Hi there.
So here's a longer period of loving-kindness practice.
This one will be about 25 minutes in length.
So we can start off just by feeling our way into the body.
Hopefully you're sitting in a way that allows you to be upright in a natural way without holding yourself rigid.
And also in a way that allows you to relax without collapsing.
You can allow the eyes to close if they're not closed already.
Becoming aware of the breathing,
You can let go on every out-breath.
Just noticing how there's a natural phase of relaxation that takes place throughout the body as you breathe out.
And as you breathe in,
Paying particular attention to the area around the heart,
On the upper chest.
Just allowing some openness to develop as you inhale.
And as you maintain awareness of the area around the heart,
Just seeing if you can allow a quality of softness to develop there.
Perhaps smiling.
Just giving your body some reassurance.
We can drop in a reflection.
The reflection is,
I want to be happy.
Just saying those words to yourself,
Allowing them to drop into the mind perhaps a few times.
And just noticing how they resonate,
And what way do they resonate within you.
Just allowing yourself to feel the truth of these words,
Because deep down on some level we all want happiness,
Or peace,
Or contentment,
Or fulfillment,
Or a sense of meaning.
And this is quite natural and good.
And if it feels a little painful to drop these words in,
Then just accepting whatever feelings arise,
Even if they're uncomfortable.
And just saying to ourselves,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I find peace.
Just supporting this very natural and human desire to be happy.
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I find peace.
Over and over again,
Dropping these words into the heart without any expectation,
Without trying to make anything happen.
Just seeing what arises.
And just saying,
May I be well,
May I be happy,
May I find peace.
And if the mind wanders,
Then that's okay,
It happens.
Whenever we catch ourselves caught up in some train of thought,
Just let go,
Come back to our physical experience of sitting here,
And come back to dropping those phrases into the heart.
And just saying,
May I be well,
May I find peace.
And now,
Calling to mind someone that you would consider to be a friend,
Somebody whose well-being is important to you.
You feel happy when good things happen to them,
And when they're upset,
It bothers you.
Just considering that this friend,
Just like you,
Wants to be happy.
It's their most fundamental desire.
And yet happiness is often quite elusive,
Quite hard to find.
So just seeing if you can cherish and support this person's desire for happiness,
For well-being,
Valuing it,
Supporting it.
And we can do this by saying,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you find peace.
And again,
Whenever the mind has been wandering,
Just accepting that this happens,
It's natural.
Just letting go of the thoughts,
Coming back to your experience and to wishing your friend well.
And just saying,
May I be well,
May I find peace.
And then for a while,
Just letting go of the image or the thought of a friend and calling to mind what we call a neutral person,
To somebody you don't really have much of a connection with,
Or something not a friend.
You maybe see them more in terms of their function,
Their role.
It could be the person that delivers your mail,
Somebody who works in a local store.
So just calling someone like that to mind and just reflecting.
This person,
Just like me,
Just like my friend,
Wants to be happy.
They want happiness,
Fulfillment,
Meaning,
Contentment,
Well-being.
That's their most deep-rooted desire.
So recognizing that this person is just like you and just like those dear to you.
Seeing if there's a part of you that can cherish and support their desire for happiness.
And let that part of you wish them well,
Saying,
May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you find peace.
Until then,
Thank you.
Whenever the mind wanders,
Just bringing it back gently,
Kindly to your body and to wishing this neutral person well.
And now letting go of the image or thoughts of this neutral person and calling to mind somebody that you have some kind of difficulty with.
It could be a friend who at the moment you just have some kind of disagreement or problem with.
It could be something more long standing.
Perhaps somebody's hurt you,
Perhaps you tend to get annoyed with them,
Tend to criticize them a lot,
Have resentful thoughts about.
So just calling someone like that to mind.
And if it feels uncomfortable,
If there are uncomfortable feelings in your body,
As you call this difficult person to mind,
Just allowing those feelings to be there.
It's quite natural to feel uncomfortable when thinking of somebody that you have difficulty with.
Just reflecting that this person,
Just like you,
Just like your best friends,
Wants to be happy.
It's their deepest wish,
Their deepest desire.
And just like with you and just like with your friends,
This person you find difficult themselves as difficulty finding happiness.
So just seeing if you can support this person's desire to be happy,
To find peace.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you find peace.
May you find peace.
May you find peace.
And now becoming aware of the space surrounding you,
The space in front of you and the space behind you,
The space to the left and right,
Even the space above you and below you.
Being aware of the light and the sounds filling that space.
So this is the space of your awareness,
The space of your consciousness.
And just seeing if you can imbue this space of consciousness with kindness.
So that whoever would appear in this space,
Either physically around you or in your mind,
You would meet those beings with kindness,
Valuing their happiness and their desire to be happy.
So we're imbuing our consciousness with kindness.
So that if you now imagine that the three people,
Three other people who have been in the practice,
Your friend,
The neutral person,
The difficult person,
Are in the room with you right now.
You can receive each of them with kindness,
Recognizing that each wants to be happy,
Doesn't want to suffer,
Finds happiness elusive and suffers a lot more than they would like to.
And if there are traces of other beings,
Sounds for example,
Or you just know that somebody is in the building with you,
Or there are sounds of people outside,
Sounds of traffic,
Music,
Airplanes.
Just being aware that these two are feeling beings who wish to be happy,
Who wish to be free from suffering and wishing them well.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be free from suffering and may they find peace.
May all beings be happy.
And if you want your mind to range further afield,
That's fine.
You can call to mind people in more distant places,
People to the north of you,
The south,
The east,
The west.
Whatever enters your mind's eye,
You receive them with kindness and wish them well.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you find peace.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings find peace.
And then letting go of any images in the mind and simply coming back to your experience of being here now.
Feeling your seat and the floor below you.
Feeling the space around you and the light and the sounds.
Being aware of all these things with kindness as best you can.
And seeing if you can resolve to keep this perspective,
This awareness that other beings,
That all beings are feeling beings who wish happiness.
Seeing if you can keep that awareness in mind as you allow the eyes to open and as you prepare to go on to your next activity.
