So again,
Settle in to your posture,
Whatever that means for you,
And give yourself permission to be here.
I invite you to set an intention that for the time of this practice,
Try to focus on generating joy for others.
And as best you can,
Put down whatever you brought with you,
Whatever worries,
Ideas,
Lists,
Pasts,
Presents,
Just put them aside for the moment.
And let's just turn our attention to the breath.
And each time you inhale,
Try to lengthen the spine just a bit.
With each exhale,
Allow the rest of the body to relax around the upright spine.
Sitting upright and aware,
Awake and with intention.
Try and notice what it feels like sitting here in the meditative posture,
Whatever sensations are present in the body,
On the cushion,
The hands together,
The back straight.
What do you notice?
What's getting your attention?
Now bring your attention to the scalp.
And just let your awareness settle there for a moment.
Noticing whatever is present.
And then begin moving down the body.
And just being aware as you move down the face and neck and collarbone and shoulders.
Whatever areas ask for attention,
What sensations you feel.
And if you can,
As you work down the body,
Letting whatever tensions are present,
Tightness,
Just letting it go if you can.
And the torso,
The upper legs,
Lower legs,
The feet.
At this point,
We should be settling in somehow into this non-judgmental,
Present-time,
Kind awareness.
So again,
Let's bring the idea of mudita,
Or appreciative,
Altruistic joy to mind.
It's the third of the Brahma-viharas,
Or the heart practices the divine abodes,
Or measurables.
It's a quality of love,
Of kindness,
Of heart.
But first,
What comes to mind and what comes to body when you think about generating joy for the good fortune of others?
As we work through this practice,
If you notice jealousy or envy,
Or similar emotions,
Feelings arise,
Instead of altruistic joy,
Note it,
Pay attention to it,
But don't be mean to yourself.
Don't judge yourself,
If that's what arises.
This is a practice,
A learning process.
So most importantly,
Be nice to yourself,
As we practice this together.
So first,
We'll offer these altruistic and kind,
Loving phrases to ourselves.
And as you repeat these phrases to yourself,
Consider the joy and happiness in your life.
If nothing quite comes to mind,
Consider thinking of a puppy or a kitten,
Or some other object that brings joy to you,
Even if it's not in your life at the moment.
May I appreciate the happiness and joy around me.
May the well-being I feel continue.
May gratitude fill my heart.
Continue repeating the phrases to yourself,
Paying close attention to the physical and emotional notes that arise.
May I appreciate the happiness and joy around me.
May the well-being I feel continue.
May gratitude fill my heart.
Now we let go of focusing on ourselves,
And next we consider a close friend,
Someone we care deeply about.
Begin offering her or him the appreciative phrases.
As you repeat each phrase,
Keep that person in mind as the object of your well-wishing.
May your happiness and joy increase.
May your well-being and success continue.
May gratitude fill your heart.
Continue offering these well-wishes from your heart to your friends,
Growing your appreciative feelings in relation to the happiness and success of others.
And when the mind wanders into fantasy or stories with no judgment,
Simply return to the practice.
Now we let go of focusing on our friend and consider a benefactor,
Someone who has been important to us,
Someone who has helped us greatly and been important for us to know.
With this benefactor in mind,
And with the basic understanding that just as you wish to be happy and do well,
Your benefactor has the same desire to be happy and to be met with appreciation and praise.
Begin offering her or him the appreciative phrases.
May your happiness and joy increase.
May your well-being and success continue.
May gratitude fill your heart.
Now we let go of focusing on a benefactor and consider a family member.
Someone we care deeply about,
But we also may have mixed feelings,
Both good and bad.
With this family member in mind,
And with the basic understanding that just as you wish to be happy and do well,
Your family member has the same desire to be happy and to be met with appreciation.
We begin offering her or him the appreciative phrases.
And as you say them,
Keep this person in mind.
May your happiness and joy increase.
May your well-being and success continue.
May gratitude fill your heart.
Now we let go of focusing on our family member and we move to a difficult person.
Consider someone we may have a resentment against,
Someone we may have put out of our heart.
With this difficult person in mind,
And with a clear understanding that just as you wish to be happy and do well,
That even this person,
With their own skillful,
Mean,
Or even harmful behavior,
This person has the same desire to be happy and to be met with appreciation and praise as you do.
Begin offering this person the appreciative phrases.
And with each repetition,
Keep them in mind.
And remember that holding on to ill will only hurts us.
Try your hardest to be genuine in these offerings,
The best you can.
May your happiness and joy increase.
May your well-being and success continue.
May gratitude fill your heart.
Now let go of the difficult person.
And we will turn our attention to a wider focus.
We begin by turning our offering of well-wishes to the people in this room,
People nearest us.
And as we continue offering these loving and kind phrases,
Trying to notice this in the heart,
We expand our focus to this neighborhood,
The city,
County,
State.
Eventually,
Offering these well-wishes to all beings everywhere,
Human,
Four-legged,
Feathered,
Finned,
Winged.
Let your intention be set to send these beautiful statements to everyone everywhere,
Above and below,
The seen and the unseen,
Those just coming into the world and those who may soon be leaving.
So with an overflowing heart of love,
Begin offering the phrases.
May all your happiness and joy increase.
May all your well-being and success continue.
May gratitude fill your hearts.
Now let the phrases go and bring your attention back to the breath and body.
See what is speaking to you most clearly,
What thoughts and feelings are present.
Just try and be mindful without judgment.
Thank you.
