Everywhere.
Phrases like,
May I live in safety?
May I be happy?
May I be healthy?
May I live with ease?
Expressions that speak to what we desire for ourselves,
Not just for today,
But in an enduring way.
You can also choose phrases that resonate for you.
It doesn't have to be these specific phrases.
As you gently repeat these phrases over and over again this morning,
Have your mind rest in their resonance.
I will pause for a moment after each iteration to allow the phrases to echo in silence.
Whenever you find your attention has wandered,
Don't worry.
When you recognize you've drifted away from the phrases,
See if you can gently bring your mind back and begin again.
As we start,
I invite you to sit comfortably in a manner that will allow you to focus your attention.
And if you feel comfortable doing so,
I invite you to close your eyes or lower your gaze.
And again,
If it feels right to you,
I invite you to place one hand over the other and place them both over your heart.
We'll start by receiving loving kindness.
With your eyes closed or your gaze lowered,
Call to mind a person close to you who loves you very much.
It could be someone from the past or the present,
Someone still in life or who has passed.
It could be a spiritual teacher or guide.
Imagine that person standing in front of you,
Sending you their love.
That person is sending you wishes for your safety,
For your well-being and happiness.
May you be happy,
They say.
May you feel love.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Keeping this person in mind,
You might want to visualize them or say their name to yourself.
Get a feeling for their presence and then direct the phrases of loving kindness back to them.
May you be happy.
May you feel love.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Next,
Call to mind someone you know who's having a difficult time right now.
They've experienced a loss,
A painful feeling,
A difficult situation.
If somebody like that comes to mind,
Bring them here.
Imagine them sitting in front of you,
Say their name,
Get a feeling for their presence and offer the phrases of loving kindness to them.
May you be happy.
May you feel love.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Now think of someone who plays some neutral role in your life,
An acquaintance,
Someone you don't know very well and toward whom you do not have any particular feeling.
It could be a neighbor or a colleague or someone else that you see around but do not know very well.
You and this person are alike in your wish to have a good life.
Send your wishes for well-being to that person,
Repeating the following phrases silently.
Just as I wish to,
May you be happy.
May you feel love.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Now think of someone that you may not get along with.
It may be someone that you have long-standing difficulties with.
Call this difficult person to mind and be honest about what you feel.
There may well be feelings of discomfort.
Notice any tendency you may have to think badly of this person or to deepen the conflict you have with them.
Try to set those tendencies aside for a moment.
Instead,
Wish them well,
Repeating the following phrase.
Just as I wish to,
May you be happy.
May you feel love.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
Recognizing that this practice can open us to the possibility of including rather than excluding,
Connecting rather than overlooking,
And caring rather than being indifferent.
I invite you to extend these phrases in a boundless way,
Encompassing as many loved ones,
As many acquaintances and others as you can imagine,
From your neighborhood and all across the planet,
From people you see every day to people you can only imagine.
May you be happy.
May you feel love.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you live with ease.
And finally,
I invite you to return to yourself and send this loving kindness from yourself to yourself.
Recognizing that we are not always as kind and patient with ourselves as those who love us would want us to be.
Recognizing that sometimes we feel more like our own worst critic than our own best friend.
Recognizing that we are a part of this fabric of existence,
The part we have the best access to,
The part where we can exercise the most agency.
Let us end by drawing up some compassion from ourselves,
For ourselves.
May I be happy.
May I feel love.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.
Take a deep breath in and breathe out.
Another breath in and let it go.
Notice the state of your mind and how you feel after this meditation.
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
When you're ready,
I invite you to open your eyes.
Thank you to UVA's Contemplative Sciences Center for having me.
Thank you to all our sponsors and thank all of you for participating and sharing in this practice with me.
I wish you all a good day,
Good start to your week and hope to see you at next week's Meditation on the Lawn.
