Today,
We begin a meditation of loving-kindness,
Also known as Maitri or Metta meditation.
This is a beautiful and life-changing element of the Buddhist tradition.
It is a meditation practice designed to uncover boundless,
Unconditional love for ourselves and all beings.
It's a wholehearted wish for happiness and welfare.
And this is not a passive or lukewarm meditation,
But an active benevolence strongly felt.
We don't just agree with this philosophy.
We feel it viscerally,
Our well-wishes for ourselves and others.
And this can be a radical act,
A universal caring.
This works differently,
This meditation.
It is using the foundation of mindfulness and a steady,
Relaxed attention that we develop in our core sitting practice,
But it also involves generating specific thoughts and ideas and feelings and emotions.
So we're utilizing contemplation,
Bringing into mind thoughts and feelings,
And we're also using visualization,
Enacting a particular scene with one's imagination.
So let us begin.
With a loving heart as your background,
And all that we encounter with an open and flow of your breath,
We begin the practice of loving-kindness.
This can be done for about 15 minutes a day in a quiet place,
And let yourself sit in a comfortable fashion,
Allowing your body to rest and be relaxed.
Let your heart be soft.
Let go of any plans or preoccupations.
Breathing long and deep,
Relax your eyes,
Relax the shoulders down.
Let your belly feel soft,
And begin with yourself,
Breathing gently and reciting inwardly the following traditional phrases directed toward your own well-being.
We begin with ourself,
Because without loving ourselves,
It is difficult to love others.
May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May I be well in body and mind.
May I be well in body and mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
May I be at ease and happy.
May I enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
May I enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
As you repeat these phrases,
Picture yourself as you are now,
And hold that image in a heart of loving-kindness,
Or perhaps you will find it easier to picture yourself as a young and beloved child,
Really opening up the heart here.
When we have a feeling of loving-kindness established in the heart,
We can start to expand the meditation to include others.
Feeling this visceral feeling of an open heart,
Choose a benefactor,
Someone in your life who has truly loved and cared for you.
Picture this person and carefully recite the same phrases.
May you be filled with loving-kindness.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
May you enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
Allowing these images and feelings that you have for your benefactor support the meditation.
And it doesn't matter if it doesn't feel clear.
Simply continue to plant the seeds of loving wishes,
Repeating the phrases gently no matter what arises,
Expressing our gratitude to our benefactors as a natural form of love.
Gently now begin to include other people in your meditation,
Picturing each beloved person,
Possibly your family,
Your community,
Your pets,
Animals.
Recite inwardly the same phrases invoking a sense of loving-kindness of metta for each person in turn.
May you be filled with loving-kindness.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
May you enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
Allowing this metta feeling,
This loving-kindness feeling,
To extend wider and wider,
Community,
Neighbors,
People,
All sentient beings,
And then the whole earth.
Breathing long and deep as we finally move to the final group,
Including the difficult people in your life,
Even your enemies,
Wishing they too may be filled with loving-kindness and peace.
This will take practice,
But as your heart opens first to loved ones and friends,
You'll find that in the end it won't want to close anymore.
Including these difficult people,
Might be one person,
Might be a group,
Allow whatever to come arise.
Inhaling and exhaling,
May you be filled with loving-kindness.
May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
May you enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
Connecting silently with this metta,
Allowing it to wash over your whole body,
Opening the heart,
Feeling the breath,
Connecting body,
Mind,
And soul through the heart space.
And when you're ready,
Gently come into the room,
Looking around,
Grounding yourself,
Observing your space,
Observing your breath,
And may your day be filled with loving-kindness,
Compassion,
Equanimity,
And sympathetic joy,
Full of gratitude.
Many blessings,
And this is Marni,
Thank you for joining me today.
