Guided Meditation - Everything is a Mindfulness Bell
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; St. Louis Botanic Garden, 2024
An audio version of this guided meditation may be found below.
“A bell of mindfulness, whether it is an actual bell or some other sound, is a wonderful reminder to come back to ourselves, to come back to life here in the present moment. The sound of the bell is the voice of the Buddha within. Every one of us has Buddha nature—the capacity for compassionate, clear, understanding nature—within us. So when we hear the sound of the bell, if we like practicing mindfulness, we can respond to that intervention with respect and appreciation.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Breathing in, I recall the sound of what wakes me up in the morning
Breathing out, I hear it freshly as a bell of mindfulness: I am alive this morning
Sounds that awaken me…bell of mindfulness (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I transport myself to being on the road, coming to a stop at my 3rd red light
Breathing out, I use this time to come back to my breath and enjoy the here and now
Undesired delay…generous pause (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I think of birds singing, moving from background to the foreground of my awareness
Breathing out, I accept the gifts of these beings, hearing/feeling the wonders of life
Bird song…gifts of wonder (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I remember a moment of being distracted from the screen in front of me
Breathing out, I recognize the preciousness of my attention
Apparent distraction… preciousness (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I sense how my body lives in the present moment
Breathing out, I descend into my body, my omni-present refuge
Body is present…Descending (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I experience the touch, sound, even snore that wakes me up in the night
Breathing out, I grow my capacity to have that sensation soothe me back to sleep
Night interruption…Soothing Presence (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I see myself at the sink, feeling hot water and soap as I wash the dishes
Breathing out, I relish these sensations sharing this here and now with me
Sensations of common tasks…faithful bells of mindfulness (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I’m able to hear rain landing on my windows during a storm
Breathing out, the rain nourishes me as it does the earth
Storm…nourishment (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I envision an insect landing on my skin
Breathing out, I calmly let this visitor remain or gently encourage it to move on
Surprising feeling…calm freedom (invite the bell)
Breathing in, I open my heart to all sensations I sometimes wish were not present
Breathing out, I lovingly re-associate these things, transforming them into bells of mindfulness to be present in the here and the now
Opening my heart… loving bells of mindfulness (invite the bell)
Many of us are always in a hurry. We hurry to finish one thing to do something else, and one task always follows another. If we have nothing to do we cannot bear it so we fill our time with countless projects and errands. One hundred years flash past like a dream. I do not want to live like that. I want to live at ease and deeply every moment of my daily life. I want to practice living happily in the present moment. I want to do less work and to work in such a way so that every moment of my work brings me joy.
When I am driving I shall not allow myself to think about the past or the future, or allow my plans or anxieties to pull me away from reality. I shall follow my breathing and be aware that all my ancestors are in the car with me. For instance, I can imagine that my grandfather is driving with me, although in the past perhaps my grandfather did not know how to drive. I see my grandfather in me and I look at what is happening around me with the eyes of my grandfather. Lord Buddha, I also see that you are driving the car for me, and you drive very mindfully. Whenever I stop at a red light, I return to my breath-ing, relax, and smile. The red light is a bell of mindfulness, reminding me to return to the present moment. I feel gratitude to the red light as one of my practice friends reminding me to return to mind-fulness. When there is a traffic jam I know how to breathe and smile, practicing: "I have arrived, I am home." Life is present in this moment.
Every breath brings me back to the present moment to be in touch with life. I know that driving mindfully I shall not be tense, I shall have joy and the opportunity to look deeply. When other people are driving me I shall also practice like this. I shall follow my breathing, and I shall have an opportunity to be in touch with the wheat fields, the rolling hills, the rivers, or oceans that we are passing. I shall find skillful ways to remind the driver and other people who are in the car to practice with me so that throughout the journey we shall have the opportunity to produce mindfulness, concentration, and joy.