Let's just settle into the posture,
Giving yourself permission to be here,
And even a little thankfulness for giving yourself the grace to spend this time with these teachings.
What a benefit that is to yourself and to everyone that you come in contact with.
As we contemplate Karuna or compassion,
We'll use the phrases and go through the additional offerings.
First to oneself,
And then a benefactor,
Someone who's been kind,
Helpful,
Even compassionate to us.
And then someone we're unfamiliar with.
And then someone we might avoid if we could.
Try to let the words of today go as we consider how offering this to ourselves and others.
What arises in the body,
Emotionally,
And what thoughts show up.
Not so we can investigate,
But just simply that we know.
Before we get to the phrases,
Let's just do a short body scan.
Just touching in so we're a little more aware of the body.
Maybe it'll give us a door in to notice what arises.
Starting with the scalp,
Just turn your awareness there.
We'll just move down the body slowly.
Sometimes noticing the sensation of the area.
Other times,
In our imagination.
As we move down from the scalp,
Sensations of the forehead or the ears,
The eyes.
If we're holding them closed tightly,
Maybe blink a few times,
Let them loosen up,
Lessen the tension.
The nose,
The jaw,
Also another place.
You hold a lot of tension.
You can introduce some ease.
Would always be good.
Moving down into the neck,
Shoulders,
Collarbone,
More areas that this human animal seems to hold tension.
If you can exhale as your awareness is on these areas,
Trying to let them relax as you exhale,
Sometimes some of the tension will leave.
Move down into the torso.
It's part of the body that holds these amazing organs that allow us to be,
To move our blood,
To breathe,
To process everything that we take in and let go of.
Really quite incredible.
We feel the sensation of the body on the cushion,
Connecting to the earth,
Being held,
Supported.
The legs,
Upper legs,
Knees,
Lower legs,
Feet.
Again,
Just aware of the whole body in the sitting position.
Turn to the compassionate phrases.
Begin by offering these phrases to ourselves.
Just try to notice what arises as you wish yourself well in this way.
May I learn to care about suffering and discomfort.
I respond with tolerance and appreciation.
May I be filled with compassion.
Willingness to care about suffering and discomfort.
How does that feel?
For some of us,
We might have the perspective of the emotional life.
For others,
The physical.
And we'll bring these phrases towards someone that has been helpful in our lives.
A teacher,
A friend.
And wishing that they learn to care about suffering and discomfort.
They learn to respond with tolerance and appreciation.
And they learn to generate,
Understand,
Become compassionate.
Next,
We bring to mind someone that's unfamiliar.
Someone we don't really know.
With them in mind,
And the wish that they gain some compassion and the ability to relate to suffering in a different way.
We offer these phrases.
May you learn to care about suffering and discomfort.
May you respond with tolerance and appreciation.
May you be filled with compassion.
And we consider a challenging person or being one that we have aversion to,
Resentment towards.
And when we think of them,
Some negativity arises in our heart.
But even people that we have aversion to,
They also want the same things.
At least most of them.
And so to not hold these negative feelings in our heart and learn how to let them go.
Offering kind and supportive phrases to people we have difficulty with is a really good way to train the heart.
To open the heart.
To ease our own suffering,
Let go of these negative feelings.
With that in mind,
We offer these phrases to someone we consider challenging.
May you learn to care about suffering and discomfort.
May you learn to respond with tolerance and appreciation.
May you begin to develop compassion in your heart.
And we'll expand the offering of compassion.
Thinking about ourselves,
The benefactor.
Someone we don't know well.
Someone that challenges us.
And opening our hearts wider.
Everyone here in town,
In our state,
Beautiful state of North Carolina.
Continuing outward and unbounded.
Offering these kind and loving phrases from our heart to theirs.
To all beings everywhere.
The big and the small.
The old and the young.
The just born and those that are dying.
With a kind and loving heart,
We offer them these phrases.
May you learn to care about suffering and discomfort.
May you learn to respond with tolerance and appreciation.
May you be filled with compassion.
