Guided Meditation - Embracing the Present Moment
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; Pacific Ocean just before sunrise, 2025
An audio version of this guided meditation may be found below.
Waking up this morning, I smile
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me
I vow to live each moment deeply
And to look at all beings with eyes of compassion
Gatha taught to Thich Nhat Hanh as a young monk
Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in
Breathing out, I know my breathing is part of the present moment
Breathing…Present Moment (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I sense the elusive nature of this moment
Breathing out, I appreciate the boundless nature of this moment
Elusive…Boundless (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I’m aware of my desire to grasp the present moment
Breathing out, I remember how letting go is the surest way to experience the truth
Grasping…Letting go (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I witness my mind’s propensity to churn on the past and the future
Breathing out, I gently embrace my busy mind and allow it to rest
Propensities…Gentle Embrace (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I sense how my body effortlessly lives in the present moment
Breathing out, I descend into my body, my ever-present refuge
Effortless…Descending (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I feel what the present moment feels like
Breathing out, I tenderly release concerns this feeling will end
Feeling…Releasing (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I appreciate my mind’s ability to learn and plan
Breathing out, I relish my mind’s true nature of peace and presence
Appreciating Abilities…Relishing True Nature (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I sense the present moment making all things possible
Breathing out, I am grateful for the agency to choose what is possible for me in any given moment
Possibilities…Agency to Choose (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I feel how the present moment can be a source of profound joy
Breathing out, I experience that joy
Joy…Oneness (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I am aware of this moment
Breathing out, I am grateful for this moment
Aware…Grateful (invite the bell)
When you enter deeply into [the present] moment, you see the nature of reality, and this insight liberates you from suffering and confusion. Peace is already there to some extent: the problem is whether we know how to touch it. Conscious breathing is the most basic Buddhist practice for touching peace. I would like to offer you this short exercise:
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.
"Breathing in, I calm my body." This is like drinking a glass of cool water. You feel the freshness permeate your body. When I breathe in and recite this line, I actually experience my breathing calming my body and my mind. In Buddhist meditation, body and mind become one.
"Breathing out, I smile." One smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face and make you master of yourself. Whenever you see an image of the Buddha, he is always smiling. When you smile with mindfulness, you realize the wonder of a smile.
"Dwelling in the present moment." We recite this line as we breathe in again, and we don't think of anything else. We know exactly where we are.
Usually we say, "Wait until I finish school and get my Ph.D. degree, and then I will be really alive." But when we obtain it, we say, "I have to wait until I have a job in order to be really alive." After the job, we need a car, and after the car, a house. We are not capable of being alive in the present moment.
We always postpone being alive to the future, we don't know exactly when. It is possible we will never be truly alive in our entire life. The technique, if we must speak of a technique, is to be in the present moment, to be aware that we are here and now, that the only moment to be alive is the present moment.
When we breathe out, we say, "I know this is a wonderful moment." To be truly here, now, and to enjoy the present moment is our most important task.