Universal love.
Start by taking a moment to settle and relax before you begin.
Find a comfortable sitting position and listen to what the body needs,
Shifting position to be comfortable and balanced if necessary.
Begin by bringing attention to the body in relation to the space it's in,
Sensing the room and any objects around you.
Now shift the attention to the entire body as it sits here.
And now move the attention to the breathing process in the whole body,
Breathing naturally and leaving the breath to find its own rhythm.
And coming back to the sensation of the entire body.
Bring to mind your reasons for doing this exploration on universal love.
What's motivating and inspiring you to engage with this process of inner development?
And finally,
Wish yourself success in this process.
This exploration is designed to help you develop a felt sense of universal love.
This strong felt wish for every person to experience inner happiness and every living being to experience satisfaction.
It will also encourage you to question your life and open up to possibilities of change and fulfillment,
Helping you build a picture of what your potential might be,
What may be helping you develop your potential and what may be limiting you at the moment.
Equanimity towards all explores the notion that all people want happiness and all living beings without exception seek to avoid pain,
Dissatisfaction and suffering,
And seek satisfaction and long-term well-being,
And fundamentally we are all the same in that.
Universal love as a universal attitude is the non-biased and impartial wish that every person wants to be happy,
And every living being wants to experience satisfaction and well-being.
The word universal is used to help distinguish it from the love experienced in close relationships.
When cultivated to a high degree,
Universal love becomes a spontaneous attitude toward any living being you encounter.
It applies to people,
To other species,
And to the ecosystem as a whole,
Recognizing that all life forms seek to maintain their integrity and,
The more evolved and complex they are,
Make states that are of greatest benefit to them.
Universal love is not a mere thought or wish,
But a consciously cultivated deep-rooted attitude.
You are going to write a universal love letter to someone.
You may like to use a pen and paper,
Or you may simply wish to think about it.
So take a moment to think of someone you feel neutral towards,
Such as a bus driver or a shop assistant,
Or alternatively someone you feel challenged by.
Make sure it's someone you feel comfortable writing a universal love letter to at this time.
Now think about what you might write to them in your universal love letter.
Here are some suggestions.
You might tell them that you are wishing them universal love and what that means to you.
You could mention why you are wishing this for them in particular.
You might mention some vulnerabilities you may both share.
You could also acknowledge their unique experience of their vulnerabilities.
Or you could mention that we are all the same in wanting to be happy.
So now take some time to compose your universal love letter.
Thank you.
And finally,
Finishing off your universal love letter.
Now,
Take a moment to notice how you feel in your body,
Having wished this person universal love.
Where can you feel that in your body,
Even slightly?
And once you've identified it,
However small,
Relax into the feeling,
Deepening into it.
Now try to expand this felt sense,
Even from a small base,
And broaden it out in all directions gradually.
You might like to use a metaphor to help you do this.
It might be like turning up the volume on music,
Or like the ripples after a stone is thrown into water,
Or even having a light inside that emanates out,
Expanding in all directions like the warmth and light of a candle.
As you rest in that expanded feeling,
Imagine different groups in those directions,
And include them in this felt sense of universal love towards all beings.
For example,
Farmers,
Insects,
Children,
Students,
And so on.
And finally,
Letting go of this on an out-breath.
So how was that exploration for you?
Did you manage to generate a felt sense of universal love?
Did you manage to allow the felt sense of universal love to spread?
Do you think you might be able to generate this feeling in everyday life?
And if so,
How?
How do you think this will help you and others in daily life?
And remember,
We are using the image of the spiral to show how certain personal qualities build on and reinforce each other in an upward spiral towards positive potential,
A positive reinforcement spiral.
Likewise,
Certain personal qualities also build on and reinforce each other in a downward spiral,
A negative reinforcement spiral.
So using your learning from the previous exploration on universal love,
Simply note whether this may be helping you develop towards the top of the spiral,
Or if it may be limiting you towards the bottom.
Finally,
Taking a moment to reconnect with your posture,
Rebalancing,
Relaxing,
And gently releasing any tension if necessary.
Becoming aware of the body breathing.
Taking a moment to recall your motivation for doing this exploration.
Keeping to mind what you've experienced and learned in this exploration.
Have you discovered anything about yourself?
Have you begun to cultivate any helpful qualities or overcome or let go of any unhelpful qualities?
And how might this process be beneficial and meaningful and contribute to the welfare and well-being of yourself and others,
Your family,
Friends,
And those close to you,
Or those who inspire and nurture your positive development,
And all living beings and the environment they rely on?
And as this exploration ends,
Try to carry this with you wherever you go by recollecting it occasionally.
