When we do a guided meditation here in the marquee, I would ask you all to draw nearer to the shrine so that you can understand easily what I say, and also build up a shared energy field, through which we can support each other in our awareness. So please, make a clear choice and come nearer. Sit down in a comfortable position, small children next to one parent, the rest of us sit on our own, back upright and relaxed. (wait)

Now stop talking, please, and close your eyes. ---

What are you aware of when you sit here with closed eyes? ---
The body? --- The breath? ---
Can you listen to the sounds around you, opening up to the shared space here in the marquee? ---
Can you choose to focus on just LISTENING, listening into space? ---
What are your reactions to the sounds you can hear? ---
Do you LIKE to listen to these sounds, or do you find them disturbing? – Just notice. ---
Are there thoughts coming up in your mind, commenting on this, like:
Why do we have to sit here and listen to these boring sounds?- What’s the use of it? ---
Or comments like: Oh, that’s interesting, it’s like an orchestra with different percussion instruments (wind, flapping, rustling, coughing …) ---

This is an awareness- exercise in listening – and, according to the conditions we are experiencing, each of us will have a REACTION. The reaction being something around LIKING or DISLIKING, or someway in the middle, rather NEUTRAL. And usually the mind is starting some comments or judgements around it. ---
Are you aware of any of such commenting thoughts now? --- Just notice …

Remember, there is AWARENESS and the OBJECT of awareness. – When we were just listening to sound, the object of awareness was SOUND, different sounds. And when you start noticing your reactions to it, the object of awareness may be a feeling, like pleasant or unpleasant, or some thoughts, WHY we like it, or what we rather would do instead …

Now, please focus your awareness on the breathing sensations, breathing IN and OUT. ---Where in your body do you feel the movement of your breathing most clearly? --- Please choose to stay with the awareness focused there. Let that be your object of awareness now, for a few moments. ------

In meditation, we choose to focus our awareness on the breath for a while. Why? --- Most of us will experience, that that has a calming effect on the mind: We stop thinking, and even if thought slips in again, we learn to be aware of that too, and we learn that we have a choice, that we can bring the breath into awareness again. – So, after listening to this, just bring your awareness back to the breath for a moment. ---

As soon as you are aware of that you have a choice, you can choose your object of awareness consciously, for example, you can choose to be aware of the sensations of breathing in the belly or in the chest, or you can choose to be aware of the thoughts which come up in your mind. It’s like learning to steer a car. – Would you like to sit in a car which just goes wild, off the road, into the bushes? ---

It’s in your own interest, I suppose, to be able to choose the object of awareness consciously, because it will influence your life. – Remember, part of our chanting goes:
“I AM … RELATED TO MY KAMMA” – that means that I have to live with the results of my choices. The results of my actions are with me for a while. ---

An example? - Just think of something which happened to you this morning on the walk – was there something pleasant happening which was a result of what you were doing before? ---
Like, somebody was sharing their sweets with you, and suddenly, you remember that earlier you were sharing something with that person? –
That’s quite pleasant to relate to, isn’t it?

Or do you remember something rather unpleasant happening to you on the walk? – Does that seem to have been happening accidentally, or do you recognize a connection to what you have done before? ---
Like somebody got burnt by nettles, and afterward realized that it wouldn’t have happened if he would have watched out? Now he has to bear with this nettle-rash, that’s with him as a result for a while. Quite unpleasant. ---
Or somebody had an argument with another person, may be about not turning up for their chore? - So she is carrying that memory for a while. It always comes up, when he sees that person again. Not very pleasant. ---

We can’t really get away from the results of our actions, you see? - They are following us. ---
Understanding this, you may want to choose actions which have a good result, which are pleasant to bear with. ---

At least, in this moment, you can bring awareness to breathing in and out, take a deep breath, and let the out-breath flow out with a sigh. ---
That’s already a relief. ---

- bell -