Guided Meditation - All is Teaching
A guided meditation in the spirit and traditional format of Plum Village. If this is your first time experiencing one of my guided meditations, consider first visiting A Guide to the Guideds, which offers brief background and a few simple suggestions.
Photo by David W. Levin; Hanoi, Vietnam, 2025
An audio version of this guided meditation may be found below.
Breathing in, my body relaxes
Breathing out, my mind settles
Relaxing… settling (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I take refuge in my true nature, the island within myself
Breathing out, I dwell in the ultimate dimension, able to calmly see and learn
Taking refuge…ability to learn (invite the bell)
Breathing in, there are moments in life when I got what I wanted
Breathing out, there are moments when I did not get what I wanted
Getting…not getting. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, there are situations that went my way perfectly
Breathing out, there are situations that did not at all go my way
Went my way…didn’t go my way. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, there are times I was ready for the unexpected
Breathing out, there are times I was not ready for the unexpected
Ready…not ready. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, other people sometimes behave as I want them to
Breathing out, sometimes others do not behave as I want them to
Others behaving…not behaving. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, my conduct is often welcomed by others
Breathing out, my conduct is sometimes not welcomed by others
Welcomed…not welcomed. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, there are plans that came together well
Breathing out, there are plans that fell apart
Coming together…Falling apart. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, there are days in which my practice feels amazing
Breathing out, there are days in which my practice feels less than amazing
Amazing…less than amazing. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Breathing in, there are days the world exists as I want it to
Breathing out, there are days the world seems far from how I want it to be
The world we want…the world we have. Learning from both. (invite the bell)
Words from Thich Nhat Hanh, transcribed from a video of Q&A recorded January 2004 by Plum Village:
In our daily life, we often allow ourselves to think too much about the past. Many of us are prisoners of the past. We’re not capable of letting go of the past, and that is why we cannot touch the present moment very deeply. This is why the Buddha advised us to come home to the present moment. There is only one moment in which we can truly be alive and that is the present moment.
When you practice his teaching, you’ll find out that being in the present moment does not mean that you cannot learning anything from the past or that you’re not allowed to make plans for the future. If you’re well-grounded in the present moment, than you can bring the past back to the present moment, you can study and learn a lot from it. The idea is to not get lost in the regret or feel guilt about what you’ve done in the past. If you’re grounded well in the present moment, you can consider the past as the object of your inquiry in the present moment. And it can tell you a lot. It can bring you a lot of understanding. It can liberate you. That is why the practice doesn’t forbid you to study the past, so long as you remain grounded in the present moment.