July 16. 2008 

Guided Meditations

Dear Reader

I have put together a brief description of the Triple Gem and the place of insight meditation (known as Vipassana in the Buddhist tradition) in the Dharma. There are some 35 guided meditations.

I use guided meditations as a vehicle to communicate the beloved Dharma.

A number of these guided meditations have some basic instructions immediately before them.

1 - 5 Preparation for Meditation

6 – 8 Three Prayers

9 – 11 Meditation on the Triple Gem

12 – 15 Four Postures

16 – 17 Wise Eating and What to Eat

18 - 24 Foundations of Mindfulness

25 – 27 Three Characteristics of Existence

28 – 30 Divine Abidings

31 – 35 Various Themes

36 – 40 Ultimate Truth

With guided meditations, you may wish to print some of them out, adopt a suitable posture, and slowly and mindfully read inwardly or out loud the guided meditation while listening to your inner response. You may care to read the meditation and then sit in the silence immediately after. I have recorded most of the meditations below onto my audio website. Even better, you write and record your own guided meditations.

Please remember the Triple Gem is a refuge and a meditation. One meditator told me that her life was falling apart. Her husband had left her. She lost her job. She couldn’t afford to pay her mortgage. She couldn’t sleep. She felt suicidal. Frequent psychotherapy made no difference. Finally, she simple repeated to herself the Triple Gem in Pali language, as a mantra, inwardly and out loud, hour after hour, day or night, especially when she felt desperate and full of tormenting, self-destructive thoughts.

“Meditating on the Triple Gem as a mantra got me through this horrible nightmare. I emerged out of a very dark tunnel. Nothing else worked. Nothing outwardly had changed. But I felt ready to take on the challenges of these major changes in my life” she told me.

As always, the purpose of meditation, as the Buddha often stated, is twofold, namely for calm (samatha) and insight (vipassana).

Sometimes the theme of a guided meditation may meet a particular experience, concern or time in your life. Below is a list starting with the Triple Gem.  

1. Triple Gem
2. What Is Insight Meditation (Vipassana)?
3. Four Postures
4. Mindfulness Of Eating
5. A Simple Guide to Eating
6. Prayer Of The Heart
7. A Daily Reflection
8. A Daily Meditation
9. Meditation on the Buddha
10. Meditation on the Dharma
11. Meditation on The Sangha
12. Meditation on Sitting Meditation
13. Meditation on Walking Meditation
14. Meditation on Standing Meditation
15. Meditation on Reclining Meditation
16. Meditation on Breath
17. Mindfulness on the in-Breath and out-Breath
18. Meditation on the Body
19. Meditation on Feelings
20. Meditation on Painful Emotions
21. Meditation on States Of Mind
22. Meditation on Choiceless Awareness
23. Meditation on Impermanence
24. Meditation on Naming The Suffering
25. Meditation on Non-self
26. Meditation on Loving Kindness (Metta)
27. Meditation on Love Towards Three Kinds Of People
28. Meditation on Compassion
29. Meditation on Appreciative Joy
30. Meditation on Equanimity
31. Meditation on Acceptance
32. Meditation for Healing
33. Meditation on Happiness
34. Meditation on Service
35. Meditation on Absence Of
36. Meditation on Nowhere To Go
37. Meditation on Dependent Arising Nature Of Things
38. Meditation on Liberation
39. Meditation on Emptiness
40. Meditation on Truth

WHAT IS INSIGHT MEDITATION?

Insight Meditation(Vipassana) and associated spiritual teachings awaken one to the Truth of things and its presence in daily circumstances.

Insight Meditation belongs to a comprehensive body of teachings known as the Dharma. The Dharma embraces ethics, spiritual inquiry, contact with like-minded people, compassion, wisdom and an enlightened life.

Insight Meditation offers emotional and psychological insights, a depth of awareness, inner peace and a profound and liberating sense of the Here and Now.

APPLICATION OF THE FOUR POSTURES AND EATING WITH MINDFULNESS

Sitting Meditation: Cross-legged, use of meditation stool or chair without back support (unless necessary). Sit with straight back and neck with chin slightly tucked in, eyes closed with feeling of expansion in chest and diaphragm area. Avoid use of will power to hold posture. Let the whole body settle into the posture with alert presence. Bring full awareness to the immediacy of things.

Walking Meditation: Meditative walking consists of slow, short steps. Heel of one foot hardly goes in front of the toes of the other. Be mindful of each foot touching the ground. Eyes used for seeing ahead and balance. One resting on the other at the abdomen. 5-15 metres to walk up and down with moment to moment awareness. Be respectful to each step on the Earth.

Standing Meditation: Stand with toes and heels close together. Hands together on the abdomen. Eyes closed or open. Experience the presence of whole body from soles of feet to top of the head. Then experience stillness of posture, the vibration of life and sense of being.

Reclining Meditation: Lie flat on the back with heels together or bend knees so heels are drawn close to buttocks. Eyes closed. Head on small, firm pillow or two or three books. Arms at the side of the body, palms facing upwards. Be fully present to intimacy with immediate nature.

Eating Meditation: Vegetarian or vegan food. Initial reflection on world wide inter-dependency that makes a meal possible. Silence throughout meal with alert posture. Conscious and unhurried eating with mindfulness of tasting, chewing and swallowing of food. Concluding with a reflection as a thanksgiving.

THE PRACTICE OF WISE EATING

• Be aware and beware of all diet books, vitamin pills, food supplements and scientific claims on the new wonder food or drink put out by the food industry.
• Let go of eating anything with a face – animals, birds or fish.
• Use olive oil to cook food.
• Use organic food as much as possible.
• Take no notice of doctors living n the Middle Ages, Western, Chinese or alternative, advising you to eat meat or fish.
• Eat biscuits, chocolate, chips, crisps, sweets, processed food as an treat, not as a supplement for real food. Renounce McDonalds, Burgher King, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola etc
• Eat out as a treat, not as a norm. Save money and give to the desperately hungry.
• Avoid throwing away food. Use for compost.
• If you smoke cigarettes, always carry bottled water and replace fire element (inhaling tobacco smoke) with water element. Keep refilling water container rather than buy plastic bottles
• Walk to market or local shops, if possible, with large shopping bags
• When hungry eat from the wonderful range of foods below.

WHAT TO EAT (with some foods named for a healthy diet)

Water: Drink plenty of clean water.

Protein. A balanced diet meets protein needs. Eat tofu, rice, beans, pulses and wholegrains, tahini, eggs (free range) humous, pulses, wholegrains, breansprouts and soya milk,

Vitamins A. Carrots, spinach, watercress, tomatoes, red peppers, dried apricots.

Vitamin B. Nuts, mushrooms, avocados, leafy vegetables and salads, yeast, currants, wheat germ.

Vitamin B12. Soya, (preferably organic) milk, breakfast cereals, yeast extract.

Vitamin C. Oranges, blackcurrents, leafy vegetables, broccoli, parsley,

Vitamin D. From sunshine. Fortified cereals and soya milik.

Vitamin E. Olive oil, tomatoes, peppers, wheatgerm, tahini, nuts, seeds.

Iron. Tofu, beans, spinach, cabbage, prunes, dates, wheatgerm,

Calcium. Tofu, tahini, milk, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, swede, almonds, brazils, soya milk

Carbohyrdrates. Pasta, cereals, oats, rice, wholemeal bread, potatoes,

Fibre. Fruit and vegetables. Wholegrains. Nuts. Oats. Beans and Pulses.

May all sentient beings be free from suffering

May all beings be free from problems around food

May all beings be happy, healthy and free

PRAYER OF THE HEART

Let us keep our heart focussed

Let me find kindness to negate resentment

Let me show generosity to dissolve possessiveness

Let me stand steady in the face of pain rather than live in fear

Let me experience inquiry rather than reaction

Let me be free from clinging and a narrow mind

Let me express compassion rather than indifference

So that my heart connects with the realities of others

So that I stay true to an undying principle

Of treating others as I wish to be treated.

So awareness and respect pervade

My thoughts, words and actions.

To live in such a way brings dignity and nobility to life

And reveals true freedom of being.

A DAILY REFLECTION

I vow to remember that today is a new day

Full of new beginnings and fresh moments

Today, I will not cling to events of yesterday nor yesteryear

But stay connected with what today brings.

I will not madly pursue my desires at the expense of others

Nor flee from challenging tasks.

I will remain true to the unfolding process of today

Without losing myself in thoughts of what was or what might be.

I will treat today with awareness and sensitivity

Even in the most ordinary of tasks.

I will apply myself wholeheartedly to the fullness of today

For I know that today holds the resource for authenticity.

DAILY MEDITATION

Let us be still for a few moments

Without moving even our little finger

So that a hush descends upon us.

There would be no place to go,

Nor to come from,

For we would have arrived in this extraordinary moment

There would be a stillness and silence,

That would fill all of our senses,

Where all things would find their rest.

Everything would then be together in a deep connection.

Putting an end to 'us and them', this against that.

We would not move in these brief moments

For that would disturb this palpable presence;

There would be nothing to be said nor done

For life would embrace us in this wondrous meeting

And take us into its arms as a loving friend.

Look around your home and find what you feel is the best spot for regular meditation.

Place the items that you feel would be supportive for that place. A mat, sacred object, a flower, a candle, a small bell or just a chair, or meditation cushion. To begin the meditation, play some meditative music. Read out loud from a book that you appreciate

Play an extract from a taped talk on meditation or spiritual teachings

Bring your mindfulness to the breathing. Practice initially for 15 minutes and extend your daily meditation times. Up to 45 minutes.

You can practice once a day, twice a day, morning and evening,

THE THREE REFUGES

I TAKE REFUGE IN THE BUDDHA

Buddham Saranam Gachami

I TAKE REFUGE IN THE DHARMA

Dhammam Saranam Gachami

I TAKE REFUGE IN THE SANGHA

Sangham Saranam Gachami

The ‘m’ at the first and second word is pronounced ‘ng’.

The word Buddha means the fully Awakened One. Awakening expresses full realisation of the ultimate and intimate Truth. Such a being knows liberation, non-duality, keeps uncovering insights into the great field of existence and abides with love and compassion for others.

The Dharma is the teaching of the Awakened Ones. Dharma refers to teachings and practice that embrace ethics, awareness, love, meditation, inquiry and our engagement with the world.

.

The Sangha includes the awakened ones, the noble ones dedicated to supporting and sharing their realisations and all those deeply committed to the Dharma.

MAY ALL BEINGS ABIDE WITH WISDOM

MEDITATION ON THE BUDDHA

Read slowly and mindfully to allow yourself to absorb whatever in the following meditation seems appropriate. The purpose of this meditation is to break free from the mindset that the any waves in the mind of another states who they really are. The world appears flat but that does not make it flat. A person appears up and down but that does not make them up and down.

If we look deeply enough, we will know that the true nature of a person abides without measure, without limitations. To see this is to see a Buddha. After this mediation on a Buddha, be still and quiet for several minutes.

Just as the sun shines, despite the clouds

So all beings are enlightened, despite the issues

Let me acknowledge this

All beings are liberated

Let me acknowledge this

All beings are ground in the Truth

Let me witness this

Everybody is a Buddha

Let me be respectful to everybody

Let me not be deceived by the superficial conditioning of others

So that I have no doubt that greed, hate and delusion remains empty of substance

So that I have no doubt that boredom, anxiety and fear stand empty of reality

Let myself not be deceived with such impressions

May I end preoccupation with such mind states of others

May I see the abiding Buddha nature in everybody

Even in times of difficulty and disagreement

May I realise that all beings share the same undivided nature

May my communications and actions reveal this understanding

Just as the Buddha is revealed equally everywhere

May I be mindful of the world

As a Buddha abides mindfully of the world.

MEDITATION ON THE DHARMA

The Dharma refers to teachings and practices that point directly to an enlightened life. The teachings give support to all through providing resources to transform our lives. To see the Dharma is to see the Buddha. This meditation reminds us of the importance of the Dharma for our daily lives and of contact with those (called the Sangha) who practise the Dharma in order to live a noble way of life. Read this meditation on the Dharma, reflect on one's commitment to the Dharma, and spend several minutes in silence, mindful of the Dharma of the here and now.

Nobody will enlighten my life

I cannot enlighten my life

A Buddha cannot enlighten my life

A Buddha can only point out the way

Through the jungle of confused ideas

And troublesome mind states.

Only the Dharma can enlighten my life

Therefore I prostrate before the Dharma

Make myself a servant of the Dharma.

I can only pay respect to the Dharma

Through pure and clear activities of

My body, speech and mind.

I practise to dissolve the differences

Through notions of superior and inferior Dharmas

So that the Dharma and the Buddha abide

Inseparably like honey and sweetness.

I practise the Dharma through morality,

That means non-harming and non-exploitation

Of others and of myself, too.

I practise the Dharma through mindful

And meditating on things that matter

I practise the Dharma through living wisely,

Uprooting the force of selfish desire

Embracing all that enters into my life with clarity

And allowing the Dharma to be my guide and refuge

For to follow these important principles is to

Abide among the Buddhas.

MEDITATION ON THE SANGHA

The word sangha literally means "gathering." It refers to two or more people gathered together to explore the Dharma, that is teachings and practices to enlighten our life. The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha have more value than possession of all the jewels placed together of all the royal families in the world. The Buddha-Dharma-Sangha reveal three expressions of the greatest jewel available to humanity. Like a precious diamond, this jewel exists in the world to point the way to the utter resolution of suffering at every level.

I regard the sangha as supportive friends

I place my trust and confidence in the sangha

I regard the sangha as worthy of deepest respect

I take my inspiration from the sangha

So that I can let go of what I need to let go of

Renounce what I need to renounce

Develop what I need to develop

And overcome what I need to overcome.

Through my commitment to the sangha

I pay respect to the sangha.

Without the sangha, I fall back on my self,

With its unwise and unskilful tendencies

With the support of the sangha, I can see clearly

So that I fall back on wisdom within

And truly act as a noble one.

I know that my teachers belong to the sangha

Support the sangha and nourish the sangha

And that my teachers and seniors in the sangha

Welcome the wisdom of the sangha so that they

Remain true to a noble way of life

The sangha is worthy of attention, worthy of merit,

Worthy of support, worthy of commitment.

May I be willing to give support to the sangha

As an expression of dana* whether it is through

Time, energy, work, practice, offerings, sums of money

And frequent presence so that the sangha abides

In unity, in love and in harmony

Always remaining respectful to the Noble Ones,

To Liberation and to an Enlightened Life.

*donations, gifts, offerings, acts of generosity

MEDITATION ON SITTING

Just sit cross legged, lean the hips forward a lilttle

So the line of the back, that powerhouse of energy,

the spine is straight going down to the earth and up to the sky.

Forget your life, your countless stories

and the torrid mythology of self existence.

You cannot even distinguish the body from the floor

With your eyes closed and only unformed sensations emerging

Rest in the stillness with evaporated edges

With the world of the body and surrounding forms

Have melted in the gaze of stillness.

Don’t imagine for a moment, don’t think for a second

that there is such an experience as Oneness, either absolute or relative.

Who am I to take up such a standpoint.

Who am I to claim that first there was separation, a Twoness,

But the real truth there is oneness. Two. One. One. Two. One.Two.

If you move you will disturb the world

Much more than you realise.

If you don’t move yo will disturn the world

Much more than your realise.

Let us free ourselves from the matrix of the self in the world

Let us not abide in the knower and the known

Nor in the ignorance of not knowing

So we find a humility in our stillness

And the realilsation of a signless discovery

With nothing whatsovever to build up.

Ah, sitting – empty of itself and other

MEDITATION ON WALKING

Who is walking?

is the walker separate from the walking?

is there one activity going on?

namely just walking

or are there two activities – walking and walker?

If there are two,

do they collide with each other or stay apart?

if there is only walking

then who says it is walking?

Does the walker walk or not walk?

can the walker go anywhere?

since the walker is not the walk

then is the walker left behind?

Does the walker start before the walking

or start when the foot first moves?

at what point does standing become walking?

Can you find the beginning of walking?

can you find the beginning of the walker?

if you cannot find the moment that begins walking

then is it appropriate to refer to 'walking?'

I believe I know that when I walk

I see the body is moving.

Am I also moving?

Does walking depend upon the

walker to take place?

If the walker is not walking

what has happened to the walker

MEDITATION ON STANDING

Let us join the Community of Trees

and stand still with out feet firmly rooted to the ground,

upright, still, with the sky above our head

and the earth beneath our feet.

We would not wiggle our toes

nor fiddle with our fingers.

We experience the pulse of organic life

and the fusion of our sentient nature

with elemental nature,

whether stand during a retreat.

standing in the bus queue

or waiting for our luggage after a long flight.

There would be no movement in our mind,

Either to go there or somewhere else

There would be no desire to stand still

For in the standing still, we had come to the end of the desire.

There would be neither rhyme nor reason for this posture,

This asana of an upright existence.

No even our solidarity with the trees exercises adequate reason.

It would not be a matter of believing in some mysterium tremendum

for that would obscure dependently arising circumstances

and our capacity for a knowing and seeing that dissolves

any mystery.

Let us utterly rest in this posture until the form is irrelevant

and the relevant reveals itself.

MEDITATION ON RECLINING

Lie down with a view to stay mindful, to stay awake

Lie on the back or lie on the side. Use the resource of a thin pillow or a couple of books for the head.

Rest totally in the reclining posture. Do not imagine it is the most comfortable of the four postures.

Allow you consciousness to sink deeply within.

Rest in a calm place with your whole body melting into the floor or ground.

Give consciousness a chance to fuse into the cells of the body wshile giving the cells the oppprutmity to fuse into the floor.

Do not imagine that melting into cellular life answers all your prayers and mental constructions. You will move between the form and formless without have to give priority to one over the other.

Do not give more priority to reclining posture over the other three postures.

Instead of going deep, you could sink into your story with all the dramas and traumas that you have had to endure. You may start reliving your history in the name of working it all out.

Liberation transcends all self knowledge.

There is no necessity to give any of the four postures a ‘self’ importance that they do not have.

See that the posture is a form with no substance to it. Abide without a constructed existence.

MEDITATION ON THE IN BREATH AND THE OUT BREATH

I am breathing in

I am breathing out

I am breathing in a long breath

I am breathing out a long breath

I am aware of the breath as it comes into my body

I am aware of the breath as it leaves my body

I am aware of the in breath as it enters my nose

I am aware of the in-breath as it goes into my lungs

I am aware of the finish of the in breath

I am aware of the out breath as it departs from my nose

I am aware of the out breath as it departs from my lungs

I am aware of the finish of the out breath

I am aware of the moment (s) before the next in breath comes in

I am aware of the coming of the breath

I am aware of the going of the breath

MEDITATION ON MINDFULNESS OF BREATHING

In the sitting posture be mindful of the full breath experience. Experience the body expanding with the inhalation and contracting with the exhalation.

It is not necessary to focus on a particular location in the body but simply be mindful of breathing in and breathing out.

If tired, keep the eyes open. If restless, breathe long and deep and relax with the outbreath.

Allow the breath to flow in and out of the body, whether the breath is rough or smooth, shallow or deep.

Be aware of any moment(s) of stillness before the next in-breath.

Be aware of changes in the breath, of impermanence of every breath.

7. Experience the air element stimulating the cells of the body.

8. Relax gently with the outbreath when the mind easily wanders.

9. Let the brain cells become quiet.

10. Mindfulness of breathing contributes to harmony of body and mind and direct experience of organic life.

11. The air element confirms our intimacy and inter-dependence with the surrounding world.

12. Feel the freedom of simply breathing in and breathing out.

PS. Remember you don’t need a zafu (meditation cushion) nor a shrine room to sit in meditation! Any seat. Anywhere....

MEDITATION ON THE BODY

Awareness of subtle and gross body sensations cuts through much of the projection, if not obsession, around bodily appearance – size, age, weight, colour, gender and social values that interpret the body in a conditioned way.

Direct the attention to a full awareness of the direct body experience.

Moment to moment, slowly scan the attention from the head throughout the toes and from the toes to the top of the head. Experience directly the sensations and vibrations of the body.

Notice areas in the body where there is tension, pressure, aches and pains. In a relaxed way, direct mindfulness into these areas.

Be aware of the centre of the discomfort and also the outer edges. Observe changes and impermanence of these sensations. Direct mindfulness also to areas where there appears to be a lack of sensation.

Return attention to full awareness of the whole body. Experience the body as organic life, as various vibrations and sensations touching on consciousness.

Ground oneself in direct bodily experience. Be mindful of description and interpretations of the body through likes and dislikes, health and sickness so that one can respond with wisdom to bodily life.

Experience mindfulness of body as the inter-dependence of the five elements - earth, air, fire, water, space - i.e. firmness, lightness, warmth, fluidity or spaciousness.

Realise the body belongs to the nature of things rather than being "I" or "mine".

MEDITATION ON FEELINGS

Acknowledge feelings whether pleasant, unpleasant or in-between. Feelings give support to activities of body, speech and mind.

Experience what is felt Here and Now, and be aware of any descriptions or label of it. Be aware whether a feeling within is deep or shallow.

If the feeling intensifies and becomes emotion - ecstasy, sorrow, excitement, fear, bliss - let the experience unfold without struggle.

Neither detach oneself from feelings nor indulge in them. Neither fight difficult emotions nor flee from them.

Acknowledge feelings of love, friendship, compassion, gratitude and equanimity. Be conscious of and receptive to their presence and expression.

Be mindful of interpreting past, present and future in the face of pleasant, painful or in-between feelings.

Be mindful of the inter-dependence of feelings and states of mind.

Clinging to pleasant feelings leads to desire and pursuit of self-interest. Clinging to unpleasant feelings leads to withdrawal, aggression or other forms of reactivity. Clinging to in-between feelings leads to ignorance and blindness to the way things are.

Recognise the difference between spiritual feelings that contribute to ethics and wisdom and worldly feelings where ego interests are paramount.

Realise That where perceptions and feelings have no foothold.

MEDITATION ON PAINFUL EMOTIONS

Let us never regard it as a right to be angry about a situation. Treat the anger as part of the problem, not a wise response to the circumstances.

Allow a painful emotion to arise and be willing to experience it fully. Regard it as an uninvited guest that has arrived to stay for a while.

Be aware of the difficult mixture of emotions, perceptions, memories, intentions and projections. See what environment and posture and environment works well – indoors, outdoors, sit, stand, walk, recline, and dance.

Treat the story supporting the painful emotion as a story. Keep reminding yourself of this.

Any anger about a story belongs to the emotion.

Treat anger as unhealthy. The justification for the anger fuels the anger. Anger does not cease with anger.

When there is enough inner space, turn the attention calmly to the physical sensations in the body. Notice especially what part of the body releases the sensations, such as the abdomen, stomach or chest area.

Keep softly moving the focus of attention into that area experiencing the different degrees of unpleasant or painful sensations and feelings.

Settle into the bare experience of the feelings and sensations coming out of the cells noticing all the changes taking place. Do not look for anything behind the emotions as this is a resistance to the emotion.

Stay calmly focused in the locality even when it feels calm and clear. Remember to return to pain in the cells when you are swept back into the waves of emotions.

The dissolution of painful memory, images and issues springing from the cells takes the power out of the waves of emotions and the storyline that accompanies them.

Bring calm and focused meditation to the locations in the body regularly to cool out the fire that flares up into a reactive state about something.

Remember this is a regular practice.

When the fires of painful emotions begin to dissipate, we naturally think differently about that which troubles the mind. The problematic emotion will have dissolved – perhaps totally.

Reflect on what you have learnt from the whole experience so that drama never gets reborn in consciousness. Be grateful for working your way through the storm.

KEEP OPEN THE OPTION TO SEEK THE WISE COUNSEL OF ANOTHER.

MEDITATION ON STATES OF MIND

Be mindful and conscious of the Here and Now.

Be aware of the state of mind, calm or restless, focussed or wandering, clear or cloudy, alert or dull, without desire or with desire, positive or negative, grounded or flighty.

Witness the state of mind rising, staying and passing in consciousness. Notice times of pure observation of the state of mind and times of being lost in the state of mind.

Regard any state of mind as the opportunity for “self” learning and insight into inner life.

Witness a thought, opinion or judgement just as that. Know the difference between thoughts supported with wisdom and unwholesome thoughts.

See the mind as belonging to a process. Observe the presence of the motivation and use of “I” and “my” in the unfolding states of mind.

Be aware that an experience forms through conditions, not through choices.

Be aware of the inter-dependence of events, feelings, perceptions and consciousness forming the state of the mind.

Learn to explore the depths of meditation and religious experiences. See such experiences as the opportunity for insight and realisation.

By not holding onto any experience the heart-mind does not become the centre of existence. Realise liberation and the free mind.

MEDITATION ON CHOICELESS AWARENESS

Know that contact with the world through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Experience the senses without desire to fix or substantiate anything.

Abide with choiceless awareness though experiencing a deep sense of intimacy with all things.

Neither indulging in memories, nor pursing future dreams, nor looking for something to happen in the present.

Not choosing to focus on the personal or impersonal, unity or diversity, the static or evolution - since all positions refer to sentient and insentient objects.

Allow one's whole being to rest in this choiceless awareness.

Allow claims and possessiveness over existence to fade away.

Permit a palpably transforming silence and stillness to pervade one's being.

In this choiceless awareness, there is nowhere to go, to stay or to come from. Embrace the three fields of time, past, present and future.

Realise the Emptiness of claims on things, experience or on relative or Ultimate Truth.

In this receptivity, regard any liberating insight into the Ultimate Truth as expressions of Truth rather than fruits of “self” effort.

MEDITATION ON IMPERMANENCE

This is a formal meditation practice so that the understanding of impermanence runs deep into the mind. We practise to observe change whether it is the breath coming and going, body sensations coming and going, experiences and thoughts coming and going. It is meditation practice of sustaining awareness of change. We abide as steady as our meditation allows to be clear about impermanence. This meditation reminds us that nothing is worth clinging to or being possessive about due to change.

I am mindful of the moment to moment changes of the body

I am mindful of the moment to moment changes in the mind and body

I am mindful of the moment to moment changes in the feelings

I am mindful of the changing painful sensations in the body

I am mindful of the changing painful experiences in the heart and mind

I am mindful of the changing pleasurable and neutral experiences

I am mindful of my existence that is subject to birth, ageing, pain and death

Seeing impermanence reminds me not to cling to anyone

Seeing impermanence reminds me not to grasp onto anyone

Seeing impermanence reminds me not to be possessive around anyone or anything

Seeing impermanence reminds me to keep in touch with this unfolding world

Seeing impermanence reminds me that what arises will pass

To abide in freedom means not clinging, not grasping, not being possessive

May I live wisely in the face of impermanence

May I respond wisely to impermanence.

MEDITATION ON NAMING THE SUFFERING

There are various types of problems that arise. We often keep ignoring them hoping, foolishly, that they will go away. We often don't realise how much we are under the influence of these problems, how frequently they arise in subtle and gross ways. This meditation serves to make what needs to be made clear as clear as possible. You give a week or even a month to naming a particular difficulty that keeps arising to be clear about the frequency that it arises. We may not find this meditation easy. It will be important to ensure that we are aware of what is not present (see Meditation on Absence of).

Here and now, I recognise that this problem is arising

I am aware of the impact it has on myself due to its arising

I am aware of the feelings, thoughts and intentions that form this state of mind

I am aware of how easily its momentum comes out through what I say and do

I am aware of the degree that I identify with this state of mind and justify it

It not only makes life difficult for myself but also makes life difficult for others

Here and now I have the opportunity to work with this state of mind

Here and now I am practising to let go of this state of mind

Here and now I am practising to stop grasping onto this situation

Here and now I am practising to observe that it is impermanent

Here and now I am practising to observe that it is unsatisfactory

Here and now I am practising to observe it as not me, not myself, not who I really am

I am aware that this state of mind is only arising to pass

I am aware that this state of mind is not worth clinging to

I am aware that this state of mind only comes from a similar state of mind in the past

Right now I have the opportunity to develop freedom from this state of mind

Right now I have the opportunity to see the emptiness of this state of mind

This opportunity is available to me here and now.

Let me not waste this moment.

MEDITATION ON NOT-SELF

May awareness observe clearly whenever the ego arises

May awareness observe clearly whenever the I arises

May awareness see clearly when the notion of me arises

May awareness see clearly when the notion of my arises

May I be free from trying to build up my sense of self

May I be free from putting down my sense of self

So that I respond with wisdom to events

Rather than being trapped in reactions to the self

May inner awareness reveal a spaciousness around all events

May this awareness accommodate all I call ‘my life.’

May this awareness see feelings as feelings, not as myself

May this awareness see thoughts as thoughts, not as myself

May this awareness see perceptions as perceptions, not as myself

May this awareness see states of mind as states of mind, not as myself

May this awareness see the condition of body as the condition of body, not as myself.

So, that wisdom abides in the face of the inter-action of mind and body

MEDITATION ON LOVING KINDNESS (METTA)

Be relaxed and comfortable. Close the eyes and access a warm, caring, loving heartfulness towards life.

Be aware of the absence of ill will, desire to hurt or hate in the heart so that one experiences an authentic kindness and compassion towards one and all.

Generate this warmth to those who are in the immediate vicinity and far away.

Develop this meditation so that kindness of the heart becomes firm and steady despite the vicissitudes of existence.

May my teachers, community, loved ones, friends and contacts be free from suffering and pain.

May my mother and father be free from suffering and pain.

May my brothers, sisters and relatives be free from suffering and pain.

May people appreciate their inter-dependence with each other and their environment.

May animals and creatures in the earth, on the ground, in the air and under water live in safety and security.

May I abide with a warm heart, clear mind and be free from pain.

May my daily activities through body, speech, heart and mind contribute to the contentment, healing and insights of others.

May I find the resources for the welfare of others. May I be willing to take risks for their well-being.

May all beings know happiness.

May all beings know love.

May all beings be wisely supported.

May all beings be free.

May all beings experience awakening.

MEDITATION ON LOVE TOWARDS THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE

Remember to practise these meditations regularly for all three kinds of people. At times, you will need to concentrate on one of them due to circumstances. When you say the lines of to each kind of person remember to bring in the feeling of the heart to go with the words.

It can be worthwhile memorising the lines or similar lines to enable a loving presence to be steady in the heart whenever we are in contact with any of the three kinds of people.

TO YOUR LOVED ONES

May I always acknowledge and understand your intentions

May I always be supportive for you in time of need

May I never place demands and pressure on you

May you be well and happy

May your life know contentment and joy

May you be peaceful and steady from one day to the next

May our love and friendship for each other remain steady

TO STRANGERS

May I not rush to judgement on meeting you

May I show friendship and presence for you

May I communicate clearly and wisely in your presence

May your day be rich and worthwhile

May you act mindfully and consciously in all things

May everybody treat you with respect

May you show kindness to everybody that you meet

May your day be free from fear and worry

May you sleep well and peacefully tonight

TO THE UNFRIENDLY

May your anger and resentment subside quickly

May you understand the pain you cause yourself and others

May you explore fresh ways to explore differences

May you see into the fear behind the anger

May you develop equanimity when things do not go your way

May others stop being angry towards you

May you realise that anger does not cease with anger

May others listen to you and you listen to others

MEDITATION ON COMPASSION

I do not have to look very far to seeing suffering in this world.

I know that pity is not the same as compassion.

Compassion calls me to respond, to offer words, gestures, gifts.

Compassion demands something from my love, from concern.

I cannot ignore what I know.

I can only respond as best I can.

I am not perfect.

I am not a Buddha or a Christ

Yet, I can respond.

I can offer something

I can share something

I can express something that reveals a compassionate concern.

I know that my gestures for others is as nothing

Compared to the suffering in the world.

Yet, I act anyway,

Never expecting anything in return

Knowing that it is a small token

But these gestures of love

Regularly expressed reveal my humanity

Take the power out of selfishness

In addition, show that we are all connected

All in this web of life together.

MEDITATION ON APPRECIATIVE JOY

There is much to appreciate in life

that touches a profound place of joy.

It would be a pity to ignore

the daily miracles of existence,

to neglect access to appreciative joy.

Even the sun arising in the morning

is extraordinary, the bursting forth of flowers

and the journey of birds across the sky

above the towns and fields across the landscape.

Appreciative joy reveals through awe and wonder

Through children playing in the park

And the unexpected telephone call from an old friend

We have much to be happy about,

Much to marvel over.

Often much more in the inconsequentials than in the consequential

Let us stop still for a few moments

So that we can absorb the wonders of the moment

Indoors or outdoors, home or away

Let us dwell upon the undying presence at the heart

of things, so our being knows mystery

at the root of our experience.

It doesn't take a lot to wake up

Only an extra commitment to our eyes and ears

That contributes to knowing the deeper intimacies

Of an excelled exposure to the nature of things.

MEDITATION ON EQUANIMITY

I have been hurt by what took place

The experience has left its pain and its wounds

There has been an anguish and distress over past events

I am not ready to forgive because of what happened

I cannot turn around my emotions that easy

Yet I do not want to keep burning up inside

That means that the past still dominates my present.

So let me try to get on with my life today

Let me develop equanimity to what was

In order to keep steady with what is

There is no reason to place pressure on myself to forgive

But I will keep the intention to move on from the past

To maximise my contact with the present.

In time, I may come to forgive as a way of

Transcending the situation. It will show that the events

No longer have control over my life.

Then equanimity leading to forgiveness, if necessary.

Shows a true freedom of the heart.

MEDITATION ON ACCEPTANCE

I

f you are feeling restless, confused not knowing where to turn, try to slow down

Sit in a chair, straighten the back, keep the eyes open and develop a practice of settling into the moment. If you are feeling too restless to sit in a chair, then walk up and down, indoors or outdoors or let the body gently sway with both feet firmly on the ground.

May I breathe in and out mindfully three times to settle down

May I breathe in and out deeply to let the waves of agitation get less and less

May I accept that things do not always go as I would wish

May I accept that I am going through a hard time

May I accept that various impulses are arising from within

May I accept that they are arising to pass

May I accept that there are these difficulties

May I respond to the resources available at this time

May I find peace of mind soon

May I find the clarity that lies beneath these waves of unrest

May this meditation and my heart's wish contribute to the wisdom of acceptance.

MEDITATION FOR HEALING

Be in a comfortable posture whether sitting or reclining

I am aware of the body as a living organism

I am aware of the body from head to toes

As a collection of sensations, vibrations and pulsations

Some of these sensations are comfortable

Showing no sign of difficulty for my mind

Other sensations are unpleasant, uncomfortable, and painful

I want them to go away

But they linger changing from time to time

Let me not fight these painful sensations

Let me not put pressure on myself

Let me develop patience with the process

For I have no choice in the matter

Let me remember to breathe when I need to remember

To be even-minded when I need to be

And even to smile at my helplessness

It is in circumstances like these that I must respond

To what I can respond to

And surrender what I must surrender to.

MEDITATION ON HAPPINESS

There are meditations for each chapter. Sit with a straight back in a quiet place. Slowly and mindfully read the meditation and then spend several minutes silently absorbing the reading. Then read slowly through again at the end of the meditation. Repeat as often as it feels appropriate.

Give 20 minutes to this meditation and then gradually expand the period of time over days or weeks. You can always tape this meditation or any of the others and listen to it in formal meditation times. You can adapt the language of these meditations to suit what feels appropriate to you. Always make sure that you use precise language, not emotive language that can work against insight and understanding.

I am relaxing on the inbreath. I am relaxing on the outbreath

I am extra mindful of my outbreath when my mind easily wanders

I am relaxing on the outbreath

I am staying upright while allowing the mind to rest in the body

I am allowing the brain cells to become quiet to feel harmony

Of the mind with the body.

I feel happy that I am mindfully breathing in

I feel happy that I am mindfully breathing out

I feel happy to have this opportunity to be still

I feel happy to have this opportunity to be silent

I feel happy to have this opportunity to be here and now

I feel happy to be alive.

Right now, there is nothing that I want

Right now, there is nothing that I have to pursue

Right now, I am happy to breathe in

Right now, I am happy to breathe out.

Right now, there is nothing to add to this moment

Right now, there is nothing to subtract from this moment

Right now, I am happy breathing in

Right now, I am happy breathing out.

MEDITATION ON SERVICE

Let us regard service as the noblest form of human activity

It means putting aside my own interests

So that I offer support to the world of others

No matter what their circumstances

It will be a hard road, this road of service

There is no retirement from it

It signals the sign of a worthwhile life

With the necessity to generate time

For inner renewal as a mark of service for oneself.

There is something noble about deep reflection

That benefits others, that benefit animals and the Earth itself.

I may not see the results in my lifetime.

So I have no need to look for them

Instead, I will rely upon the quality and commitment

Of the intention and make that the priority.

Praise and blame may come for providing a service to others

Yet, I will quietly remain focussed on the intention

Knowing that there is no wish to cause harm or suffering

To others.

MEDITATION ON ABSENCE OF……

Sometimes we get stuck with views about ourselves that are untrue, unfair and as a result we place ourselves in the worst possible light. Others also do that when they make harsh generalisations about us. This meditation serves to remind us of the absence of views manifesting towards others or ourselves as ”always” “never” “only” etc. This meditation makes clear to us the lack of inherent truth to the tendency to put others or ourselves down due to identifying ourselves with such thoughts or thoughts of others. We become much more mindful of bare actuality. We practice these meditations when there is nothing in particular going on in our mind.

Right now, I experience the absence of any anger

Right now, I am not caught up in the judgmental mind

Right now, I am not blaming myself

Right now, I am not blaming anyone else

Right now, I know the impermanence of my negative views

Right now, I know the impermanence of the harsh critic within myself

Right now, I know how false it is to say “always” “never” “only”

I am mindful of the absence of unpleasant states of mind

I am mindful of not being in conflict with others or myself

I am mindful of the absence of intense thoughts and ideas

I am mindful of feeling cool inside and not burning up

I am mindful of the absence of fixations about anything

I am mindful of the absence of trying to use my will power

I am mindful that this troublesome mind state

Came and went like a dream.

MEDITATION ON NOWHERE TO GO

Establish a firm, upright posture.