Cultivating Loving-Kindness

Maitrī means benevolence, loving-kindness, friendliness, amity, goodwill, and active interest in others. It is the first of the four sublime states and one of the ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism. The cultivation of benevolence is a popular form of Buddhist meditation.

Transcript

Please find a comfortable posture.

Keep your back straight as much as you can.

Gently close your eyes.

Take few deep long breaths and relax your whole body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Observe all of the different parts of your body individually and see if they are relaxed,

Free of tension or strain.

Anywhere you find tension or strain,

Concentrate your mind on that area and allow it to release and relax.

Experience relaxation and peace.

Feel harmony with your body.

Feel close to yourself.

Now send your loving thoughts towards yourself thinking,

I am well,

I am happy,

I am peaceful.

Understand the meaning of each word clearly and deeply then repeat it to yourself,

I am well,

I am happy,

I am peaceful.

If you know how to love yourself,

It is much easier for you to love others.

In this moment,

Understand the power of self-caring,

Self-loving kindness practice,

I am well,

I am happy,

I am peaceful.

May I be free of anger,

Free of attachment,

Free of confusion,

Free of pride.

May I be safe.

May I be free of the problems that arise from such distraction of my mind.

May I recognize and cultivate my potential of loving kindness,

Compassion,

Wisdom,

Patience and all other good qualities.

May these good qualities grow for my well-being and the well-being of others.

May my fear,

Worries and sorrows fall away.

May I find the joy of peace and love in my heart.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be content.

May I be free of greed,

Hatred and delusion.

May I be free.

Let me be generously giving,

Understanding and insightfully clear,

I am free.

I am free.

I am free.

I am well.

I am happy.

I am peaceful.

Now we are going to send our loving thoughts towards our family.

Before we send our loving thoughts towards our family,

We have to think.

We love our family members.

They did lots of good things for us.

Maybe they didn't.

Still,

Like all,

They are my family.

We have some good family members.

Sometimes we have difficult family members.

In this moment,

Doesn't matter who they are,

How they are,

Still they are my family.

As a person who tried to practice loving kindness,

I am going to change my perspective about my family.

How I practice.

How I cultivate my own mind.

Therefore,

In this moment,

Unconditionally,

I am sending my loving thoughts towards my family.

May my parents and grandparents be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

Thank you so much for all the good things you did for me.

I am sending you loving thoughts.

Whether you are living in this world or not,

Doesn't matter.

Still,

We can practice loving kindness towards them.

May my parents and my grandparents be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

Remember,

We are using these words,

Well,

Happy and peaceful.

The words are so powerful.

We are putting our intention into these words.

Then we are creating energy.

We are making our intention.

Then our intention becomes an action.

May all of my family members be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

Now send your loving thoughts towards your children and grandchildren.

May they be well,

May they be happy,

May they be peaceful.

They are smiling with you.

You are smiling with them.

Just visualize you are sitting in front of them.

They are so sweet,

Kind,

Compassionate.

You do the same.

Now you are sending your loving thoughts towards them.

May my children,

My grandchildren be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

May my brothers and sisters be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

Sometimes you have a difficult brother,

Difficult sister.

Doesn't matter who they are,

How they are,

What they did.

Still,

You can practice loving kindness towards them.

Whatever negative things,

Whatever bad things they did,

They had to carry that burden,

Not you.

Therefore,

Change your perspective about them instead of anger or hatred towards them.

Please practice loving kindness towards them.

You deserve peace.

May they be well,

May they be happy,

May they be peaceful.

May all of my family members be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

We all are brothers and sisters in one large family.

Now send your loving thoughts towards the whole world.

May all living beings,

Human beings,

Non-human beings be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

Right now there are lots of challenges and difficulties in this world.

So many people are in fear,

Worries,

Anxiety.

Some people are dying,

Some people are sick.

Some people are dying without food,

Without water,

Without medicine.

Children are dying in wars.

Look at your life now.

You are home,

You are safe,

You have food.

Appreciate all the good things you have,

Appreciating all the good things in your life,

Being grateful.

Now send your loving thoughts towards the whole world.

The world needs our blessing,

The world needs our healing.

You are a beautiful person,

You are a little Buddha.

You can change your mind,

You can change how you are thinking.

Then you can build,

You can create these loving energies in your heart and mind.

And radiate these healing energy,

Loving,

Healing energy towards the world.

May all living beings be well,

Be happy,

Be peaceful.

Now observe your mind,

Observe your body.

Your body is relaxed,

Your mind is calm,

Tranquil and peaceful.

Make a strong determination to practice this loving kindness meditation every day,

Regular with diligence and patience.

Understand how important this meditation practice.

Keep yourself well,

Happy,

Peaceful and balanced.

May peace be with you,

May you be well,

May you be happy,

May you be peaceful.

Thank you very much,

Please open your eyes.

Reviews

That was a lovely guided meditation. I liked the words the teacher chose. I will be back!

Just what I needed to hear this morning! Thank you 🙏

Very calming meditation. I am grateful to have found it.

Thank you 🙏 this is one of my favorites! I feel better and grateful for your words. I love when you say “you are a little Buddha” it always makes me smile and I feel loved, cared for and peaceful.

I really enjoy your work and meditations
They have helped me so much
THANK YOU

Dear Bhante Sujatha,

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your wonderful guided meditation on “Cultivating Loving-Kindness.” Your words embody the true essence of benevolence that is at the heart of Buddhism. As I listened, I felt a profound sense of gratitude and peace washing over me, slowly guiding me into a state of joy and hope.

My psychologist recommended this app, and it has truly been a Godsend for me. I’m looking forward to following your teachings and continuing this journey of mindfulness and compassion.

Thank you once again for your inspiring work.

Warm regards,

Ricardo A. Sepulveda

Simple and beautiful. Thank you for sharing your love and kindness with us!

Beautiful and meaningful meditation. Thank you so much 🙏

Beautiful Metta Practice😍 I hope and plan to do this daily.
Thank You Beautiful Teacher💞

That was wonderful and so peaceful. I have been blocked in my meditation lately. This opened the door for me. Namaste 💕🙏

The best practice. May you be well, happy and peacuful. 🍀💖🙏

I don’t haver children (or grandchildren ☺️), but regardless, wishing them well brought me a unique joy. “You are a little Buddha” also made me smile 😌🥰 At times, the pace was just a little faster than I prefer, but nonetheless, I feel at ease. Thank you 🙏🏼

A beautiful and gentle meditation to soothe the mind and body

The best LKM I’ve found on insight timer. Thank you

Practicing loving kindness is so needed in this world…and it begins with me. Thank you for the beautiful and inspiring gift of this message. 🙏🏻

When I started learning meditation with you in merida Yucatan Mexico 2001,I remember this one and my life change completely ♥️ for better I understand in this world we need more compassion 🙏 ❤️ and definitely i feel more powerful when we learn observar our mind!.
Thanks so much for all this I always appreciate and continue practice with a very older CD.

Lovely. Peaceful and gentle. Just what I needed. I will do this meditation again tomorrow.

So beautiful, thank you! May YOU be well…happy…peaceful, brother. 🙏✨💙

Great meditation, filled with sweetness and compassion!
Deeply relaxing and soothing body and mind ☺️ Thank you 🙏🏻

Beautiful and gentle. Thank you. May you be well, may you be happy, may you be peaceful. 😌🙏💞