Photo Credit: Henry Dick

This intermediate sound meditation was given by Freeman at the Boundless Love Project’s weekly group meditation on 2-4-2020. It is considered suitable for intermediate students because there is less instruction, and longer pauses. Enjoy!

Using the Meditation Script

We make this meditation script available so practitioners may review the content of the meditation, and so experienced meditators may offer this meditation to their meditation groups. If you want to offer this meditation to others, please read the article Twelve Tips to Peer-Leading Guided Meditations. For a printable copy, download and print this PDF of the Intermediate Sound Meditation Script. Enjoy!

Bare Awareness Meditation Script • 30 min • Intermediate Level

Ring Bell

We do this practice for the benefit and welfare of all beings and all life everywhere, including our own.

May we know the peace of accepting the truth of reality as it is. 

May we know the security of having our intentions arise from unconditional, boundlesslove. 

May we know the freedom of renunciation which liberates us from greed. 

May we know the joy of living skillfully for the benefit and welfare of all beings and all life everywhere. 

May all beings and all life everywhere be free of delusion, suffering, and dissatisfaction. 

May all beings and all life everywhere be loving, peaceful, compassionate, and joyful.

Calming and Relaxing Mind and Body

Calmly take several slow, quiet, mindful belly breaths to settle the mind and calm the body....

Gently scan the body to notice any areas where stress or tension reside and lovingly invite those areas to relax and soften....

[3:30]

Letting Go of Greed

During this meditation, let go of the need to do, achieve, or accomplish anything, including the need to do this meditation correctly. 

Gently do your best to follow the instructions, while also allowing whatever arises to simply arise. 

Balancing Alertness and Relaxation

Peacefully notice your degree of mental alertness. 

Skillfully do what you can so the body and mind are both calm and alert; relaxed and mindful; peaceful and energized... 

Wise Effort

Gently set a loving intention to do this meditation with wise effort.

Wise effort uses the minimum amount of effort necessary to do the task with great mindfulness, quality, and care, but not so much effort that there is unnecessary thinking or bodily stress, tension, or strain.  

Bare Awareness Meditation

Today, we do a bare awareness meditation, which means we anchor our awareness in the present moment. This allows us to practice what it is like to be mindful in daily life. 

To stay grounded in the present moment, anchor part of your awareness in your bodily sensations, the sensations of breathing, or the sounds you hear.                 

 [7:00]

Allow the rest of your awareness to move freely, and notice what it notices: a sound, a smell, a thought, a sensation, a feeling tone, a mental state, a reactive pattern, an intention, and so on.

Whatever awareness notices, your task is to calmly track what your awareness is knowing.

You may find it helpful to label what is being known with a simple phrase like this: "Hearing is being known," "Sensation is being known," "Thinking is being known," and so on.  

You can do this tracking with silent words, or without them. Play to see which strategy most supports your wise effort to maintain continual mindful awareness.

[9:30]

Direct Pointing

Mindfulness happens when we ground ourselves in our awareness, and view everything else as impersonal objects of our awareness... We lose our mindfulness when we identify with our thoughts, sensations, feelings, mental states, or other objects of our awareness... Calmly try and notice the difference between mindfulness and non-mindfulness throughout this meditation. 

[11:30]

Lovingly be the watcher of your thoughts, emotions, sensations, mental states, reactive patterns, and all other experiences. 

[12:30]

It does not matter what the object of your awareness is. Any object will do. If the mind is judging, then kindly note, “judgment is being known.” If restlessness of mind or body are present, then note, “restlessness is being known.” It doesn’t matter what is being known, so long as you are aware that it is being known.  [14:00]

Patiently remember to notice what awareness is already knowing. 

[15:00]

The wise effort required to do bare awareness meditation is next to nothing. If this meditation seems like hard work, use less effort, and relax more. Let the mind be spacious and alert, and let the heart and body be relaxed, open and soft. 

[16:00]

If tiredness is present in the body or mind, gently up your effort level. Kindly get more curious and interested in experiencing all of the sensations of tiredness, and set a loving intention to remain alert, mindful, and energized. 

[17:00]

To maintain bare awareness, all you need to do is gently recognize what the knowing mind is already knowing. 

[18:00]

If falsehoods arise, labeling them according to the falsehood: "futuring is being known," "pasting is being known," "greed is being known" "judgment is being known," "selfing is being known," "fixed view is being known." 

[19:00]

Gently notice that when you see falsehoods as impersonal objects of awareness, this stops them from creating anxiety, anger, frustration, impatience, and other afflictive emotions in the body.      

[20:00]

In those times when you do identify with false thoughts, or mistake them to be truthful, calmly notice how the falsehoods cause afflictive emotions to arise in the body. 

[21:00]

We not only identify with thoughts and emotions, but also with physical sensations and mental states, but these are also impersonal objects of our awareness. 

[22:00]

Just as an eye cannot see itself, our awareness cannot experience itself. Thus whatever our awareness knows, that is not us, but rather impersonal objects of our awareness. 

[23:00]

Gently notice if craving, clinging, wanting, lust, or greed are present in the mind. If so, calmly notice greed's impersonal nature, and know that this too will pass. If greed is not present, notice the peace and tranquility of non-greed.

[24:00]

Gently notice if aversion, judgment, or cruelty are present in the mind. If so, calmly notice aversion's impersonal nature, and know that this too will pass. If aversion is not present, notice the peace and tranquility of non-aversion.

[25:00]

Gently notice if doubt in your own abilities, or towards the practice of mindfulness are present in the mind. If so, calmly notice doubt's impersonal nature, and know that this too will pass. If doubt is not present, notice the peace and tranquility of non-doubt.

[26:00]

Gently, and with ease, be aware of what is being known, and peacefully experience it in a calm, relaxed, open, and accepting manner.

[26:30]

Sharing the Merits of Our Practice

In preparation for sharing the merits of our practice, anchor your awareness on the sensations you feel in your heart area, and set an intention to energetically send love to all people, animals, ecosystems, and life forms. 

We share any merits gained from this practice with all beings and all life everywhere.

May all beings and all life everywhere be free from suffering and misery. 

May all beings and all life everywhere abide in a deep and lasting peace. 

May all beings and all life everywhere know the highest forms of happiness and be at ease. 

May all beings and all life everywhere know their deepest essence to be: joy, peace, compassion, and unconditional, boundless love.  

May all beings and all life everywhere be liberated, fully liberated, permanently liberated.      

Ring Bell

[30:00]