Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 21-minute guided meditation, Ven Thubten Dondrub teaches a systematic body scan practice designed to develop calm awareness and sensitivity to physical sensation. He begins with detailed postural instructions — sitting upright without leaning, hands resting in the lap, chin slightly tucked, eyes slightly open with soft downward gaze — then guides the meditator through a methodical sweep of awareness from the crown of the head down the front of the face, back of the head, through both arms and shoulders, across the chest and belly, down the back and sides of the torso, and finally through both legs to the toes. At each point, the instruction is to notice whatever sensations arise — tension, warmth, coolness — without creating or forcing anything. The practice concludes with a moment of whole-body awareness before gently releasing focus. Suitable for beginners learning basic meditation technique.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 DB Body Scan Meditation Mp3.mp3
UUID: 9facf6b2-9668-48eb-8c7f-c8b02c390cbe
Teacher: Ven Thubten Dondrub
Collection: DB Meditation (Ven Thubten Dondrub)
Date: 2013 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 21.0 minutes
Words: ~874
Date. Yeah. We have to work at it. So, anyway so we begin by firstly, sitting comfortably in the correct posture. So if you’re sitting in a chair, have your feet flat on the ground and try unless you have some serious problem with your back or some other injury, it’s good not to rest against the back of the chair.
Also, you’re not even sitting on the ground, don’t lean against anything, but you hold back upright. Just if you’re sitting on the ground on a cushion, then, just place your legs in whatever way is comfortable. Especially try to have your left leg closest to your body, then place your right leg next to it. The main thing is to try to have your your spine really straight and your upper body position positioned so you’re not leaning forwards or backwards or to either side as much as possible. So place your right hand on top of your left with the thumbs lightly touching.
Have your hands resting in your lap close to your body so that your elbows and upper arms are just a little bit away from the sides of your body. You can also lift your shoulders up and back a little bit and then relax them. And then straighten your head. Tuck your chin in slightly so that your head is not tilted down or lifted too high. Have your mouth just lightly closed, your jaw relaxed.
You can place the tip of your tongue at the back of the top row of teeth at your palate. You can meditate with your eyes closed, ideally it’s much better to learn to meditate with your eyes just a little bit open, just very slightly. You direct your gaze just a short distance in front of you but without actively looking. So then you place your awareness at the crown of your head. And then you just gradually, continuously move your awareness as though it was like a sheet of water down the front of your face.
So just and as you do that, you just try to notice any sensations. You don’t create them. Just notice any sort of tension or sensation of warmth or coldness, anything. And you just notice that experience and then just move down. So just move your awareness from the crown of your head gently down into your forehead.
And then down around your eyes. Don’t take notice of anything else, sounds, anything else. Just let your mind focus as much as possible on just being aware of the body, the particular part of the body. Moving it down along the nose, the cheekbones. The upper lip.
Down into the lower lip and right down to the jawline, your chin. And then down into the front of your neck. Then again, move your awareness back to the crown of your head, and then move your awareness as though it was like a sheet of water down the back of your head. Gradually, keep moving it down, just noticing anything. Don’t make anything up, just whatever is being experienced.
If you don’t notice anything in particular, just move on. Keep moving your awareness down into your ears. And then gradually down into the back of your neck. Then move it into your right shoulder all along your right shoulder and then down into your right arm all around the arm Just noticing any any sensation. Just keep moving it down into the elbow, the forearm.
Into the hand, each finger to the very tip of each finger. Then again move your awareness into the left shoulder along that and then down into the left arm, all around your left arm Keep moving it down continuously until eventually into the hand and then the finger each finger of your left hand to the very tip of each finger and thumb. So then place your awareness at the top of your shoulders again, and move your awareness gradually down the front of your body, over the surface of your chest. Keep moving it down gradually, continuously. Down into the belly also right down into the genital area And then again move your awareness to the back of your shoulders.
And then let your awareness move down again like a sheet of water over your back. Down your back under the armpits, the sides of your body. Keep moving it down continuously, down into the waist area, and then into the buttocks. Then allow your awareness to move into the right thigh, the right leg, from the thigh down continuously gradually into the knee, the lower leg, the ankle into the right foot each toe to the very tip So then move the awareness into the top of the left leg moving it gradually all around the thigh then the knee, the lower leg then eventually into the foot and each toe to the very tip. So then just very briefly focus your awareness on a total awareness of the whole body.
Just a general sense of your whole body. So then one can just gradually relax one’s concentration. Move it away from focusing on the body. Open one’s eyes properly. As a way to finish the meditation.