Meditations for the Heart: Introducing the New 16 Guidelines Meditations Course
We meditate to investigate the basic energy we already have, the energy of our body, speech, and mind: what is it, where does it come from, why does it do what it does?
—Lama Yeshe
The idea for a meditations course based on the 16 Guidelines started simply enough: we wanted to help people explore values through meditation practice. But as the project developed, something unexpected happened. It turned into a genuinely collaborative effort that connected people across different countries and cultures, all exploring what matters most to them.
A Seed of Inspiration
The meditations course grew out of FDCW’s self-paced course Building Inner Strength: Core Values for a Happy Life, which uses the 16 Guidelines as a practical framework for personal development. We thought it would be valuable to create something that brought people together in groups to explore and discuss their core values through meditation and reflection.
What began as an aspiration quickly turned into a collaborative, international effort involving educators, experienced facilitators, and pilot centres worldwide. The result: a flexible, user-friendly course of 16 meditations, each exploring one of the Guidelines through guided practice, reflection, and discussion.
A Global Effort, A Local Impact
The pilot of the 16 Guidelines Meditations Course ran from late summer to December 2024, involving over 30 centres around the world—from FPMT centres to independent groups in Australia, New Zealand, Russia, the USA, Malaysia, and beyond. Each group brought its own flavour, its own way of engaging with the material. And the results were remarkable.
It beautifully unpacked each of the guidelines and how they are relevant to daily life.
—Participant, Australia
The [meditations] allowed me to live the topic based on personal experience and feelings, which made the process of analytical comprehension deeper.
—Course Leader, Russia
The meditations help to look at yourself, the world, and relationships in a new way. A very useful course, which is simply vital for adults in our time.
—Participant, RussiaThrough the discussions, people felt good that they could express themselves safely. Many found the discussions useful and meaningful. I personally found the participants became closer over the weeks.
—Course Leader, Malaysia
Participants described how the meditations sparked personal insights and offered practical tools for real-life challenges. In several centres, the meditations course led to new connections and conversations about honesty, contentment, aspiration, and other values we all navigate in our daily lives.
In Malaysia, one participant reflected:
So much thought has been put in, to weave profound concepts into secular exercises. The discussion was done in an engaging yet light manner… I gained from experiences shared by others, especially life lessons or insights that I did not think of.
In the USA, facilitators noticed the group dynamic transform:
Students surprised me by participating in discussions/share-time much more than I had anticipated. One student told me the guided meditation on Aspiration was the best guided meditation she had ever experienced.
The course manual/facilitator guide is top notch ~ relevant, well-written, practical and usable in everyday life. This is a wonderful series!
An Experience That Resonated
The feedback across the board highlighted the same strengths: the simplicity of the structure, the relevance of the themes, and the quality of the guided meditations. Participants appreciated how accessible the course was—how it invited self-inquiry without pressure, and helped bring meaningful values into focus.
As one Russian participant summarised:
This meditation course allows you to unobtrusively invite participants to immerse themselves in the study of their morality, the role of their thoughts and actions in their own well-being, spiritual growth… I believe that this unique course can sow the seeds of spiritual development, which will bring harmony to the hearts of people.
In a time when many people are searching for ways to connect with something deeper, individually and collectively, the success of the pilot showed just how needed this kind of resource is. It offered not only a way to meditate, but a way to grow.
What’s Next?
The 16 Guidelines Meditations Course is free to access and designed to be adapted to suit different groups, contexts, and needs. While the resource is offered freely, donations are welcome to help FDCW continue creating offerings like this.
We’d love for you to try the course, share it with others, and let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
For more information and to access the meditations course, click on the button below.
Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW)
At FDCW, we are committed to a more compassionate, wiser world. We provide resources, courses and training to develop qualities such as kindness, patience and honesty – qualities that are essential for meeting the challenges of the world we all share.
The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) was established as a global charity based in London in 2005. Since then, we have provided secular training, programmes and resources across many sectors of society – schools, universities, hospices, workplaces, healthcare, youth groups and community centres. Our courses have reached thousands of people across the world through our dedicated and growing network of facilitators in more than 20 countries.
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