Guided meditation: With an object.

Take your seat. Sit comfortably in the seven-point Vairocana posture.  

Relax your body, your breath, your mind.

Relax your shoulders, neck and jaw.

Take a moment to close your eyes and slowly scan the body from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet. Notice any tension, stiffness, anything you are holding onto. If you notice anything, simply exhale and let go, then continue scanning downwards. Breath in, exhale, let go.

Open your eyes.

Set your gaze on an object one or two feet in front of you. It could be a stick, a Buddha statue, or a flower. Something simple.

Breathing naturally, rest your gaze on your object.

It's okay to blink, but keep your eyes steady, with a soft but attentive focus.

Simply rest in mindful, ever-present awareness.

. . . . .

At some point, your mind will wander. You will start thinking about something, or get distracted by a sensation or feeling. Your eyes might feel irritated and look away, you might even need to close your eyes for a moment.

Whatever is coming up, just recognize it, and then with mindfulness bring your attention and gaze back to your object.

Simply rest.

. . . . .

Again your mind and gaze will wander. Again, recognize the wandering mind and bring it back to the present with mindfulness.

And rest.

. . . . .

At some point you may achieve a sense of calm or clarity. Notice those qualities. Notice how they feel, the tone of your mental state, then interrupt your practice and take a short break. Stretch, look around, move your body. Just for a few moments.

Then bring your attention back, settle back into your meditation.

Simply rest.

. . . . .

At the end of your session, take a moment to acknowledge your effort and dedicate your practice to fulfilling your own benefit and the benefit of others.

Thank you. 🙏

This practice of meditating on an outer object is the foundation or beginner's practice. Start with this practice and work with it for ten to twenty minutes a day for a couple weeks. Simply doing this practice will bring numerous benefits:

• Your body will start to relax and find comfort and ease in the posture.
• Your eyes will adapt to minor irritation and the sensitivity to blink.
• You will become familiar with how to center and cultivate attention.
• You will become familiar with wandering and mindfulness.
• You will discern the difference between attention and peripheral awareness.
• You will start to develop a sense of calmness and peacefulness.
• You will have a solid basis for developing your practice.

There are also a couple adaptations you can make regarding the object. Once your gaze is steady and you can easily rest for five to ten minutes on your chosen object, you can choose to focus on an internal object, like a sphere of light in your third-eye between your eyebrows, or in your heart. Whatever object you choose at the beginning of the session, use for the whole session.

Use this guided meditation along with the Beginner's Meditation Advice and you will quickly progress in your practice.

For personalized meditation instruction or more advanced guided meditation, join the Inner Circle.