Compassion Meditation by Sassi Kakache The Script Find a comfortable position in which to sit for this period.
As you allow your eyes to gently close,
Tune into your body and make any minor adjustments.
It can be helpful to remember our intentions of both ease and awareness.
Sit in a way that feels comfortable but alert.
We will start with a few minutes of concentration practice just to help our minds settle and arrive in our present time experience.
As you allow the body to resume to natural breathing,
See where in the body you can feel the breath.
It may be in your stomach or abdomen where you can feel the rise and falling as the body breathes.
It might be in the chest where you may notice the expansion and contraction as the body inhales and exhales.
Perhaps it's at the nostrils where you can feel a slight tickle as the air comes in and the subtle warmth as the body exhales.
You can pick up one spot to stick with for the meditation practice.
As you feel the body breathing,
Try to stay with the breath all the way through.
Stick with it from the beginning of the inhale all the way to the end of the exhale.
You may have noticed the mind wandering.
When the mind wanders,
It really offers us an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness and concentration.
Each time we notice the mind wandering,
We are strengthening our ability to recognize our experience.
Each time we bring the mind back to the breath,
We are strengthening our ability to focus on an object.
So treat it as an opportunity rather than a problem.
A return to the breath.
You can begin the compassion practice by bringing yourself to mind.
Perhaps you can connect with a moment of difficulty or pain or you can work with yourself as you're sitting here right now.
Compassion is the practice of being with suffering and pain,
With care and attention.
We set the intention to do something toward our pain and respond with care.
With this intention of being present for your pain,
You can offer yourself the phrases of compassion.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be present for my pain.
May I care for my suffering.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be present for my pain.
May I care for my suffering.
You can offer these phrases silently in your head,
Connecting with your intention to respond with compassion to the difficulties.
You can now bring to mind a good friend.
This may be a loved one,
A friend,
A teacher,
A mentor or maybe a pet.
You can connect with your natural desire to see this person free from pain.
Of course,
You can't keep them from experiencing any discomfort but you can cultivate a mind and heart that care from the discomfort.
In an effort to cultivate this intention,
You can offer this person the phrases,
May you be free from suffering.
May you be present for your pain.
May you care for your suffering.
I care about your suffering.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be present for your pain.
May you care for your suffering.
I care about your suffering.
You can let this person go from your mind and bring to mind a neutral person.
This is someone you see maybe regularly but don't know very well.
It might be somebody who works somewhere you go a lot,
A co-worker or maybe a neighbor.
Although you don't know this person well,
You can know that this person experiences pain and difficulties.
Again,
We can set the intention to care for their pain by offering some phrases of compassion.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be present for your pain.
May you care for your suffering.
I care about your suffering.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be present for your pain.
May you care for your suffering.
I care about your suffering.
And as you let this neutral person go,
You can bring to mind somebody who you find difficult.
You may not want to pick the most difficult person in your life.
Instead,
Choose someone who is minorly difficult.
Maybe it's someone to find yourself agitated with or annoyed by.
Although you may not truly mean it,
You can offer these phrases with the intention of cultivating a heart inclined toward compassion and caring.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be present for your pain.
May you care for your suffering.
I care about your suffering.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be present for your pain.
May you care for your suffering.
I care about your suffering.
