Metta Bhavna means to cultivate loving-kindness.
Bhavna,
To cultivate.
Metta,
Loving-kindness.
You could probably translate Metta Bhavna in different ways but overall the precise words don't really matter.
It's just a focus on creating a sense of warm,
Positive,
Friendly feeling towards another being or beings in your life and the wider world.
I love this meditation.
The traditional practice is split into five stages and focuses on bringing people to mind who you have different feelings about.
It starts with yourself,
Then someone you love,
Then someone neutral,
Then someone you find difficult and finally it expands to include all beings.
Today we're going to do something a little bit different and that is what makes this a wild Metta.
Rather than focus on human beings who we have different relations with and feelings about,
We're going to bring to mind different kinds of being and not limit the focus of this practice to humans.
I would argue that this is entirely appropriate since the focus of Metta and Buddhism is to cultivate loving-kindness to the world and all that's in it.
I would also argue that always focusing this practice on human beings can fail to address a neutrality,
Neglect of,
Or even negativity towards the more-than-human world that undermines our own happiness and fails to cultivate a healthy,
More interconnected way of being in the world.
I hope by the end of this meditation you'll feel a great sense of positive connection and a kindly awareness of the experience of other beings in a way that brings your senses to life.
In this meditation I will introduce you to four beings.
One will be you and the remaining three will be more-than-human.
I will guide you through a visual and imaginative engagement with these beings and together we will focus on cultivating empathy and appreciation for them.
So let's give it a go.
First of all,
Make sure you're comfortable.
Is the temperature of the room you're in just right?
You'll be still for about 20 minutes.
Is the lighting relaxing?
Are you free from distractions?
Once everything is settled,
Get yourself into a comfortable position.
You can be seated or lying down.
Now I invite you to bring yourself to mind,
Settling into this meditation.
You have come to this meditation with an intention or at least a curiosity about cultivating loving-kindness.
So,
As we begin,
We acknowledge that you,
You,
Right here,
As you are,
Are a being worthy of love.
For the next few minutes,
I invite you to direct a kindly attention towards yourself.
Some days this can feel more difficult than others.
Regardless of what day this is and the presence or absence of difficulty,
This acceptance and kindness is always available to you.
You are worthy of kindly attention.
So,
Can you feel the presence of your body right now?
Its warmth?
Its weight?
Can you feel yourself ever so slightly breathing in and breathing out?
This body,
Your body,
Is worthy of love.
May it be well.
However limited your physical form may seem to you,
Just as it is,
May your body be well.
May you have a feeling of physical ease and comfort.
Regardless of societal standards,
May you love the shape and feel of your own body.
And whatever you have experienced in the past,
May you be safe from physical harm.
May you feel worthy of physical affection and tenderness.
May you feel able to receive love from others.
Your body is worthy of love.
May it be well.
Perhaps you notice your mind wandering a little.
Thoughts may be circling,
Coming and going.
This is all okay,
Because all of you,
Thoughts included,
Is welcome here.
May your mind be well.
May your thoughts be easeful.
May your mind be open and flexible.
May you find clarity.
You may have noticed a particular emotional tone to your experience.
Maybe subtle or very obvious.
Our feelings can change significantly from moment to moment and day to day.
Whatever feelings you are experiencing right now,
Offer them calm and kind companionship in the home of this meditation.
May you feel happy.
May you feel at ease.
May you feel peaceful.
May you be well.
Now I'd like to introduce you to another being.
I'd like you to meet a blackbird.
Right now,
This blackbird is resting inside a bush at the edge of a garden just around the corner from you.
Right now,
It is tucked away out of the wind.
This blackbird is male and two years old.
He has deep black feathers,
An orange beak and a beautiful orange rim around each eye.
He weighs about 100 grams and if you are close enough and listen carefully,
You will notice that he's singing very quietly as if to himself.
He has spent much of the day looking for worms in the leaf litter at the edge of this garden.
With his feet on the ground,
He cocks his head to one side to listen for the sounds of worms moving just beneath the surface.
Before sunrise,
He begins to sing.
And as the sun is setting,
He sings again.
His song is full of melody and improvisation.
Sometimes he likes to throw in the sounds of other birds.
His favourites to imitate are starling and buzzard because they also live around here.
He sings at a slightly higher pitch to be heard above the sounds of nature.
His voice carries across the neighbourhood and meets the voices of other blackbirds marking their own territories.
He has been guarding his territory since his first winter here.
Shall we wish this blackbird well?
May he find the food he needs to live a long and healthy life May he find shelter from bad weather and protection from predation May he be safe from harm May he have the conditions to be fully himself,
Able to sing and improvise And if he is looking,
May he find a mate and rear young successfully May this blackbird be well May he live a long and healthy life May he be safe from harm Not far from where the blackbird lives,
There is an old oak tree.
In human terms,
And also blackbird terms,
This oak tree has been here for a long time.
It is over 600 years old,
But this is quite a normal age for an oak tree.
The circumference of this tree is 5 metres and it is more than 30 metres high.
If you climbed up to its canopy,
You could see far across the landscape in all directions.
This tree was born when the Incan Empire was expanding in South America.
Columbus had not yet found North America,
Which was then inhabited only by indigenous peoples,
And a 13-year-old King Henry VI was ruling England.
In this century,
The printing press and gunpowder were being invented.
This tree has lived through so many changes in the world around it.
It is and has been a home to many other creatures,
Birds,
Insects,
Squirrels,
Lichen,
Ferns and fungi.
Its roots spread 70 metres underground and they rely on a complex network of fungi to allow it to absorb the water and nutrients it needs.
It has withstood wild and extreme weather and provided shelter to other animals at the time.
In the great storm of 1703,
High winds ripped off one of its main upper branches,
But it carried on growing.
Right now,
This oak tree is coming out of winter hibernation and approaching another cycle of new spring growth.
It is producing fresh buds on its branches that will burst open to become vibrant green leaves.
In a few months' time,
In the height of summer,
Its canopy will be full of green leaves,
Soaking up the sunlight to support the production of acorns that will fall in autumn,
With these seeds holding the possibility of becoming oak trees themselves.
Shall we wish this wonderful tree well?
May this oak live a long and healthy life.
May it have access to nutrients,
Water and sunlight so it can move comfortably through its yearly cycle.
May it hold its steady form,
Providing shelter and shade to other beings.
May it continue to be a calm and strong presence in the lives of other beings,
Including humans.
May this oak tree live a long and healthy life.
May this tree be well.
Now,
Coming out from its little silk hideaway,
Behind a loose piece of bark in the crook between this tree's trunk and one of its lower branches is a small female spider.
This spider is 18 months old and 6mm long.
Her body is dark brown and she has yellow legs.
Under the cover of night,
She is leaving her retreat in order to hunt.
She can run quickly and seize prey with two small fangs at the front of her mouth.
She feeds on even smaller insects than herself,
Such as aphids.
Like the oak tree,
She is moving towards her more active time of year.
Later in spring,
She will mate.
A male will approach her cautiously because she is not always so receptive to his advances.
He will do so by gently tapping her legs.
If she mates,
She will then create a silken egg sac to protect her eggs,
Normally behind bark or in a curled leaf.
She will then guard her egg sac until they hatch.
I wonder how you feel about this being.
Perhaps the spider is slightly more difficult to relate to and to wish well,
Or perhaps not.
Either way,
And in spite of any possible difficulty,
Shall we wish this spider well?
May this spider live a full life.
May she find the conditions she needs to fulfil her goals.
May she find the conditions she needs to fulfil her goals.
May she find food,
Shelter,
And may she protect herself and her eggs from harm.
May this spider be well.
May this spider live a full life,
At home within the bark of this 600-year-old oak.
May this spider be fully herself.
May she be safe from harm.
I wonder if there are any other beings now that you would like to bring to mind in this meditation.
Are there any others in your immediate life you have noticed or barely noticed who you might like to bring to mind now?
May they also be well.
May all beings be well.
May you,
The blackbird,
The oak tree,
The spider,
And all beings be well.
Namaste.
