A Guided Meditation

　　by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

　　Sit comfortably erect, without leaning forward or backward, left or right. Close your eyes and think thoughts of good will. Thoughts of good will go first to yourself, because if you can”t think good will for yourself -- if you can”t feel a sincere desire for your own happiness -- there”s no way you can truly wish for the happiness of others. So just tell yourself, "May I find true happiness." Remind yourself that true happiness is something that comes from within, so this is not a selfish desire. In fact, if you find and develop the resources for happiness within you, you”re able to radiate it out to other people. It”s a happiness that doesn”t depend on taking away anything away from anyone else.

　　So now spread good will to other people. First, people who are close to your heart -- your family, your parents, your very close friends: May they find true happiness, as well. Then spread those thoughts out in ever widening circles: people you know well, people you don”t know so well, people you like, people you know and are neutral about, and even people you don”t like. Don”t let there be any limitations on your good will, for if there are, there will be limitations on your mind. Now spread thoughts of good will to people you don”t even know -- and not just people; all living beings of all kinds in all directions: east, west, north, south, above, and below, out to infinity. May they find true happiness, too.

　　Then bring your thoughts back to the present. If you want true happiness, you have to find it in the present, for the past is gone and the future is an uncertainty. So you have to dig down into the present. What do you have right here

　　 You”ve got the body, sitting here and breathing. And you”ve got the mind, thinking and aware. So bring all these things together. Think about the breath and then be aware of the breath as it comes in and goes out. Keeping your thoughts directed to the breath: that”s mindfulness. Being aware of the breath as it comes in and out: that”s alertness. Keep those two aspects of the mind together. If you want, you can use a meditation word to strengthen your mindfulness. Try "Buddho," which means "awake." Think "bud-" with the in-breath, "dho" with the out.

　　Try to breathe as comfortably as possible. A very concrete way of learning how to provide for your own happiness in the immediate present -- and at the same time, strengthening your alertness -- is to let yourself breathe in a way that”s comfortable. Experiment to see what kind of breathing feels best for the body right now. It might be long breathing, short breathing; in long, out short; or in short, out long. Heavy or light, fast or slow, shallow or deep. Once you find a rhythm that feels comfortable, stay with it for a while. Learn to savor the sensation of the breathing. Generally speaking, the smoother the texture of the breath, the better. Think of the breath, not simply as the air coming in and out of the lungs, but as the entire energy flow that courses through the body with each in-and-out breath. Be sensitive to the texture of that energy flow. You may find that the body changes after a while. One rhythm or texture may feel right for a while, and then something else will feel more comfortable. Learn how to listen and respond to what the body is telling you right now. What kind of breath energy does it need

　　 How can you best provide for that need

　　 If you feel tired, try to breathe in a way that energizes the body. If you feel tense, try to breathe in a way that”s relaxing.

　　If your mind wanders off, gently bring it right back. If it wanders off ten times, a hundred times, bring it back ten times, a hundred times. Don”t give in. This quality is called ardency. In other words, as soon as you realize …

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