Welcome to this practice of metta meditation or loving-kindness meditation,
A Buddhist practice for cultivating compassion for ourselves and others through direct,
Loving,
Friendly phrases and goodwill.
The word metta is a Pali word,
A language closely related to Sanskrit,
Most often translated as loving-kindness,
But has also been translated as universal goodwill or loving-friendliness.
Metta meditation focuses on fostering the felt sense of kindness and compassion about both ourselves and others.
This approach may offer a range of benefits from increased self-compassion to reduced stress.
We can practice metta in times that feel uncertain,
Challenged,
Or when in circumstances that feel a bit out of control.
This includes times of feeling unworthy,
Self-doubt,
Judgment,
Or anger.
And through this practice,
We can invite this felt sense of kindness towards ourselves,
And as we cultivate this self-compassion,
We then begin to extend that same kindness that we feel for ourselves towards others.
Let's begin.
Come to a comfortable seat,
Whatever that may be for you in this moment,
Whether you are sitting in a chair,
On a meditation cushion,
Or on a yoga mat.
Whatever is a comfortable,
Easy,
Steady seat,
However that may be for you right now.
Your hands can rest comfortably to your legs or in your lap,
And as you feel the support beneath you,
Begin to feel the length of your spine and the tallness through the crown of your head.
Allow your body to feel comfortable and at ease,
Upright yet not rigid,
And feel the steady support beneath your seat.
You can invite your eyes to close and your gaze to soften.
Begin to bring attention to your breath,
Feeling the movement of your breath through the space of your body as you breathe in and breathe out.
Invite a softness across your brow,
Release tension through your jaw,
And invite your shoulders to soften.
Feel again the support beneath you as you lengthen through your spine,
Tall through the crown of your head,
And connect back to your breath.
Feel the natural rhythm of your breath as you breathe in and breathe out effortlessly.
Feel the breath moving through the length of your spine,
The natural rhythm of breath.
Bring your attention now to your heart center.
You may wish to bring a hand to your heart.
You can let your hands continue to rest comfortably to the legs or to the lap,
And begin to visualize yourself and imagine that you can see your own face,
Seeing your own kind eyes and gentle smile,
And repeat the following phrases out loud,
Quietly to yourself,
Silently,
Or just listening.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Acknowledge its meaning and how it makes you feel,
And if you get distracted at any point during this practice,
Let go of any judgment and simply return to the phrases and keep repeating it.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be happy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Now,
Think of a benefactor,
A beloved teacher,
A person that inspires you,
And once you have this person in mind,
Begin to see their face,
See their smile,
As you send them these words.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Next,
Choose a neutral person in your life,
Someone you neither like nor dislike.
This may be someone that you see regularly,
But don't know their name.
Maybe it's someone that you pass walking their dog,
Or a cashier at the grocery store,
And once you have this person,
Picture their face and maintain that same sense of loving-kindness in your body as you felt for the previous people,
And begin to send them loving-kindness.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
And now,
Perhaps there's a difficult person in your life who is challenging.
Maybe it's someone that you had an argument with,
And this doesn't have to be your worst enemy.
It doesn't mean you excuse any behavior.
It doesn't mean you have to reach out and tell them that you sent them loving-kindness.
And if you find that as you visualize this person,
That the emotions feel overwhelming,
Or that you cannot send them the same sense of loving-kindness as you did towards the previous people,
Choose a different person.
This may not be the right time to send loving-kindness to that person.
And once you have this person in mind,
Again,
Imagine their face and cultivate a sense of loving-kindness as you did the previous people as you send them these words.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
Now,
Think of all living beings,
And we'll begin to send loving-kindness to all sentient beings everywhere.
To all people,
All animals,
And plant life.
All beings throughout the world,
Throughout the universe.
And as you extend these words of loving-kindness and compassionate feelings for all beings,
May we all be safe.
May we all be healthy.
May we all be happy.
May we all be free from suffering.
May we all be peaceful and at ease.
As this practice comes to a close,
I invite you to notice and reflect on the effects of this meta-practice.
You can notice how it affects how you see and interact with the people around you,
And how you move throughout the day.
Aum.
Shanti.
Shanti.
Shanti.
Peace.
Peace.
Peace.
