Hey there,
It's Davin.
I appreciate you joining me in this sound meditation experience.
During our time together,
We will be practicing Metta or loving kindness meditation.
I will be guiding the practice with my voice,
Both in spoken word and singing.
My friend,
Do you know that you are lovely?
Do you know that you are love?
Metta,
Translated from the ancient Pali language as loving kindness,
Has been said to be the practice of reteaching a thing its loveliness.
If you're like me,
It can be difficult to remember or even believe the truth of my loveliness.
We are so easily coerced by our own self-loathing and judgment,
We find ourselves quickly caught up in the ways in which the world feels too hard or in how someone has done us wrong.
Many of us have had experiences,
Intraditions or relationships which somehow convinced us that love was not our essence,
But rather something separate that we needed to earn.
These experiences,
They can be isolating,
Can't they?
They are often shrouded in fear and make it difficult to believe that love is at the center of it all.
But it was exactly with this in mind that the Buddha offered this practice.
In fact,
It was given as an antidote to fear,
To isolation and to dread,
And central to its power is that you don't have to believe.
The practice doesn't require that you do.
It simply asks that through the repetition of well-wishes,
You acknowledge the universal desire for happiness,
Health,
Safety and freedom.
This acknowledgement,
It has the power to reteach us our loveliness.
It also teaches us about the loveliness of others and therefore it draws our awareness to the radical love that connects all living beings.
So wherever you are and whatever your story might be,
Let's together engage this practice,
Keeping in mind the possibility of returning to an essential truth of who we are,
Love.
Let's begin,
Shall we?
I'd like to invite you to settle into your body,
Finding a posture or a seat that feels comfortable and alert.
Wherever you land,
However you decide to be,
Once you've arrived,
Take a moment to rest and to notice.
Maybe closing your eyes or inviting a soft,
Low gaze in front of you.
It may be useful to even do a quick scan of the body from head to toe,
Noting with curiosity any particular areas that call your attention.
After having established an awareness of your physical presence in this space,
Let's connect further by bringing attention to the breath,
Noticing the inhalation and the exhalation,
The rise and the fall,
With curiosity noting the natural cadence of it all.
Now I'd like to offer four phrases or well wishes to recite internally.
These phrases will guide the practice,
But if you find other words that resonate more deeply,
Feel free to use those instead.
The power in the phrase comes from the attention and generosity with which it is offered.
You will first offer these phrases to yourself and then expand outward at my cue.
With that in mind,
Internally repeat after me,
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
May I live life with ease,
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
And may I live life with ease.
Go ahead and repeat each phrase,
Allowing for the words to echo within.
Safe,
Happy,
Healthy,
Live life with ease.
If you find your attention wandering or you feel distracted,
That's alright.
See if you can release whatever has caught your attention and allow the repetition of each phrase to bring you back.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I be healthy,
And may I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be healthy,
And may I live life with ease.
Now bring to your mind someone who has helped you in your life,
Someone who has been there for you in a time of need.
This is traditionally thought of as a person whom at their mere mention makes you smile,
The embodiment of love.
Bring this person into your mind's eye and offer them the same well wishes that you offered yourself.
May you be safe,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you live life with ease.
May you be safe,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
Now consider someone for whom you feel quite neutral,
Someone that you neither strongly like or dislike.
This could be a person you recently passed on the street,
A friend of a friend,
Or your neighborhood barista.
Offer the same phrases to this person with curiosity.
See how the phrases shape your perception of who they are.
May you be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
Live life with ease.
May you be safe,
Happy,
Healthy,
Live with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
Next,
Consider someone who brings you conflict or difficulty.
It may be best to begin with someone for whom your feelings are quite mild,
But whoever it is,
Proceed by repeating the same phrases.
See what happens as you offer loving kindness,
Safe,
Happy,
Healthy,
Live with ease.
If this feels too difficult or emotional,
That's fine.
It's not a failure in your practice.
Just return to offering the phrases to yourself.
May you be safe,
Happy,
Healthy,
Live with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
May I be safe,
May I be happy,
May I live life with ease.
Finally,
Offer loving kindness to all sentient or living beings.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings live life with ease.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be safe.
When you feel ready,
Open your eyes,
Expand your awareness,
Take in the world around you.
How do you feel?
What do you notice?
How might this feeling,
This sensation,
This awareness inform the rest of your day?
How might it influence how you act toward yourself and to others?
Remember,
My friend,
You are lovely.
And you have just taken an incredible step toward reteaching yourself this truth.
Peace.
