate, inviting one to see for oneself, onward leading, and to be experienced personally by the wise.

There are six of these phrases. Today we are going to look at these six qualities with the aim of becoming more intimate with the Dharma. Touching into these qualities through practice is known to support inspiration, wisdom, and inner strength. Direct experience of these qualities can deepen our practice quite a bit.

Why should we pay attention to them? I am not just making it up; there are teachings from the Buddha in the discourses where he offered reflecting on these six qualities as a form of practice. Specifically, reflecting on these six qualities is said to lead to a set of qualities that don't have an official name, but one teacher has called them the "Well-being Cascade," which I like quite a lot. Another teacher has called them the "Gladness Pentad."

Here is a quote from the teachings of the Buddha:

You should recollect the Dharma in this way: The Dharma is well expounded by the Buddha, apparent here and now, immediate, inviting one to see for oneself, onward leading, to be experienced personally by the wise.

When a noble disciple recollects the Dharma, their mind is not full of greed, hatred, and delusion. At that time, their mind is unswerving based on the Dharma. A noble disciple whose mind is unswerving finds inspiration in the meaning and the teaching and finds gladness connected with the teaching. When they are glad, joy springs up. When the mind is full of joy, the body becomes tranquil. When the body is tranquil, they feel happiness. And when they are happy, the mind becomes immersed in Samādhi⁵ [concentration or unification].

That is the five: gladness, joy, tranquility, happiness, and Samādhi. That is pretty good in and of itself, but other teachings affirm that beyond Samādhi we have clear seeing, insight, and liberation. Getting in touch with these six qualities is not trivial; it initiates a sequence that unfolds along the path all the way to liberation.

These different aspects of the Dharma are pretty interrelated, so we will weave them together as we talk.

1. Well-Expounded (Svākkhāto)

The first one stands on its own. The Pali is Svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo—well-expounded by the Blessed One. When I reflect on this, I see both a wisdom side and a heart side.

We can observe that the teachings are well-expounded through the fact that they work. Following the instructions does indeed lead to beneficial results. I am guessing most of you have seen that to some degree. When we do mindfulness practice—the basic instructions we start with here in this tradition—we become less caught up in reactivity. We have less stress in our mind. We have more awareness during the day. We become kinder. It works. The Dharma is well-expounded; these instructions from so long ago are still effective.

Then there is the heart side: look at the staying power of the Dharma over millennia. The Buddha saw so deeply into the human condition and stated so clearly what the problems are, how we can overcome them through practices we can do, and how these practices free the heart from suffering. He saw so deeply that he could say it in a way that is still relevant 2,600 years later, in a different culture across the world. For me, this evokes wonder, devotion, and respect. Reflecting on this can bring about gladness—just like the Sutta⁶ said. Wow, I'm so glad the Buddha taught. If we stay with it, the mind can settle down.

2. Visible Here and Now (Sandiṭṭhiko)

The next two qualities home in on the present moment, getting the mind away from busyness, distraction, past, and future.

"Visible here and now" or "apparent here and now" is Sandiṭṭhiko in Pali. Diṭṭhi relates to seeing. When we consider the experiential side of the Dharma, we can see that experience is not hidden or esoteric. It is what we see, what we hear, the emotions and thoughts we have right now. Having an experience doesn't require specialized knowledge; it is discerned through our very senses here and now. The Dharma is happening. This is it. How it is unfolding through you is "it" for this moment. It is not like some other experience would be the Dharma and what I am having isn't.

There is a question we can ask: When am I aware? The answer will always be: Now. We may think about the future and the past, but we are aware now.

3. Immediate / Timeless (Akāliko)

The Pali for this is Akāliko. Kāla means time, and the a- is a negation. It literally means "not time" or timeless. The most common translation is "immediate." There is no time needed to process the Dharma; it is right now.

I also like the term "unmediated." It is not mediated by anything; it is very direct in the moment. Sometimes I demonstrate this by asking you to put your hands close together but not touching. You can feel the warmth from one hand on the other. We understand there is some interaction, but it is mediated by the air gap. Now, touch them. That is a different feeling. The feeling of warmth is direct, and you feel pressure. This is a connection that is unmediated; there is no intervening medium.

It is just an analogy, but it can help us understand what Dharma teachers mean when they say, "Sit and feel your experience directly." It means we are not putting any medium between the experience and our knowing of it. It has this immediacy. That gives it a richness and depth that is very different from the somewhat flat experience of thought. Thinking about the future or the past is mediated through concepts. That critical term "about" implies an indirectness.

Henry Shukman, a Zen teacher, gives a powerful description of the richness of the present moment versus the habits of mind that step back from it. Suppose you are walking up an old track in a long valley. Tufts of grass grow by the roadside; stones underfoot impress themselves on the soles of your feet. You feel the edges of puddles. Even through your shoes, you feel variations in texture. You move through shade and sunshine and feel the difference. You hear birdsong and insect sounds. It is a rich sensory experience full of detail.

Now, imagine riding along that same track on a bicycle. You don't feel the variation in the ground quite as much because your tires smooth things out. You don't see things as clearly because you are going faster. You don't hear the insects. It is a different experience.

Now imagine driving in a car. If the windows are up, you only hear the inside of the car. The tires make things very smooth. You see colors, but it is not as rich. And then imagine you are driving on a freeway. The point is just to get past the valley to where you are going; maybe you are listening to a podcast about something far away.

Becoming a meditator could be viewed as slowing down the car, getting out of it, and walking—going through life at a pace where we can experience the sensory details of the trip. Do you allow yourself this? It is important for the path to unfold.

We can bring this into daily life. Eat a little slower. Mindfully taste the food. We eat every day, and we could slow down to notice the texture and tastes—not to get lost in them, but to notice more detail. We touch many things during the day. What is a doorknob really like? Is it cool metal? Is it room temperature wood? Notice the coolness, warmth, smoothness, roughness. What is the experience of your favorite sweater?

This quality of "here and now" and "immediate" opens up a quality of freshness, vibrancy, and potentiality. It raises the question: Are we willing to experience things directly? We might say yes, but often there are underlying qualifications: "I'll experience this if it's pleasant." In the Dharma, we don't wait to see if the moment is pleasant before we show up for it. We show up first and see how it is.

This touches into the quality of Saddhā⁷—faith, trust, or confidence. It is a little vulnerable to be available to this moment before we know what is coming. Cultivating mindfulness throughout the day moves us toward that willingness. When we are willing to meet experience with confidence, we initiate a different unfolding of life than if we meet experience with fear or qualification.

4. Inviting to Come and See (Ehipassiko)

The next two qualities shift into how the Dharma flows. The fourth is Ehipassiko. Ehi means "come" and passiko relates to "seeing." It literally means "come and see." It can be translated as inviting interest, curiosity, or wise investigation. My favorite translation these days is "beckoning."

The wisdom side of this is that we need to see for ourselves. I can sit here telling you things, but when we see for ourselves, that is when we really learn. Maybe we see that we have become kinder, or we notice a moment where we didn't react with anger. We think, Whoa, that's different. We have come and seen.

The heart side is the beckoning. There is a calling in the Dharma. Something attracts us. We are conditioned to downplay that—"I just come to IMC because it's nice"—but isn't there something in your heart, perhaps a deep yearning? This is a quality of the Dharma. It draws the heart.

5. Onward Leading (Opanayiko)

In the immediacy of the present moment, is there also a subtle movement? Sometimes there is a subtle drawing in a direction that we can feel. This is Opanayiko—onward leading. We have the ability, if we are present enough, to detect the flow of the path, which is different from the flow of our will.

The Buddha used water images to help us understand this. One is the idea of a flood (Ogha). In a conversation with a Deva⁸, the Buddha is asked how he crossed the flood. He replies: "By not halting, friend, and by not straining, I crossed the flood. When I came to a standstill, I sank. But when I struggled, I got swept away."

The "flood" refers to things like sensual desire, becoming, and ignorance—or simply Dukkha⁹ (suffering) in the mind. Greed, hatred, delusion, anxiety, and depression can overwhelm us. How do we cross that? We want to stand on dry land and feel peaceful. The method is one of balance. If you cross a swift river, you can't stand still or you lose your balance, but you can't rush or you will be swept away.

In practice, if we do nothing, the mind stays as it is (halting). If we bear down with a sledgehammer or force of will (straining), that is not the way to liberation. The middle way is a mature process of allowing the mind to be as it is, but kindly and firmly orienting it toward what is wholesome and onward leading.

The second image is the stream. The Buddha paints a picture of natural flow: rain pours on a mountaintop, filling gullies, which fill pools, lakes, streams, rivers, and finally the great ocean. He relates this to practice: with suffering as a proximate cause, there is faith; with faith, gladness; with gladness, joy; joy leads to tranquility, happiness, Samādhi, and onward to liberation.

We are making a shift from flood to stream. The floods (discursive thought, ill will, anxiety) do not go to the ocean of freedom. But there is a wholesome current—non-greed, non-hatred, patience, kindness, compassion, wisdom—that we can pick up. Opanayiko is this onward-leading flow of the wholesome. When we get quiet, we can sense that current.

We have qualities that emphasize the present moment (here and now, immediate) and qualities of flowing (beckoning, onward leading). They are not contradictory. The immediacy of the present moment doesn't lock us into a static sliver of reality. There is a flow from here to the next moment in a wholesome way.

The Thai teacher Ajahn Chah¹⁰ used to ask his students, "Have you ever seen still water?" "Yes, Bhante." "Have you ever seen flowing water?" "Yes, Bhante." "Have you ever seen still, flowing water?"

If you have meditated quietly and sensed into this flow, you would say, "Yes, I have seen still, flowing water."

6. To Be Experienced Personally by the Wise (Paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi)

We need wisdom to sense whether something is a flood or a stream. This leads to the last quality: Paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi.

"Personally" here doesn't mean "personally" like an identity or a self. It is the reflexive idea that we experience things for ourselves; this flow of experience is what is real for us. It can be translated as "each one for themselves." It is unique. It is this moment for you, your mind and body experiencing this flow.

Altogether, these six qualities reveal the vastness of the Dharma. It is immediate and it is vast. The mind that is at rest in the flow of experience can discern the fullness of the Dharma in these six qualities. We relax into the timelessness of the present moment intersecting with the arrow of time flowing along.

I will read the list again: The Dharma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, visible here and now, timeless, beckoning, onward leading, and to be experienced personally by the wise.

Awareness of these six dimensions helps to bring them forth in your own experience. It evokes wisdom, heart qualities, and everyday mindfulness. My wish for all of us is to be blessed by this refuge of the Dharma and to feel our appreciation of these beautiful qualities.