Over the years, many people have asked me for meditation scripts they can use in their own practice or share with others. Whether you are a beginning meditator looking for guidance, a therapist integrating mindfulness into your clinical work, or a teacher leading a group, having a clear, well-crafted script can be an invaluable support. These guided meditation scripts are drawn from the heart of the Buddhist contemplative tradition—practices I have taught and refined over more than fifty years.
Each script below can be read silently to yourself, read aloud to guide a group, or recorded as a personal meditation. I encourage you to move slowly through the words, pausing often. A meditation script is not something to rush through—it is an invitation to rest in each phrase, to let the meaning settle into your body and heart. Adapt the language freely to suit your own voice and your students’ needs. The words are a doorway; the practice is what lies beyond them.
Below you will find scripts for six foundational practices: lovingkindness, gratitude, forgiveness, body scan, walking meditation, and compassion. Each is linked to a more detailed guide where you can explore the practice in greater depth.
Lovingkindness Meditation Script
[See expanded guide: Loving Kindness Meditation]
Find a comfortable position and let your eyes gently close. Take a few slow, deep breaths. With each exhale, let your body soften. Let your heart be easy.
Begin by bringing to mind someone you love dearly—a dear friend, a child, a grandparent, a beloved pet. Picture them clearly. Feel the natural warmth that arises in your heart when you think of them. Holding them in this warmth, silently offer them these phrases:
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
Repeat these phrases slowly, letting each one land gently in the well of your heart. There is no need to force a feeling—simply plant the intention, and trust that the seeds of kindness will grow.
Now picture a second person you care about where well wishing comes easily. In the same way as you imagine and hold them in your mind and heart, repeat the same phrases of care and kindness slowly inviting yourself to feel them.
When you are ready, picture or imagine these two dear ones gazing at you with the same degree of kindness they wish the same for you. Imagine them wishing you well with the same phrases and see the kindness in their eyes as they do. Take in their care and blessings. Put your hand on your heart and receive their kind blessings and begin to recite for yourself as well the same wishes:
May I be filled with lovingkindness. May I be safe. May I be well. May I be at ease and happy. Be patient with yourself—this step can feel awkward or emotional, and that is perfectly natural.
If it is helpful, you can picture yourself as an innocent child continuing with your hand on your heart and offering as well wishing.
Now gradually expand the circle. Step-by-step, take your time. Picture people you care about where loving kindness comes naturally. Wish them well.
If you wish to expand this practice further than you can gradually include a neutral person—someone you neither like nor dislike. Then, when you feel ready, include a more difficult person. Finally, imagine you can extend your lovingkindness outward to all beings everywhere:
May all beings be filled with lovingkindness. May all beings be safe. May all beings be well. May all beings be at ease and happy.
Rest for a moment in the feeling of boundless kindness. When you are ready, gently open your eyes.
For a complete guide to lovingkindness practice, including origins, traditional phrases, and research on its benefits, visit the full Loving Kindness Meditation Guide.
Gratitude Meditation Script
[See expanded guide: Gratitude and Joy Meditation]
Let yourself sit quietly and at ease. Allow your body to be relaxed and open, your breath natural, your heart easy. Begin the practice of gratitude by feeling how year after year you have been cared for, just as you have cared for your own life.
Let yourself begin to acknowledge the many gifts that have been given to you. Sense the long line of care and labor of a thousand generations of ancestors and elders who came before you. Acknowledge the blessings of their support. Open to how the earth has supported your life—the measure of health you have been given, the food, the shelter, the clothing.
Feel the blessing of family and friends, of community. Acknowledge the benefactors, the teachers, the healers, the visionaries who have contributed to your well-being. Acknowledge the spiritual teachings and practices that have brought you to where you are now.
Let yourself feel gratitude for your own good heart—for the sincerity of your path, for the learning and growth you have achieved. Let yourself feel how your life itself is a gift.
Spend some time with this practice, add to it and do it over a number of days. When you walk around, look for opportunities to extend and appreciate the world around you in so many ways with gratitude for the peoples, the plants, the weather, the Earth in all the forms.
Now shift to joy.
As gratitude naturally arises, let it extend into sympathetic joy. Bring to mind someone you care about whose life is blessed in some way. Rejoice in their happiness and good fortune.
Silently offer:
May your happiness and good fortune continue. May your good fortune grow and never leave you.
Gradually extend this joy to include neutral people, even difficult people, and ultimately all beings everywhere. Let the practice of gratitude open into a celebration of life itself.
For the complete gratitude and joy practice, visit the full Gratitude Meditation Guide.
Forgiveness Meditation Script
[See expanded guide: Forgiveness Meditation]
Forgiveness is one of the most powerful and challenging practices of the heart. It does not condone harmful actions or require reconciliation. Rather, forgiveness is an act of the heart—a movement to let go of the pain, the resentment, and the outrage you have carried as a burden. This meditation works with three directions of forgiveness.
Part One: Asking Forgiveness of Others
Sit comfortably and allow your eyes to close. Let your breath be natural and easy. Breathing gently into the area of your heart, let yourself feel any barriers you have erected and any emotions you have carried because you have not forgiven. Let yourself feel the pain of keeping your heart closed.
Now bring to mind the different ways you may have hurt and harmed others—large or small, knowingly or unknowingly…..through your actions, your words, or even your thoughts. Recall whatever ways you may have betrayed or abandoned others, caused them suffering, knowingly or unknowingly, out of your own pain, fear, anger, and confusion.
Feel your own regret. Sense that you can finally release this burden and ask for forgiveness. Silently say to those you have harmed:
I ask for your forgiveness. I ask for your forgiveness.
Know that you can be forgiven.
Part Two: Offering Forgiveness to Yourself
Now turn your attention inward. Feel the many ways you may have hurt or harmed yourself— ways you have betrayed or abandoned yourself through thought, word, or deed, knowingly or unknowingly.
Feel the suffering you carry for not caring for yourself and sense that you can release these burdens. Extend forgiveness to yourself for each act of harm.
Silently say:
For all the ways I have hurt or harmed myself, through action or inaction, out of fear, pain, and confusion, I now extend a full and heartfelt forgiveness. I forgive myself. I forgive myself.
Part Three: Offering Forgiveness to Those Who Have Harmed You
Now bring to mind those who have hurt or harmed you. This happens in every life. Remember the ways large and small you have been wounded, abused, or abandoned by others, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought, word, or deed.
You have carried this pain in your heart long enough. You do not need to carry it further. To the extent that you are ready, you can release any burden of pain by gradually extending forgiveness.
Silently say:
I have been carrying this pain in my heart for too long. To the extent that I am ready, I offer you forgiveness. I forgive you.
Let yourself gently repeat these phrases, allowing whatever arises—tears, resistance, relief—to simply be present. Forgiveness cannot be forced. It is a process. Let the intention plant the seeds, and trust that they will ripen in their own time.
For a deeper exploration of forgiveness practice, including Jack’s twelve principles of forgiveness, visit the full Forgiveness Meditation Guide.
Body Scan Meditation Script
The body scan is a foundational mindfulness practice that trains us to bring caring attention to each part of the body, systematically and without judgment. It is one of the most effective practices for releasing tension, cultivating embodied awareness, and reconnecting with the physical experience of being alive.
Lie down in a comfortable position, or sit if you prefer. Let your arms rest at your sides. Close your eyes. Take three slow, deep breaths, and with each exhale, let your body settle into the surface beneath you.
Begin by bringing your attention to the top of your head. Simply notice whatever sensations are present—warmth, tingling, pressure, or perhaps nothing at all. There is no right or wrong experience. You are simply meeting each part of your body with curiosity and kindness.
Slowly move your attention down to your forehead, your eyes, your cheeks, and your jaw. Notice if you are holding any tension here. If you are, let it soften with your next exhale. You need not force anything to change—simply bring awareness, and the body will often release on its own.
Continue down through your neck and throat, your shoulders, your upper arms, your elbows, your forearms, your wrists, your hands, and each finger. Feel the aliveness in your hands—the subtle pulse of energy and warmth.
Now bring your attention to your chest. Feel the rise and fall of your breathing. Notice the beating of your heart. Let your awareness rest here for a few moments, simply appreciating the life force within you.
Move your attention down through your belly—soften any holding you find there—through your lower back, your hips, your thighs, your knees, your calves, your ankles, your feet, and the tips of your toes.
Now expand your awareness to hold the entire body at once. Feel yourself as a whole, living being—breathing, sensing, alive. Rest in this awareness for a few minutes. There is nothing to fix, nothing to improve. Simply be present with the ever-changing sensations of this body as it is.
When you are ready, take a deep breath, gently move your fingers and toes, and slowly open your eyes. Carry this sense of embodied awareness with you.
For guided audio body scan practices, explore the Meditation for Beginners course at staging.jackkornfield.com.
Walking Meditation Script
[See expanded guide: Walking Meditation]
Begin by standing at the edge of your walking path. Let your hands rest wherever they are comfortable—at your sides, clasped in front of you, or held gently behind your back.
Close your eyes for a moment. Take three slow, deep breaths. With each exhale, let your body soften. Feel the weight of gravity connecting you to the earth.
Now open your eyes. Let your gaze fall softly to the ground a few feet ahead. Begin to walk slowly. Feel the lifting of your right foot… the movement through space… and the gentle placing of the foot back on the ground. Now the left foot: lifting… moving… placing.
Let each step be unhurried. There is nowhere to go. There is only this step, this breath, this moment. As you walk, notice the sensations in the soles of your feet—the pressure, the texture, the temperature. Notice the shift of weight from one foot to the other. Thoughts and emotions will arise and pass away. Let them be in the background. When your attention wanders, simply pause, stand still, feel your feet on the earth, and begin again.
Continue walking back and forth along your path. When you reach the end, pause. Feel the stillness. Then turn, slowly and mindfully, and walk back.
Realize you are not going anywhere. You are present, just where you are.
When you are ready to close, come to a stop. Stand in stillness for a few breaths. Carry this awareness with you.
For a complete guide to walking meditation, including step-by-step instructions, indoor and outdoor tips, and the science behind the practice, visit the full Walking Meditation Guide.
Compassion Meditation Script
Compassion is the tenderness of the heart when it encounters suffering. It is not pity or sorrow—it is the courageous willingness to meet pain with kindness, both in ourselves and in others. This meditation cultivates compassion through a series of widening circles, beginning with our own precious life.
Sit in a comfortable and centered way. Let your body be at ease and your breath natural. Close your eyes. Begin by feeling your own body, your own heartbeat, the life within you. Feel how you treasure your own life, how you wish to be free from suffering.
Now bring to mind someone you love who is experiencing difficulty or pain—an illness, a loss, a struggle of any kind. Picture them clearly. Feel your heart naturally opening to meet their suffering. Let yourself be touched by their pain without trying to fix it.
Silently offer them phrases of compassion:
May you be held in compassion.
May your pain and sorrow be eased.
May you be at peace.
Repeat these phrases slowly, over and over, feeling each one. Let the words carry the genuine wish of your heart.
Now imagine that this person turns toward you with the same tenderness. They see your suffering, your struggles, and they offer you the same compassion:
May you be held in compassion. May your pain and sorrow be eased. May you be at peace. Let yourself receive this care.
When you are ready, direct the same compassion toward yourself. Acknowledge the ways you have suffered—the losses, the fears, the struggles you carry. Place your hand on your heart if it helps, and silently say just as they wish for you:
May I be held in compassion. May my pain and sorrow be eased. May I be at peace.
Now gradually widen the circle of your compassion. Include a friend, a neighbor, a stranger. Include someone with whom you have difficulty. Finally, extend compassion to all beings everywhere who are suffering in this moment:
May all beings be held in compassion. May the suffering in the world be met with kindness. May all beings be at peace.
Rest in this vast compassion for a few moments. Then gently open your eyes, carrying the tenderness of this practice into the rest of your day.
For more on compassion practice, visit Meditation on Compassion.
How to Use These Meditation Scripts
These scripts are offered freely for personal practice, teaching, and therapeutic use. Here are some suggestions for making the most of them.
For Personal Practice
Read the script slowly and silently to yourself, pausing after each instruction to let the experience unfold. You may also record yourself reading the script aloud, then play it back during your meditation. Over time, you will internalize the structure and no longer need the words—the phrases will arise naturally from within.
For Meditation Teachers and Group Facilitators
When guiding a group, read the script at a pace that is considerably slower than normal speech. Leave generous pauses between instructions—at least five to ten seconds, and longer during the more reflective passages. Let your voice be warm, unhurried, and conversational rather than performative. Feel free to adapt the language to suit your students: change pronouns, adjust the imagery, or simplify the phrasing for younger or newer practitioners. The spirit of the practice matters more than the exact words.
For Therapists and Counselors
Many of these practices—particularly forgiveness, compassion, and body scan meditations—are well-suited for clinical settings. They can be integrated into sessions as grounding exercises, used as homework between sessions, or offered as tools for emotional regulation. When working with clients who have experienced trauma, proceed gently with the forgiveness and body scan scripts, as these practices can sometimes surface difficult emotions. Always invite clients to go at their own pace and to pause or stop at any time.
Adapting for Different Settings
These scripts work in a wide variety of contexts: meditation retreats, yoga classes, church or spiritual groups, hospital and hospice settings, schools and universities, corporate wellness programs, and recovery groups. The language is deliberately non-sectarian—rooted in the Buddhist tradition but accessible to people of all backgrounds and beliefs. You are welcome to use and share these scripts with attribution.
