Lovingkindness Using Natural Language

This recording begins with a two minute introductory talk about the way we use language in lovingkindness meditation. It then introduces the practice of talking to ourselves or others in natural language, rather than using formal phrases such as "May I/you be happy." The use of natural language allows our well-wishing to come "from the heart," and can help our lovingkindness practice be more effective and genuine.

Transcript

One of the main practices for cultivating kindness toward ourselves and toward others is to drop phrases that evoke a sense of kindness,

A sense of caring,

To drop those into the heart.

And there are many different phrases that we can use.

I've been suggesting,

May I be well,

May I be happy,

May I be kind to myself and others.

And these of course can be used for cultivating kindness toward others as well.

May you be well,

May you be happy,

May you be kind to yourself and others.

There's many other phrases and there's nothing magical about these particular ones,

Although I find them useful.

But sometimes though I find it even more useful to use natural language,

As if I'm just having a conversation with myself or with another person.

This can be challenging for some people if you find it a little difficult to relax into the practice.

But if you do manage to just let this communication,

As it were,

Flow,

Then you can have a much stronger sense of it coming from the heart.

So today we'll focus once again on cultivating a sense of kindness toward ourselves,

Focusing on this because it's an aspect of the practice that people find more difficult than anything else.

So I'm assuming that by now you've got into the habit of setting up an effective meditation posture,

A gentle,

Kind meditation posture,

Where you're sitting with a sense of dignity and poise,

Sitting in a way that supports your desire for well-being.

I'd like to suggest that today you take one hand and place it somewhere on your body,

Perhaps on the heart or perhaps on the belly,

Letting there be a sense of care,

Gentleness in the way that the hand makes contact,

Feeling the body with the hand,

Feeling the hand with the body.

And you can just begin to talk to yourself,

Expressing a sense of kindness and care.

And you can say things like,

And these are just suggestions,

I'm here for you,

How are you doing?

I care about you,

I want you to be happy,

I want you to be at ease,

I want you to be at peace,

I care about your well-being and I want you to be at peace.

You can just keep the communication honest.

So if you feel awkward you can say things like,

I know you find this awkward but I'm here for you.

And just continuing with this free-form well-wishing until you hear the bell.

Reviews

I've become accustomed to doing loving kindness meditations, but they always feel a little odd. I love this slight change

Such a nice gentle way to start the day. Thank you! ☮️💖🙏🖖🪷🕉

Nice little suggestions for tweets to the practice. It’s a practice I do so much and this will be wonderful to infuse into it. Thank you Bodhipaksa

It was a bit hard to stay focused doing a Freeform loving kindness practice but I liked it.