Chanting Meditation With Guided Pebble Meditation

A guided visualization meditation using Flower, Mountain, Water, and Space as images to inspire and cultivate, a sense of freshness, solidity, clarity, and spaciousness. The visualization meditation uses four small pebbles as tactile senses to strengthen the association of the image with the desired quality being cultivated. The meditation begins with the fun game of going outside and finding four pebbles that evoke the images.

Transcript

Let it be known that this is indeed the place of awakening.

It is as luminous as the jewels of the net of Indra.

Here the buddhas attain supreme perfect awakening.

Here the buddhas share the dharma.

And here the buddhas open us all things.

Honor be to the buddha.

Honor be to the dharma.

Honor be to the sangha.

Coming now to sit.

Entering into our meditation.

Setting your intention to be here present and alert.

Begin with three deep calming breaths.

Breathing in fully through your nose,

Pausing,

And then gently exhaling completely through your mouth making a soft sighing sound.

Sitting as tall as you can with the least amount of effort.

Aligned,

Relaxed,

Resilient in the balance between effort and ease.

Softening your forehead,

Eyes,

Cheeks,

Jaw,

Mouth,

Neck,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hands,

Belly soft and warm,

Hips,

Groin,

Legs,

Feet.

With each out breath releasing a little bit more tension.

Whatever cares and worries you may have right now melt away into the floor and bringing your attention to the sensations of breath.

Following your breath in,

Down,

Down,

Deep into your belly for the full duration of the in breath.

Pausing and then following your out breath for the full duration.

Breathing in.

I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out.

I know I am breathing out.

In,

Out.

Feeling a slight stretch up your spine with the in breath and a gentle settling with the out breath like the swell of an ocean wave.

Up,

Down.

Your awareness is like a boat floating on this gentle swell.

Breathing in.

Up.

Breathing out.

Down.

We will be using the four pebbles to anchor our visualization meditation with a tactile sense of touch.

The first pebble represents a flower.

The second pebble a mountain.

The third pebble still water.

The fourth space.

Begin by placing the four pebbles on your left side.

Breathing in.

I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out.

I know I am breathing out.

In,

Out.

Begin by picking up the pebble that you feel represents flower and holding it in the palm of your left hand.

Looking at the pebble.

Bringing to mind the image of a flower.

Any flower that you want.

Any size,

Shape,

Color.

This is your flower and knowing that this pebble represents your flower.

Allow yourself to smile with this sense of touch and the image of your flower.

Now shifting the pebble from your left hand into your right palm as we begin the first visualization meditation set.

Feeling the touch of the pebble.

Breathing in.

I see myself as a flower.

Breathing out.

I feel fresh.

Flower.

Fresh.

Mentally repeating flower and fresh as you breathe in and out.

Visualizing yourself as a real flower.

Fresh.

Beautiful.

Colorful.

Light.

Fragrant.

Our body is a flower in the garden of humanity.

When you look at yourself and others you see that everything.

Eyes.

Face.

Mouth.

Hands.

Our whole body is a flower.

As we grow and mature,

We sometimes forget the beauty of our flower and our freshness.

We get angry.

We get depressed.

We lose our flowers.

We are no longer pleasant to our beloved ones.

Imagining being a flower allows us to recover our flowerness.

To become fully a flower again.

This is the meaning of the first pebble.

Breathing in.

I see myself as a flower.

I gain confidence that I have the nature of freshness in me.

I can heal.

Relax.

Smile.

A smile is the blooming of your flower.

Manifesting your flowerness.

Your freshness.

This can feel very pleasant.

Breathing in.

I see myself as a flower.

Breathing out.

I feel fresh.

Repeating flower.

Fresh.

With each breath.

Slowly.

Gently.

Placing your flower pebble down on your right side.

Picking up the second pebble that you feel represents mountain.

Gaze at it softly.

And smile as you visualize it represents a mountain.

And shifting the pebble from your left hand into your right palm.

Breathing in.

I see myself as a mountain.

Breathing out.

I feel solid.

Mountain.

Solid.

There is a mountain inside all of us.

That is solid.

That is stable.

Sometimes we get carried away by our emotions.

Anger.

Fear.

Anxiety.

And we suffer.

Because we feel we lack the solidity.

It is hard to feel happy when we don't feel stable and solid.

This is why we practice visualizing our solidity.

Not becoming carried away with regrets about the past.

Fearfulness about the future.

Anger.

Jealousy.

Anxiety.

What people say.

What people do.

Instead we remain silent.

Strong.

Stable.

And solid.

We are like a mountain.

No matter how strong the winds blow,

The mountain remains solid.

We have this element of solidity within us.

We cultivate this element of solidity with our meditation practice.

We become a refuge for ourselves.

We become a refuge for our beloved ones.

To be solid is beautiful.

Breathing in.

I see myself as a mountain.

Breathing out.

I feel solid.

Mountain.

Solid.

Placing the mountain pebble down along your right side.

Picking up the water pebble.

Holding it in your left hand.

Visualizing it represents still water.

Moving the pebble and placing it in your right palm.

Breathing in.

I see myself as still water.

Breathing out.

I reflect all things.

Water.

Reflecting.

This visualization focuses on calming.

It is hard to see things clearly when you are not calm.

If you are angry.

Agitated.

Fearful.

The water of your heart-mind is rippled and disturbed.

Your perceptions are distorted.

And from distorted perceptions you further inflame angry,

Agitated,

Fearful and so on.

You do things and you say things that will make you suffer and the person you love suffer.

That is why it is so important to learn how to calm yourself.

To become like still water.

Like a beautiful mountain lake at dawn.

The surface of the water is perfectly calm.

When you look into the water you see the mountain.

You see the flowers.

You see the sky.

All reflections are exactly like the source.

When your mind is calm you see things as they are.

That is why we cultivate the sense of still water.

Breathing in.

I see myself as still water.

Breathing out.

I reflect all things.

Water.

Reflecting.

Placing your water pebble down along your right side.

And picking up the last pebble.

Space.

In your left hand.

Smiling at it.

Thinking.

Visualizing.

Remembering.

This pebble represents space.

And shifting the pebble into your right palm.

Breathing in.

I see myself as space.

Breathing out.

I feel free.

Space.

Free.

When your mind is preoccupied with so many things.

So many projects.

So many worries.

So much craving and aversion.

You hardly have any space left inside for you.

Or the energy,

Love and presence to offer your beloved one.

Space is the greatest gift you can offer yourself and them.

We practice cultivating space to give ourselves and our loved ones room to be.

Room to respond mindfully and not simply react in the heat and passion of the moment.

Imagine the full moon traveling in the vast expanse of space.

The moon moves freely through space.

When we too have space in and around us,

We become calmer,

Happier and freer.

This visualization practice brings space into and around you.

Breathing in.

I see myself as space.

Breathing out.

I feel free.

Space.

Free.

Slowly and mindfully placing the pebble down along your right side.

Returning your hands to your lap or thighs.

And simply sit.

Contemplating any of these visualizations.

Flower.

Fresh.

Mountain.

Solid.

Still water.

Reflecting.

Space.

Free.

Slowly.

Gradually.

Emerging from your meditation.

Take a deep breath in and stretch up your arms high.

A nice big stretch.

And letting out a sigh as you lower your arms.

Wiggling your toes and your fingers.

Shifting your position.

Rocking side to side.

Bringing a bit of motion back into your bodies.

Reaching behind to your lower back and giving your lower back a massage.

And bringing your hands around and holding your lower belly gently.

Beginning the set of meta phrases for yourself.

Repeating.

I am well.

Holding your hands over your heart.

Feeling the kindness,

The care,

The comfort,

The warmth of your hands.

Repeating.

I am happy.

Loved and loving.

And crossing your arms.

Putting your hands on your opposite shoulders.

Giving yourself a hug.

As you lightly stroke down your arm from shoulder to elbow a few times.

As you repeat.

I am safe.

At home.

In my body.

With my breath.

And lightly caressing your face.

With your fingertips beginning at your forehead.

Around your eyes.

Down your cheeks.

Down to the tip of your jaw.

Through your hair over your head.

Pausing at the back of your neck.

Giving your neck and shoulders a massage.

Sliding your hands back to your heart.

And back to your belly.

Repeating.

I am peaceful and at ease.

And take a moment to thank yourself.

Feel grateful that you gave this time of self care and healing to yourself as a gift.

And being able to share yourself with each other here in community.

Together.

And know these images and your pebbles are always available to you.

When you feel a bit stretched,

Unsteady,

Wobbly.

You can use them to ground yourself.

And remember your sense of being a flower and fresh.

You being a mountain solid.

You being calm still water.

Reflecting everything.

And you being full in space and free.

And take these good feelings with you into the rest of your day,

Rest of your evening and rest of your week.

Now rubbing the palms of your hands together to warm them.

Lightly cupping them over your eyes.

With the next in breath.

Opening your eyes into your hands.

And as you breathe out.

Lowering your hands into the position of gassho.

Left and right hand palm to palm.

In the position of gratitude.

And please join me as we share the merits of this practice for all beings.

We share the spiritual energy from our practice today.

With all beings.

We uphold for all beings this universal teaching of equality.

We bow to diligently strive for world peace.

We pray that all beings find sanctuary in the wonderful Dharma of myoho renge kyo.

And that we all realize supreme perfect awakening.

Sentient beings are innumerable.

I vow to save them all.

Defilements are inexhaustible.

I vow to know them all.

Dharma gates are immeasurable.

I vow to enter them all.

The way of the Buddha is unexcelled.

I vow to manifest it.

Renge kyo Thank you.