Welcome to this meditation on loving-kindness.
Find yourself a really comfortable position,
One that you won't be disturbed in,
That you feel safe and warm.
A place where you can step away from all your thoughts,
Your busyness or your non-doing.
A place where you can receive and top yourself up with the gift of loving-kindness,
Deepening our connections with others,
Helping us to stay motivated in our work,
Helping us to let go of feelings of inadequacy or hostility.
Close your eyes.
Let the eyelids feel soft.
If they're a little jumpy,
You might just like to blink them a few times and then let them rest.
Drop into the feeling of observing your incoming and your outgoing breaths.
Don't try to change or influence.
Just turn a quiet inward eye and observe this great gift we take so lightly.
Feel that with each outgoing breath your body starts to let go a little more.
With each exhale,
Thoughts drop away a little more.
In this quiet space,
Bring to mind someone that you love very dearly.
In your mind's eye,
See the face of this beloved one.
Silently speak her or his name.
And feel your love for this being move through you like a warm current.
Feel how much you wish this person released from any suffering,
From greed and ill will,
From confusion,
Sorrow.
Sadness.
This desire that you feel in all its strength and sincerity is metta,
Loving kindness.
Stay with this warm flow of energy moving through your heart.
And see in your mind's eye those with whom you share daily life.
Family members,
Close friends,
Colleagues,
The people you live and work with,
Neighbours.
Let them appear now in a circle around you.
Look at each one,
At each face,
And speak each name.
And as you speak each name,
Direct to each in turn this current of loving kindness.
There may be in this circle some with whom you're a little uncomfortable,
Perhaps even in conflict with.
With these people especially,
View their face,
Speak their name,
And direct this energy of loving kindness.
And experience your desire that each and every one of these people you see in your circle be relieved from suffering.
Now,
In wider circles,
Appear your more distant relations,
Your acquaintances.
Let the beam of loving kindness play on each of these as well,
Pausing on each face,
Wishing them well.
And beyond this group,
In ever-widening circles,
Begin to appear all beings with whom you share this planet time.
Though you haven't met,
Your lives are interconnected in ways beyond knowing.
To these beings as well,
Direct this same powerful current of loving kindness.
That all beings be free from suffering.
May they find rest and the deep peace it brings.
Now,
As if from a long,
Long way away,
Behold this planet,
This beautiful earth that we share.
Suspended there in the blackness of space,
A blue and white jewel turning in the light of its sun.
Slowly,
Slowly,
Begin to approach,
Coming nearer and nearer.
Coming nearer and nearer.
Coming to this region,
To this place.
And as you approach this place,
See yourself,
The one you know best of all in all this world.
You know this person better than anyone else.
You know its pain,
Its suffering,
Its hopes,
Its joys,
Its need for love.
You know how hard,
How hard it tries.
How hard it tries.
Look closely at the face of this being,
Your very own face.
Softly speak the name that you are called in love.
And experience that same strong,
Warm energy current of loving-kindness moving through your heart.
Feel how deeply you wish that this being,
You,
You wish that this being,
You,
Be free from fear,
Released from any greed or ill thought,
Freed from ignorance and confusion,
And any of the many causes of suffering.
Rest a moment in this great,
Expansive loving-kindness directed to yourself,
To all you love,
To this beautiful world we live in.
And all with whom we share it,
With pace.
