Meditation for Sustaining Good Will

Cultivating goodwill, kindness, compassion, gladness and equanimity. Establishing one’s safe space standing or sitting, moving through restlessness to be under your own tree, safe and comfortable, settling into and moving around the body, directing gratitude and appreciation, widening one’s safe space to include others, clearing away indifference.

Transcript

The cultivation of goodwill,

Kindness,

Compassion,

Gladness,

Equanimity,

Entering these territories,

These domains,

Where the mind isn't fidgeting,

Restless,

Or mulling over its grievances and wounds.

So beginning to establishing your safe space,

A place where you feel most steady,

Most comfortable.

Using these positions,

Standing or sitting,

Since we're staying in the hall,

Use your body to maintain a holding pattern,

So it's steady,

It's upright,

It's more balanced,

It's grounded.

So these cultivations are not just ideas,

But actual energies and intentions and felt experiences.

And using the form,

This body,

As a way of just staying open and upright,

Balanced.

When you do this standing or sitting is not particularly important.

Just cultivating it steady center from the ground up,

Something that's there,

Bodies provide this.

And centering in that,

Feeling that support,

And seeing if you can just relax the tensions or the attitudes of mind associated with getting something done or making something or restlessness.

Instead,

Sense the sense of the space opening around you,

Any room,

Safe,

Comfortable,

Sitting under your tree.

And however you feel that,

Where that's most strongly felt,

There's a quality,

A mental,

Emotional quality,

Relief of pressure,

Sheltered,

Comfortable,

And resonate that into your body,

Seeing any aspect of your body picks that up.

Your abdominal area,

Your chest,

Your face,

Anywhere you feel that appreciation of space,

Shelter,

Comfortable.

Appreciate this subtle action,

Just appreciate,

Taste,

Do it again and again.

And vittaka,

Vichara,

Pointing your awareness,

Your attention to a quality,

Vichara handling it,

Appreciating it.

How is this?

How do you feel?

Linger in it.

Bring to mind,

If you will,

Any actions that are done towards you that have been imbued with courtesy,

Generosity,

Respect,

Acknowledgement,

A sense of when another sees you subjectively,

Interested,

How are you,

And is interested,

How are you,

Offers something,

Gesture,

Smile,

Courtesy.

And let yourself be open to that,

To appreciate the quality of that,

When that is distant past,

Just bring it into awareness now,

And upon that quality being received with goodwill,

Or compassion when you are hurt,

Or enjoying your presence,

Gladness,

Giving you the sense that something,

Your goodness or your presence is enjoyable.

Similarly,

Direct that the other way,

So either way,

So directed,

Sense of another near or far,

Present in awareness,

You can direct quality of gratitude,

Appreciation,

Sympathy for their distress,

Goodwill.

So just work between these two poles,

If you are really just widening the space,

The safe,

Comfortable space and including others in it,

And getting to more specific details,

People,

Event,

Near or far,

To myself,

To the other,

Her or him.

Thank you.

Appreciate the quality.

So it's just appreciating it as you see it between another person and a third person,

Seeing the genuine sense of their goodwill occurring between them,

Their support,

Their friendship,

And you feel touched by that.

So wherever this quality abides or is catalyzed,

Appreciating dwelling in it.

Freedom from ill will.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That becomes established for you,

Settled for you.

You can experience that it's just the release of fear,

Tension,

Recrimination,

Oneself or others,

Fault finding,

Guilt.

Sampling the quality that's there when those infections aren't present or dissolve,

Feeling boundless,

More comfortable.

Invite people into that space as you wish,

Beginning with people it's easy to welcome in.

Perhaps people who are more unknown,

Perhaps even people on retreat who you barely know but you see their faces.

Any of those faces that you see,

Bringing them in,

Why not?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Determining to this clear way indifference or jealousy,

Comparing or measuring.

Contemplate other people as beings,

People with karma,

People with unpleasant feeling,

Unpleasant feeling.

People experienced the many kinds of happiness and unhappiness.

Offering them goodwill does not lessen me,

Makes me greater,

Less edgy,

Less defensive,

Quieter,

Easier,

More spacious.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Taking as a basis consolidation of open heart,

Warm heartedness.

Not necessarily doing a lot,

Just sustain it,

Maintain it,

Invite being people in briefly,

Long time.

To the edges of it,

We just feel well.

Not particularly strongly grateful,

But just non-averse.

So people can be on the edge of that or in the center of that.

And then even people who you find difficulty with,

Just stand perhaps on the edge of your space,

Your awareness and resist or relax the tendency to feel ill will.

Just feel equanimous.

That's the way he is,

She is.

Going on in accordance with their karma.

Why do I have to get myself messed up with that?

Equanimity.

Just putting attention and energy into sustaining your safe space,

Free from ill will,

Uncramped.

Let that do the work,

As if you have to do more than hold the space and make invitations.

Let people or aspects of yourself even come to the edge of that or as far as they can come into it,

While you maintain that quality.

You can't come into the center of it and let them stand at the edge where you feel no pressure,

No negative activation.

Maybe even begin to experience compassion,

Beings fair on accordance with their karma,

Deluded or malicious or whatever.

If they reap the results of their deeds,

Then maybe even some sense of regret or compassion for their welfare.

But at all costs,

At all,

Not allowing one's heart to be invaded with scorn,

Grudge,

Discrimination,

Indifference,

Jealousy.

Keeping space bright,

Keeping clear.

OK.

Bring to mind,

If you will,

Beings,

People who are dear,

Admirable,

Worthy of respect,

And imagine them passing,

Or those who have passed,

The ending of that which has arisen in your awareness.

Maintain a quality of heart,

Letting the images,

People,

Pass,

Move out of your space,

People who have died,

Left,

Gone,

Or who will do shortly,

As we all do.

And maintain the space,

Quality of good heart,

As if this can be your gift to them,

Or your sharing with them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So you can let all the images,

All the images,

Dissolve,

Fade out,

And again just come back to the quality itself,

How you experience that,

How that manifests for you in your embodied domain,

Your sense of presence,

Parts of your body,

General quality of it,

Mental tone,

Mental activity,

Or lack of it.

So this should be your abiding place.

This is your health,

Your state of health,

Nothing more than that,

Or less than that.

So when you come to open your eyes and get into moving,

Just hold the space,

Guard the space,

And be aware of the programs that start pushing,

Or fretting,

Or jabbing,

Or contracting,

And guard your space,

Guard it well.

Aum.

Aum.

Aum.

Aum.

Reviews

💪❣

Lovely, thank you! I appreciated the length of this meditation.🌺💜🕊️

Excellent

That was lovely! A lot of it was over my head--the Ajahn teaches meditation very differently than I am used to--but I am sure that if U continue to come back to this then I will continue to develop these qualities.

It’s a beautiful meditation. I only wish I could understand better what he says. I missed a lot of words as he talks so soft. It wasn’t very clear for me

A sweet way to develop loving kindness. Thank you.

I really appreciate the slightly different approach to compassion practice that this presents, namely the lack of mantra and it's primary focus on generating the feelings of good will and abolishment of fault finding. This approach resonates a little better with me personally, so I find it an easier practice to stay with overall. Thank you, Ajahn.

Wonderful imagery. It's a new way of cultivating and spreading loving kindness for me and I'll definitely use it again!

Thank you so much for this guidance... how beautiful!!

Lovely thank you

This brought me back to my center where peace abides

Helpful guidance to know a space and quality of open heartedness and kindness for self and others.

Guided lightly towards, opening to, innate good will and developing stable presence within, absorbing, offering and resting in peace. Thank you