Hello,
This is Clive.
This is a short meditation that I like to use in the mornings to set myself up for the day,
But of course you can use it at any time of day.
In it we visit each of what the Buddhists call the four divine abodes,
Loving-kindness or metta,
Compassion or karuna,
Appreciative joy or mudita,
Equanimity or upekka.
But the details don't matter.
All we're really trying to do is get ourselves in a great frame of mind for the rest of the day.
So let's start by just sitting however you feel most comfortable.
You can sit on a cushion or you can sit in a chair.
Really however you want to sit is fine.
Because we're setting ourselves up for the day,
I like to make sure that I'm in a fairly active position,
Keep my back nice and straight and upright.
As you sit there,
Let's just start by closing our eyes.
We'll slowly bring our attention into the room.
So what can you hear?
Maybe there are noises outside.
Maybe there's a bee buzzing around.
Maybe one of your pets is mooching around outside.
Whatever it is,
Just note it.
Maybe there's warmth or coolness.
Maybe it's light or just getting light.
Again,
Just notice those things and slowly,
After a few breaths,
Bring your attention into the body.
What do you notice in your body?
The feeling of yourself on the cushion or on the chair.
Your hands in your lap,
Your feet on the floor.
How about your breath?
Can you feel that?
Just notice it wherever you notice it and bring that present moment awareness into the body.
And we're going to start by just bringing a little smile to our face.
It's a new day.
It's a great opportunity.
So let's smile.
Let's start by generating that warm and happy feeling inside ourself.
So think of an occasion when you are happy.
Or if you can't think of one,
Just think of puppies playing or kittens rolling.
Doesn't matter what it is.
Just bring that happy thought to mind.
And now you can just feel that thought.
Just think the thought,
May I be happy?
As I was happy at that point,
Happy watching that or thinking that or at that time,
May I be happy now?
May I be peaceful and calm?
May I be happy?
Generate that feeling of happiness in your heart and invite yourself into it.
Sometimes maybe we don't think we deserve to be happy.
We think of ourselves as a bad person.
We're all just people.
Good,
Bad.
We have parts.
We are many.
But in the end,
There's some of us always that deserves to be happy.
So invite that part in and feel it.
May I be tranquil,
Full of joy.
Just feel those warm feelings towards yourself.
Keep that smile on your face and feel that warmth in your heart.
And maybe after a few seconds it begins to fade a little.
So just invite yourself again to feel that.
May I be full of joy?
After a few more moments,
May I be calm and tranquil?
May I have compassion for the challenges that I face myself?
Give yourself a little mental hug.
And if you find tension coming in or thoughts of not deserving or of difficult situations,
Then just relax around them.
They'll come.
They'll go.
Don't hold onto them.
Just release them and smile and feel that peaceful and calm feeling in your heart.
Hug yourself.
There's no need to fake anything.
It's just that warm feeling is in there,
Just a tiny current of it maybe.
It's a few sparks.
As we give them our loving attention,
They'll grow.
So feel it.
Feel that smile.
Bring that attention and awareness into your heart.
And now try spreading it to others.
Spread that joy to others.
So we'll start by spreading it to your family,
People close to you.
May they feel happy.
May they be full of joy.
Just invite them in.
Invite them into that warmth.
Now add in people you may be acquaintances,
People you know their faces,
You may not know their name even.
Feel that warmth spread out to them.
Feel that appreciation and calmness and equanimity spread out.
They feel it too.
And let's spread it further.
Spread it to everyone in your town,
Everyone near you.
Today is going to be a day when at some point they're just going to stop and smile to themselves.
They may not know why.
Spread that happiness and that joy.
Spread it further until you bring all living beings into that.
Into that calm,
Into that joy,
Into that appreciation of their day.
Ultimately we're all connected.
We all breathe the same air.
We all drink the same water,
Look at the same moon in the sky,
Look at the same stars at night.
We are all connected.
Your joy,
Your happiness.
Maybe you only feel it a little bit,
Maybe you feel it a lot.
You can spread it and share it with others.
And they too will spread and share the joy.
We'd all be better for that.
And we can take a step every day to move towards it.
So that's what we're doing now.
We're just feeling that warmth,
That happiness,
That compassion in our hearts.
And we're going to take those feelings and we're going to go out and we're going to go do what we need to do today in the same way with that loving kindness,
With that appreciation and joy and with calmness and compassion.
So give yourself one last mental hug,
One last smile and whenever you feel ready,
You can just open your eyes and move forward with your day.
Thank you.
