Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 58-minute session, Venerable Thubten Dondrub guides a group meditation retreat on foundational concentration practice. He opens with refuge and bodhicitta motivation, then leads a detailed body-awareness scan from the crown of the head down through the face, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, and legs—a systematic relaxation technique designed to settle the mind and prepare for sustained focus. After a brief break, he introduces the nine-round breathing exercise, first observing the breath naturally, then visualizing white light entering with each inhalation (bringing calm and clarity) and black smoke leaving with each exhalation (purging negativity). The session concludes with simple breath-counting meditation—watching each inhalation and exhalation precisely and counting ten consecutive breaths, restarting the count whenever distraction or mental dullness arises. Practical for anyone beginning formal meditation practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: How to Meditate Retreat 151213_PART1.mp3
UUID: 65c36bc1-c440-45ec-b324-ec1df77d1c77
Teacher: Ven Thubten Dondrub
Collection: DB How to Meditate (Ven Thubten Dondrub)
Date: 2014 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 58.6 minutes
Words: ~2,039
So at least for this session we’ll use the refuge bodhicitta prayer which is on page seventeen. Probably won’t do it ideally, of course, I’m going to contradict what I’ve been teaching, we should do all sorts of prayers and preparations each session, but there’s not going to be time in this day to do all that so we did a fairly elaborate one first session. In this session, which again will be for an hour, we’ll we’ll divide it like we did the previous one into two segments. And so in the first segment, we’ll do the body awareness. We’ll do it just checking our posture and doing the the body awareness practice.
And then I’ll ring the bell and again to take a just a three minute silent silent break. Please everyone turn off your mobile phones first. Then in the second section we’ll do what are we going to do? Oh, yes. We’ll do the nine round breathing exercise.
Firstly, just observing the breath and then secondly with the visualization the white light black smoke and then that will lead into just simply watching the breath then counting the breath like we did in the first session. So we’ll begin by sitting comfortably in the the correct posture as much as possible. And we can visualise the Buddha directly in front of us, especially those who have taken refuge, thinking of the Buddha as one source of refuge, inspiration and guidance. Others can think of the Buddha appearing to remind you of your Buddha nature, to encourage you to realise it think of the Buddha appearing seated on a very beautiful lotus, then above that, lotus symbolizing renunciation, then a sun disc symbolizing wisdom, above the sun disc a moon disc symbolizing great compassion and bodhicitta, And then the Buddha with a hollow body of golden light seated cross legged above the moon disc. So, in generating the motivation, one can think of all sentient beings surrounding you, as I’ve described before, starting with your parents.
Once the meditation itself starts, one doesn’t continue to visualize all these beings. But at the beginning it is helpful to have that thought. As you think of all beings surrounding you now, try and generate as much as one can the thought that one is doing this meditation as part of the whole process of getting to know one’s mind, to be able to recognize the negative tendencies so that one can overcome them, and the positive qualities so that one can cultivate them. And as part of that process I’m going to do the body awareness meditation because this helps to relax the body so that one is able to sit comfortably for longer periods of time. So this is helpful in developing the ability to meditate and the practice itself helps me to focus and concentrate my mind focusing on the body then that helps to pacify the disturbing thoughts.
So one can see this as definitely beneficial for oneself and helping me to reach a point where I can be of great benefit to all beings. So at least think along those lines but if possible generate bodhicitta motivation wishing to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all beings. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, the supreme assembly. By my practice of giving and other perfections may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings So then think that the Buddha is very pleased with one’s motivation and showing this by now moving towards the crown of one’s head. And when the Buddha is directly above one’s crown, imagine the Buddha turns facing the same direction as yourself.
And then for the rest of the session imagine that the Buddha remains above the crown of your head so that creates that very protective environment in which to meditate and one can think that the Buddha’s enlightening influence is continuously blessing your mind So it’s not necessary or helpful to actually actively visualize the Buddha anymore rather just have that sense that the Buddha is present. Having prepared the body and mind to meditate in this way, we can now start the meditation by placing our awareness at the crown of our head. And then we gradually and continuously move our awareness down over our face. Just noticing, just being aware, just as one continuously moves one’s awareness down, just noticing any sort of sensations. And then just moving on.
So you move your awareness down the forehead gradually around the eyes, the nose, the cheeks and so on. Just moving it around the lips. Just keep moving down. Don’t try and create any experience. Just notice anything that is you know, any sense of warmth or coldness, any kind of pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling.
Just notice it move and keep moving down. Any tensions or so on. As you do it, just let everything else, good, bad, past, future, fade away. Just try to keep your mind in a natural way, not forced, but putting some effort into just focusing on your body. And move your awareness down further into your throat.
And then again place your awareness at the crown of your head and then gradually continuously move your awareness down the back of your head into your ears eventually down into the back of your neck So then move your awareness down into the right shoulder. Moving it along the shoulder and then into your right arm. All around your arm. Keep moving it down into the elbow and further along the forearm. Into the hand.
Eventually into each finger to the very tip. Now move your awareness to the top of your left shoulder and then keep moving it along the shoulder down into the left arm all around Keep moving it along. Until eventually you move into each finger of your left hand to the very tip of each finger. Now move your awareness to the top of your shoulders again and then move your awareness continuously down the front of your body over your chest gradually down into the belly and waist area eventually down into the genital area. Just again keep moving your awareness continuously.
Just observing, noting any sensation, any experience. Again take your awareness back to the shoulders and then move your awareness down continuously along your back along the sides of your body eventually into the waist and then the buttocks So then move the awareness into your right leg all along the right and around the right thigh into the knee, the lower leg eventually into your right foot each toe to the very tip Move your awareness into the top of your left leg and then allow it to move continuously down the full length of your left leg all around eventually moving into the left foot to the tip of every toe Then finish by focusing strongly on awareness of the whole, the totality of your body. So we reestablish a comfortable position posture. A posture that we feel we can maintain for the rest of the session without having to move very much at all. If we do need to move, we should try and do it mindfully, carefully.
Reestablish our motivation and remembering the Buddha on one’s crown. Breathing normally we start with the nine round breathing exercise. So just as the breath comes in, focusing on the breath coming in through the left nostril. As the breath goes out, we focus on the breath going out the right nostril. For the first three breaths, reversing for the next three breaths and for the last three breaths of the cycle, focusing on the breath coming in both nostrils and out both.
So that makes up nine breaths in one cycle. Do several cycles. So now continue to do the nine round breathing exercise but now including the visualization so with each in breath in the cycle, imagine that you breathe in the blessings of the Buddha in the form of this very blissful or soothing white light. It brings great calmness and clarity to the mind. Imagine that happens.
And enabling the awakening of one’s positive qualities. And with each out breath of the cycle, that you breathe out all agitation existing in your mind right now, all suffering, all disturbing thoughts, all negative imprints, in the form of black smoke. So that you feel that at at the end of this the the process, all negativity has left your your being, and your whole being is filled with this white light and great calmness, clarity. So when you finish the cycle then let go of the visualization and just now take as your object your breath particularly focusing on the subtle sensation in and around your nostrils as the breath comes in, goes out. Just let your mind focus solely on that.
Just let everything else, good, bad, past, future, fade away. Try to stay in the present moment of experiencing wholeheartedly, completely, your breath coming and going. Let that simple experience fill your mind. Don’t force it to happen, but put some effort into focusing on your breath and putting effort into being mindful in order to detect everything that is a hindrance to that, so the mind becoming dull, sleepy, bored, or distracted by sounds, sensations, thoughts. And remember, with the sounds and sensations, we can’t stop them, but we don’t have to pay attention to them.
Try and make one’s main emphasis the breath. And particularly, immediately let go of thoughts. And as you breathe in, follow the breath completely. As you breathe in, the breath is strong, and the in breath gets weaker and weaker. Then it stops, and then you observe the out breath, which at first is strong and gets weaker and weaker.
And you just observe that. And then the out breath ceases, and then the next breath, in breath, starts. So just observe that very precisely. And to help that, you can count each inner out breath as one breath. So trying to observe ten consecutive breaths.
But if the hindrances come, then you have to start the count from the beginning and keep doing this for the rest of the session without any sense of disappointment, without any sense of expectation. So then we can bring the meditation to a conclusion, making a strong determination to be more and more mindful in daily life, to work with the mind, to gain some mastery over it, to use this precious human rebirth to learn to concentrate the mind, because if I can’t gain control over my mind, then the disturbing thoughts will control me. And I will continue to suffer. Harm sentient beings be of no benefit to them. So for my own sake and others, I will learn to control my mind, concentrate it.
So then recall the Buddha on one’s crown, imagining the Buddha very pleased with your practice, and showing this by now dissolving into blissful golden light that pours down into you, blessing your mind to be able to develop single pointed concentration. And then we dedicate the merit. Through the merits of these virtuous actions, may I quickly attain the state of a Guru Buddha and lead all living beings without exception into that enlightened state. May the precious Bodhimind not yet born arise and grow. May that born have no decline but increase forevermore.
Thank you very much. So I think there’s about eighteen people here. So maybe if you can somehow form into three groups of six each, about six people each. And there’s just a half hour discussion time. So I’ve got some questions.
I don’t have enough questions for everyone, but enough for each group. So if some people can take some and sorry? Those questions, some of you may have them already. There’s just about a half hour. So if people would like to just form three groups, here or yeah maybe just here in corners.
Any groups, yeah. I did make some names put names together but since I don’t know who’s here and not so yeah, just try and so that there’s a self