Hi there,
This is Devon.
Welcome to this practice of kindness for all beings.
Of all the metacategories,
This one is probably my favorite.
We can be very creative in opening our heart to all beings.
Those we know and those we don't.
Those near and far away.
Those in big,
Medium,
And small bodies.
Those born and to be born.
Allow yourself to be light and playful with this practice.
I'll be offering some groupings of beings,
But know that you can make up your own as well.
So let's get started.
Begin with a comfortable posture.
Notice how you feel supported and grounded,
And also upright and clear in your bodily posture.
Feel the natural dignity of your body resting and breathing.
Take a few deeper breaths,
And let yourself arrive in the present moment.
Now touch in on your good intention for practice.
You might be consistently cultivating an attitude of care for yourself and for others.
You might notice how your metta practice has helped you in the past,
And bring up confidence that this practice does really work.
Or you might have a big aspiration,
Like,
May this practice lead to my own and others' awakening,
Peace and freedom.
What's your motivation today?
Allow a few moments for the body to relax into presence.
Feel all the sensations inside,
Like you're welcoming yourself home to this moment.
What do you notice?
The main point of this practice is to open our hearts to all beings everywhere.
We can trust that they all want to be happy and not suffer.
As we can cultivate kindness for all these different categories of beings,
Now we open to everyone,
Not leaving any being out.
First,
Let's do some kindness practice for ourselves.
Hold an image of yourself in your mind's eye,
Maybe placing your hand on your heart or your belly.
Recognize your innate desire to be happy,
Despite all the ups and downs of being human.
Spend some time sending yourself the kindness phrases,
May I be happy and peaceful,
May I be safe and protected from harm,
May I be healthy and strong,
May I awaken and be free.
Next,
You can think of all your friends and benefactors,
All those you care about.
Let different people and pets,
Places,
Bodies of water,
Trees,
All your friends and benefactors arise in your mind as you send the phrases to all of them.
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be safe and protected from harm,
May you be healthy and strong in body and mind,
May you awaken and be free.
When you get distracted,
Come back to the categories of beings.
Let's spend some time sending kindness now to everybody that you don't know in this world,
All of the strangers going about their lives,
Sending them the phrases,
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be safe and protected from harm,
May you be healthy and strong,
May you awaken and be free.
Now you can send the phrases to all animal beings,
The birds,
The whales,
Snakes and otters,
Panda bears and beavers and butterflies.
My friends,
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be safe and protected from harm,
May you be healthy and strong,
May you awaken and be free.
Next,
We can think of all those who are sick or suffering in some way,
Maybe even those who are on their deathbed.
Send the kindness phrases to all of these beings,
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be safe and protected from harm,
May you be healthy and strong,
May you awaken and be free.
Now bring in all those who are just being born,
Babies in the womb or who are just taking their first breath right now in this moment,
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be safe and protected from harm,
May you be healthy and strong,
May you awaken and be free.
And now,
Let your mind roam freely,
Sending the phrases to whomever you think of,
Beings swimming in the waters or flying in the sky,
Beings who are eating right now or sleeping right now or feeling joy in this moment,
See who comes to mind and freely offer them your kindness,
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be safe and protected from harm,
May you be healthy and strong in body and mind,
May you awaken and be free.
Notice how your body feels as you do this,
If you get too restless or distracted,
Simply come back to your sensations or your breathing,
May all beings be happy and peaceful,
May all beings be safe and protected from harm,
May all beings be healthy and strong in body and mind,
And may all beings awaken and be free.
Okay,
Now take a few deeper breaths,
Let yourself simply be letting go of the images and effort,
Just rest in the simplicity of this moment.
Give yourself some time to transition out of this practice,
Take a minute to look around you and notice color,
Light,
Texture,
Wherever you are.
Continue to feel your body,
Your natural kindness,
Even as we end the formal practice.
Give yourself some credit for practicing metta today.
Metta is meant to be creative,
Playful,
And even fun.
As you continue with your day,
See if you can remember to send kindness to everyone you meet,
Send a phrase before you send an email,
Or as you're responding to a text.
Send kindness to the trees and the birds and the sky around you.
Also,
Stay relaxed in your own natural wish to be happy.
There is no need to push this practice,
You can simply trust that as you continue with your meditation,
Your innate metta will grow and grow.
Keep gratitude for your meditation practice,
And I'll see you next time.
