In a world that's really polarized,
Can be difficult to love one another or have compassion or understanding towards people who disagree with you or perhaps be intolerable.
But it's important for us to recognize that that person has certain experiences,
Certain amount of suffering that has led that person to come to the understanding of the world that they do.
And you too have had experiences and suffering that have made you the person that you are.
And so rather than come to a place of conflict,
You can at least soften your own self,
Not soften as a mean of weakness,
But softness as a place of water.
Something yielding yet still strong as the Tao Te Ching will say.
Water just like compassion permeates a lot of the cracks in our society.
Let's see if we can cultivate some compassion for ourselves and for those that may be in need of some compassion.
So we start with ourselves.
So it starts with repeating the phrases or the sentences two times and just allowing it to settle into yourself.
So say one phrase and you just repeat it a few times.
Just let it kind of sink in.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I be strong in body and mind.
May I be strong in body and mind.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
So then when that compassion for yourself grows,
Bring into mind someone who you deeply love.
It could be a romantic partner,
A child,
A parent,
A sibling,
A pet.
Bring that person to the center of your mind.
And repeat.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be safe.
May you be strong in body and mind.
May you be strong in body and mind.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
As that love and kindness grows,
Consider a person who is neutral.
This is someone who you have really no emotional regard.
The someone at a checkout counter could be a neighbor that you perhaps see but don't have any conversation with.
Just a everyday person.
Extend loving kindness to that person.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be safe.
May you be strong in body and mind.
May you be strong in body and mind.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
So then that loving kindness continues to grow.
Letting into mind someone who you find to be intolerable.
May you be happy.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be safe.
May you be strong in body and mind.
May you be strong in body and mind.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
And then we let the loving kindness spread as a web of connected loving kindness to all beings on the planet.
All sentient beings.
And we repeat,
May all be happy.
May all be happy.
May all be safe.
May all be strong in body and mind.
May all be strong in body and mind.
May all be peaceful and at ease.
May all be peaceful and at ease.
May all be strong in body and mind.
May all be safe.
