Hello and welcome.
My name is Manaj Dias and today we're going to practice a loving kindness meditation.
Loving kindness or metta as is known in the Pali language,
The language of the Buddha,
Is a practice for the heart.
It is a practice in which we cultivate certain qualities like friendliness and kindness,
Compassion and love.
It's a really beautiful practice where we use visualization and the repeating of certain phrases.
Now these phrases you can adapt to something that resonates with you,
But today I'll offer you the traditional phrases.
So as you begin,
I invite you to sit in a comfortable position,
Preferably with your back straight and upright,
But not too rigid or forced.
Your shoulders relaxed,
Your chin balancing under the crown of your head so you're not looking up or down.
And then as you close your eyes,
Take a moment to let go of any expectations.
Take a deep breath into your stomach.
Open your mouth,
Take a deep breath out.
Again,
Take a deep breath into the stomach.
Open your mouth,
Take a deep breath out.
As you begin,
Just notice your surroundings through your senses.
Notice how sounds come and go.
Without paying attention to any one particular sound.
Notice the feeling and the sensation of the skin you're in.
The skin that touches your clothes.
The skin that touches the floor.
The skin of your face.
And the sounds and the skin move deeper into the feeling of the heart.
Noticing any physical sensations there.
That could be the breath.
That could be the beating of the heart.
You might begin to notice a memory or a person as you bring your attention to the heart.
In the space of your heart,
Begin to visualize an image of yourself.
It could be yourself as you are today.
Or if it's easier,
It could be yourself as a child.
You can sense of yourself in this moment.
And all the qualities that make up who you are.
And then from your heart,
We offer these wishes.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I be free from suffering.
May I live my life with ease.
Repeat these phrases mentally to yourself.
Bring your attention back to your heart.
And begin to visualize now someone that you care about.
Someone that you love deeply.
As you visualize this person,
Feel their presence here with you now.
And from the space of your own heart,
We offer these wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
And observing your heart.
Begin to visualize a person in your life that you don't have any strong feelings for.
This could be a friend or a colleague.
It could be a neighbor or someone you've just met.
Feel their presence and get a sense of who this person might be.
And then from your heart to theirs,
Offer these wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
Now allow your heart to open to someone that has been difficult in your life.
Maybe someone that has been challenging or perhaps even upsetting.
Keep the heart open.
And to the best of your capacity,
From your heart to theirs,
Offer these wishes.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be free from suffering.
May you live your life with ease.
Now begin to notice the feeling of your body.
That feeling of a meta of kindness and friendliness.
That warmth,
You can begin to now extend it to other people.
The people closest to you like your family.
One by one bring them to your mind and heart.
Your friends near and far.
Your teachers,
The people that have helped you.
All the people that you have helped along the way.
Taking any pets and animals.
Taking all the people that you have met in your life.
Anyone that has touched you.
The people that are no longer here.
To all the people that you are yet to meet.
The people in your community,
In your country.
And then to all beings,
Children,
Men,
Women.
May all beings be held in loving kindness.
Bring your attention back to the heart.
May you notice how you feel.
And before you begin to open your eyes and go off into the day.
Allow this practice to be an invitation for you.
An invitation to always look at ways in which we can be kind and loving and friendly.
Towards others,
But most importantly towards ourself.
Take a deep breath into the belly.
And then as you open your mouth,
Let something go.
And when you are ready,
You can open your eyes.
