When we look deeply,
This life is like a single drop in the vast ocean.
It is like morning star,
Beautiful but present only for short while.
It is like a bubble on water,
Appearing for a moment and then disappearing.
And if life is so brief,
Then what is the use of spending our precious time in hatred,
Conflict,
Resentment and opposition?
Would it not be better to live with feeling of friendliness toward all?
The great saint of India,
Tulsidasji beautifully said,
In this world,
There are people of many kinds,
Move with everyone in harmony,
Just as a river and a boat travel together for a while.
And this is truth of life.
We meet different people,
Different temperaments,
Different minds and different circumstances.
Some stay with us for a long time,
Some only for a moment.
But each meeting is like the meeting of a river,
A boat,
Temporary,
Meaningful and part of the journey.
So why carry bitterness?
Why hold on to anger?
Why waste this short life in inner poison?
The wiser way is to cultivate maitribha,
A heart of friendliness and harmony.
So let there be friendship with all.
Let there be no unnecessary enmity in the heart.
Let us walk gently with others,
Knowing that everyone is also passing through this brief journey of life.
Life is short and relationships are temporary.
And this hatred is a waste.
So let's come and meditate on maitribha,
Friendliness.
Sit in any comfortable posture.
Gently close your eyes.
Let your body relax and your breath settle.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
With each inhalation,
Allow space within.
With each exhalation,
Release all your tension.
Now,
Bring your awareness inward.
Feel yourself as you are,
Without labels,
Without rules.
Maitri,
Friendship,
Arises on a ground of equality.
In the true friendship,
There is no higher,
No lower,
No comparison,
No division.
Let this understanding gently settle within you.
Now sense as if all inner layers that create separation are slowly dissolving.
The ground within you becomes even,
Open,
Vast.
Silently reflect,
I meet all beings in equality.
Now,
Allow the feeling of maitri to arise,
A gentle warmth,
A natural openness.
This maitri brings balance,
A deep sense of equanimity.
It is fearless,
There is nothing to defend,
Nothing to protect.
Feel in your heart,
As maitri arises,
All tendencies of harm dissolve.
All the feelings of dislike,
Hostility,
Fade away.
There is no need to hide anything,
No need to keep anything secret.
You are transparent,
At ease,
And natural.
Now notice,
Even in aloneness,
There is no loneliness,
A quiet companionship exists within.
As if the whole world becomes your family.
Silently feel,
I belong and all belong to me.
There is nothing to prove to anyone,
Nothing to achieve,
Nothing to display.
Just being,
Just expressing,
Naturally,
Without hesitation,
Without shame,
Without pretense.
Now,
Gently bring your awareness back to your breath.
Feel your body,
Grounded and present.
Now,
With deep breath,
Chant the mantra OM and open your eyes and feel the friendliness in your heart to each and every creature of this universe.
