So just closing our eyes and letting the words,
The music,
The impressions of the day just gently settle,
Perhaps fall off the edge of our mental screen of awareness to notice the space inside our body,
Inside this room,
Perhaps even a little bit more space inside the heart,
A softness or a sense of more understanding,
More compassion for ourselves and the world,
And perhaps practicing a little bit of metta meditation to end the day.
Metta,
First of all,
To this body that we push around by imagining that your body is just basking in the light of mindfulness and the warmth of kindness like the light and the warmth of the sun so that awareness is just receiving whatever it notices without any effort at all.
You're just relaxing back in your chair or on your cushion as though you're on a very comfortable armchair being basked in the gentle rays of the sun,
Developing a friendly attitude towards this body who so graciously serves you night and day,
Forgiving your body for maybe not being as healthy or as young or as pretty,
Attractive as you might like to be or think you might like to be,
Really valuing your body as a very dear and close friend enjoying any sensations that feel useful,
Maybe light or gentle,
Soft,
Any parts of the body that are not uncomfortable right now and allowing the mind to rest with those.
If it's comfortable for you,
Maybe allowing the mind,
The awareness to rest around the heart,
The chest and wishing yourself well by using some phrases of loving kindness or compassion towards yourself just gently reciting phrases such as may I be happy,
May I be free,
May I be healed,
May I be at peace,
Finding those words,
Those wishes that resonate deeply for you and offering each phrase or maybe only one phrase to yourself as a gift like planting a seed in the soil of your heart,
Very fertile soil and pausing between each phrase to allow the light and the warmth of the sun,
Kind awareness or kindfulness to bring this seed to life,
Just planting the seed and allowing metta,
Loving kindness to grow in its own time,
Noticing the feelings as they arise and being so gentle and undemanding towards those feelings,
Accepting if you don't feel very much at all,
It's perfectly fine,
Just delighting in these beautiful intentions and perhaps bringing to mind a very dear friend or partner,
Child,
Maybe teacher,
Someone who you feel really safe and at ease to be around and allowing this metta,
These feelings and intentions of loving kindness to flow out to them,
Perhaps imagining this being,
Smiling into your eyes,
Relaxing as you bathe them in loving kindness from head to toe as if they're really right there in front of you now,
Staying connected to your own heart center or any feelings in the body that are pleasant or neutral,
Trusting that your metta is reaching this person,
That it is enough just to care and keeping this person close,
Included.
Now allow the metta to start spreading into this room,
Just as though a golden glow emanating from your chest or maybe your whole body,
Every pore and spreading out toward everyone in this room,
Giving us all the support that we need,
That feeling of acceptance,
A sense of nurture,
Tender care.
May all of us here today,
Practicing this beautiful,
Forgiving,
Loving kindness,
May we all be happy and well.
May we be free from fear,
From resentment,
Bitterness,
Numbness.
May we embrace ourselves just as we are and have no obstacles in our path.
May we be safe,
Healthy and free.
May we all be at peace,
Imagining each being in this room,
Whether their face comes to mind or not,
Receiving this combined loving kindness,
Relaxing more deeply,
Feeling at ease,
Happy,
Loved.
And now this loving kindness starts spreading through the windows,
Down the stairs,
Up towards the residential part of this building and into the streets where people are trying to create a feeling of happiness and unity in whatever way they know how.
May all beings in this whole area,
This beautiful ancient city of learning,
May they all be free.
May they also partake in our peace,
Our harmony and however much happiness we've developed inside.
May all beings in this city be at ease,
Be safe,
Be free.
And just allowing this loving kindness to spread way beyond this city across the UK to anyone who comes to mind who you may know in your family,
Your work environment,
Perhaps someone in hospital or going through a hard time.
Many beings in this country,
Just like them,
May they all be happy,
Safe,
Well and at peace,
Whoever they are,
Whatever they've done.
And allowing this metta to spread,
Perhaps across the planet Earth or maybe simply in every direction from this room,
As far as it will,
Across the land masses,
The oceans and the seas,
To all beings,
Not only human beings,
But animals,
Insects,
Birds and creatures of the sea.
All beings,
Visible or invisible,
May they all be happy and well.
All beings who may be right now harming other beings,
May their anger subside.
May they receive our loving kindness and find peace,
Knowing that all beings have the capacity to harm one another,
Just like us,
Imperfect,
Fallible human beings or animals driven by their instincts,
Knowing nothing else,
Not even intending to inflict harm,
But simply just to survive.
May all beings in this universe,
Wherever life is found,
May they all be happy.
May they all be free.
Just imagining that for a moment,
All beings at peace.
What an incredible planet that would be.
Just resting with a sense of loving kindness towards all beings for a moment,
Allowing yourself to relax,
To breathe,
Just enjoying any peace inside as you once again come back to your own body and mind,
Leaving that glow of loving kindness outside and coming back into your heart,
Into your inner world right now.
And if you wish,
Thinking of any being or beings that you may have harmed with a simple intention to ask forgiveness.
If I've hurt or harmed any living being,
Intentionally or unintentionally,
By body,
Speech or mind,
I ask forgiveness.
And if there are any beings who hurt or harm me by their deeds of body,
Speech or mind,
Knowingly or unknowingly,
Intentionally or unintentionally,
I offer those beings my intention to forgive if I'm not able to forgive them yet,
Knowing that this may take time and giving it all the time that I need to come to that place of forgiveness and peace with any being who's harmed me,
Just resting with that possibility.
And lastly,
We come to ourself,
Perhaps the hardest person to forgive,
Yet the one we live with and know so closely,
So intimately,
To me,
The one I'm closest to.
I offer myself forgiveness,
Or if I'm not yet ready to forgive certain parts of me that perhaps have been shamed or rejected,
I offer those parts of myself,
The sincere intention to forgive,
To bring them home,
To include all those parts of myself,
Of my life in my heart.
No matter what I've done through body,
Speech or mind that has hurt or harmed myself,
I seek my own forgiveness.
Knowing that this may take time,
I offer myself the intention to forgive my body,
My mind,
My emotions,
My hormones,
My race,
My gender,
My sexuality,
Whatever it is,
My intellect,
Abilities.
I offer myself complete acceptance and forgiveness,
Unconditionally.
I offer myself the intention to develop forgiveness,
A soft,
Patient,
Forgiving heart of love and kindness throughout my life.
May I be my own best friend and companion on this path,
No matter how difficult it may get,
And be a companion and guide to many other beings as a result.
