Radiating Compassion

In this meditation we transform and strengthen the orientation of the mind and heart by extending loving-kindness to all beings. Compassion is a skill that we all have an inherent capacity to cultivate and when practiced deliberately, compassion is likely to radiate more naturally.

Transcript

Allow yourself to settle into a comfortable position that will support your attention and practice over the next few moments.

I invite you to shift into a posture that embodies openness,

With your shoulders widened,

Spine straight,

Chest open,

And palms open facing outwards and resting gently on your lap or by your sides.

Turning inward,

Open to any subtle or obvious sensations to be experienced in the body right now.

Perhaps connecting to the breath.

The breath can be the anchor throughout the practice if your attention diverts away from your meditation.

In this practice the intention is to extend compassion to ourselves and others.

Compassion is a state of mind that is concerned with one's well-being,

Combined with the aspiration to see one relieved of their suffering,

And the wish for them to be happy.

Compassion is a skill that we all have an inherent capacity to cultivate.

Take a few moments to set the intention to get in touch with the kind,

Nurturing part of your being.

When you're ready,

I invite you to bring to mind the image of a close,

Loved one who is regularly kind,

Warm,

And loving towards you.

Someone who compassion might flow naturally for,

Perhaps a parent,

Sibling,

Child,

Spouse,

Family member or friend.

And if no one comes to mind,

Try bringing to mind any person you admire or feel gratitude for.

Begin to extend compassion towards this person by silently repeating these words,

May you be at peace and ease.

May you be free from suffering and unhappiness.

May you thrive and reach your full potential.

May you be loved,

Supported,

And accepted.

May you experience endless joy and well-being.

And feel free to extend any additional words of compassion that you wish to share with this person.

Take a few moments to really notice how you feel in the body as you allow this compassion to flow outward towards this person you love or care about.

When you're ready,

Try directing this same compassion inward by silently sharing these same phrases with yourself.

And if you have difficulty with this,

Try speaking to yourself the way a friend would,

Who has your best interests at heart.

May I be at peace and ease.

May I be free from suffering and unhappiness.

May I thrive and reach my full potential.

May I be loved,

Supported,

And accepted.

May I experience endless joy and well-being.

And any additional words of compassion you wish to share with yourself.

Notice now how it feels in your body to speak to yourself from a place of kindness and care.

Allowing yourself to be with any pleasant feelings that are emanated as you extend this unconditional kindness towards yourself.

For some,

This may feel new and unfamiliar to acknowledge your basic goodness.

And if that's the case,

Just note that to yourself and be with this novel experience.

And now,

Seeing if you can bring to mind an acquaintance you view as neutral to you.

Maybe a person you don't know well or have a relationship with.

Someone you neither like or dislike.

Maybe this is a colleague,

A neighbor,

An employee from a store you regularly visit.

Holding the image of this person in your mind's eye,

Seeing if you can extend the same compassion statements,

Even if it doesn't bring us the same warm feelings as before.

May you be at peace and ease.

May you be free from suffering and unhappiness.

May you thrive and reach your full potential.

May you be loved,

Supported,

And accepted.

May you experience endless joy and well-being.

And feel free to extend any additional words of compassion that you wish to share with this person.

And now widening the scope of our compassion by bringing to mind a group of people that may be experiencing any form of suffering somewhere in the world.

Perhaps a group of people experiencing poverty,

Injustice,

War,

Or hunger.

Maybe choosing a group of people that is dear to your heart or a group you've recently heard about.

Even if we can't make a difference to this group in this very moment,

The practice of compassion can help to change the orientation of your heart and mind,

Which in turn can go a long way.

As you keep this group at the forefront of your awareness,

Reflect on their basic entitlement to be free from adversity and experience happiness.

And extend compassion silently by saying,

May they be at peace and ease.

May they be free from suffering and unhappiness.

May they thrive and reach their full potential.

May they be loved,

Supported,

And accepted.

May they experience endless joy and well-being.

And feel free to extend any additional words of compassion that you wish to share with this group of people.

And lastly,

See if you can make space to invite a person whom you've had difficulty or conflict with,

Whether currently or in the past.

Perhaps trying with a person whom the conflict is about mild to moderate in range.

Maybe this is someone whom you're frustrated with,

Have feelings of resentment towards,

You don't get along with,

Or that you dislike.

As you rest your mind on the image of this person,

Reflect on their whole being.

They are more than this one aspect of difficulty you have with them.

They are a human being just like you.

Just like you,

They are deserving of happiness and well-being.

Just like you,

They want to be free from suffering and have peace.

Just like you,

They want to be safe and healthy.

Just like you,

They want to be nurtured and supported.

While it may be challenging,

See if you can build the courage to extend compassion to this individual.

Try repeating silently to yourself,

Even if it doesn't feel genuine at first.

May you be at peace and ease.

May you be free from suffering and unhappiness.

May you thrive and reach your full potential.

May you be loved,

Supported,

And accepted.

May you experience endless joy and well-being.

See if you can extend any additional words of compassion to this person.

As this compassion practice comes to a close,

Allow your attention to settle on the natural flow of the breath,

Arriving home in the body,

And allowing yourself to bask in any pleasant feelings that may be present after this practice.

If you don't notice anything,

Just know that the benefits that come from planting the seeds of compassion in the heart and mind will eventually grow.

Compassion can be practiced anywhere,

At work,

On the morning commute,

In public,

On your own,

And can be spread to all beings.

Compassion for ourselves and others has the power to increase our happiness,

Well-being,

And connection to others.

By deliberately practicing compassion you are training and transforming the orientation of your heart and mind so that compassion will ultimately radiate more naturally.

Reviews

Beautiful, gentle and powerful guide to connect to our innate capacity to feel compassion towards other and ourselves.

Really enjoyed this meditation. I love that there was no music to distract me. The pacing was excellent. I will return to this meditation regularly. Thank you so much for this!

I think I’m going to do this meditation daily. Thank you for your wisdom

Thanks. Feeling more compassionate

Very specific and helpful.

Very peaceful thank you

The flow is good and his words are clear. I was able to keep up and was engaged the entire time. One thing I would improve is I would have liked two more bells at the close. Thanks for recording this.