So,
To begin this loving-kindness practice,
We first practice kindness for ourselves by finding a comfortable stationary position and taking some moments to adjust the different parts of our body,
Positioning them in a way that would support our meditation,
That would support the qualities of relaxation,
Stillness,
And vigilance in the body,
Allowing our breath to flow naturally without any attempts to control it,
To adjust it,
To change it,
Rather allowing the body itself to choose the optimal rhythm,
Volume,
And pace of breathing.
And also as a preliminary exercise,
Doing an abbreviated body scan to establish a greater sense of ease in the body.
First,
Bringing our awareness to our feet and toes,
To just notice the sensations and to check if we can release some of the physical tension there.
And then exploring the sensations around our pelvic floor,
Then throughout our torso,
Then our shoulders,
Our hands and fingers,
And our facial muscles.
And then extending our awareness to the entirety of the body,
Noticing all of the sensations at the same time,
And then releasing tension from the entirety of the body with each new exhalation.
With our body resting in this state of dynamic equilibrium,
Deepening the qualities of relaxation,
Stillness,
And vigilance with each new out-breath,
We take some moments to re-establish a positive motivation for the practice by thinking of our highest spiritual or psychological aspirations,
Thinking of the goals we want to eventually realize by means of our contemplative practice in general.
And we mentally orient this specific meditation towards the fulfillment of those goals.
With that,
We direct our awareness to ourselves as a person,
To ourselves as the first object of loving-kindness in this sequence.
And we first simply observe ourselves as a suitable object of loving-kindness,
That is,
As a being that wants to be happy and have the causes of happiness,
But is not yet experiencing the greatest possible bliss.
We then hold ourselves in the attitude of tenderness,
Or affection,
Or care.
That is,
We're simply resting in an affectionate awareness of ourselves as a person,
As if we were holding ourselves in an embrace full of warmth,
Care,
Non-indifference.
And then we allow that tenderness to crystallize into loving-kindness proper by wishing,
May I be happy and have the causes of happiness.
And we rest in this wish,
In this aspiration,
Returning to it again and again,
Re-establishing it every time it seems to fade away.
Every time we notice ourselves getting distracted,
We withdraw the awareness back into the wish,
And we send that wish into the depths of our being.
May I be happy and have the causes of happiness.
For a few moments,
We can imagine ourselves attaining genuine happiness,
Genuine well-being,
True flourishing,
Resting in that vision of true,
Sustainable,
Profound bliss.
And then we shift to the next object in the sequence by thinking of a respected and valued benefactor,
Someone that we respect for their positive contribution to our own life,
To the life of our community,
Maybe to the world in general.
Imagining this person in front of us and first thinking that they,
Just like us,
Want to be happy and have the causes of happiness.
Just like us,
They want to experience different types of flourishing and well-being.
And this is what we are doing.
And so,
For the first few moments,
We are simply resting in that empathetic recognition,
While also projecting tenderness or affection or warmth.
And then we allow that tenderness to crystallize into loving-kindness proper by wishing,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
Once again,
Resting in this aspiration,
Connecting to it,
Strengthening it,
And returning to it again and again,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
And then for a few moments,
Imagining them actually attaining a state of true flourishing,
Genuine,
Sustainable well-being that is both profound and vast.
And then,
Thinking of a friend in the conventional sense of the word,
Just someone we're close to,
A category of friends,
Relatives,
Partners,
Objects of romantic or sexual attraction.
Choosing a specific person and imagining them in the space in front,
Recognizing that just like us,
This person as well wants to be happy and have the causes of happiness.
And then projecting warmth,
Tenderness,
Affection,
As if we were holding their vulnerable core in our hands,
Conveying that sense of caring.
And then allowing that to crystallize into loving-kindness proper by wishing,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
Returning to this wish and the person we're projecting it towards again and again.
And then imagining this friend as well attaining genuine flourishing,
Genuine well-being.
We then think of a so-called stranger or a person that we know visually but that we are relatively indifferent towards.
We might not particularly like them,
We don't have any particular dislike towards them either,
And we can still imagine them.
So that's what we do,
We imagine them in the space in front of us and we think about their wish for happiness and well-being.
Projecting our tenderness,
Our affectionate care,
Towards their vulnerable core,
The heart of their being.
And then allowing that to ripen into loving-kindness by wishing,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
And then breathing life into that,
Strengthening that,
Returning to that again and again.
Then imagining that this person as well attains genuine flourishing,
Abides in a state of genuine well-being and bliss.
And then thinking of a so-called enemy,
Meaning a person that we might not be particularly comfortable with or around.
Initially,
We start with people who are just tiny bit problematic in our perception.
So having imagined this person in the space in front of us,
We first rest in the awareness of their wish for happiness and well-being.
Because it's that wish that motivates them in everything that they do.
However,
Misguided their attempts at finding happiness might appear to us.
At the root of it is a vulnerable core that just wants to be happy.
And so we can hold that core in a feeling of tenderness,
Affection,
Care.
And then projecting loving-kindness,
May you be happy and have the causes of happiness.
Resting in loving-kindness for this person,
Sending that wish out whenever necessary.
Imagining this person as well attaining that genuine well-being.
And then recognizing that all beings have that same wish for genuine happiness,
Genuine well-being.
All beings want to be happy.
And so our mind can open up boundlessly,
Sending out the same tenderness and the same wish of loving-kindness towards all.
And so thinking,
May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Or may all beings be happy and have the causes of happiness.
And then imagining all beings indeed abiding in a state of genuine well-being.
Then releasing the thought,
The aspiration,
All the mental imagery.
Releasing all thoughts and just resting in the afterglow of that loving-kindness.
And then taking a moment to mentally dedicate the energy of our practice to the high aspirations with which we began.
And then returning to the body,
Noticing its sensations,
Introducing some movement to the body,
And gradually concluding the practice.
