Directing Compassion to Others, Part 2
by Nicole Aloni
This is part 2 to my Metta Bhavana meditation in which you practice directing loving kindness to others.
Transcript
Track two of the loving-kindness meditation,
Directing compassion to others.
Start by visualizing your closest friend,
Teacher,
Or relative,
A beloved person.
These are the people for whom it will be easiest to generate strong feelings of compassion and goodwill.
You extend this same energy to them in your meditation until that feels complete for the moment,
Until you feel as though they have been infused with your good light.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
And repeat this until you feel complete.
Then picture a small circle of your closest friends and relatives seated in front of you and begin to direct these phrases to them.
Feel yourself clearly sending this energy to them.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
And repeat these wishes until you feel complete.
When you feel as though this has been richly felt,
Move on to acquaintances and outer circle of people for whom you have neutral feelings,
The lady at the bakery,
The guy at the dry cleaners.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
And repeat.
Now comes a bigger challenge.
Think of someone or a group of people with whom you're currently having problems,
Someone you fear or are angry with.
Do your best to use all of the positive energy you may have generated in your previous practices to create authentic well wishes for these people or person.
Breathe deeply and work to separate your feelings about them from your awareness of the common humanity you share.
Send your wishes or prayers to the core part of that other human being who longs to be happy,
To be free from fear,
To be safe,
Just like you.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May you never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May you live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
And repeat these wishes.
Eventually when you feel as though you have completed,
You'll be extending these energies or wishes out in ever expanding waves to every being on the planet,
All beings to the north,
To the south,
To the east and to the west.
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May all sentient beings live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering may you be protected.
May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering.
May all sentient beings live in equanimity,
Free from attachment and aversion.
And repeat this until you can feel your compassion and loving kindness extending out to the whole planet,
Covering all of this good earth.
Each group may be your focus for a number of sittings or one that is up to you.
Stay with yourself and then each group until you feel inclined to move on.
You may open every session by extending these wishes to yourself for several minutes,
Then move on.
Allow the phrases to be simply a conduit for the force of loving kindness.
Empower your imagination through the four phrases to touch the hearts of all forms of life in the universe,
Unconditionally and inclusively.
Stay with all beings until you feel a personal sense of the profound interconnectedness of all creatures,
All life.
Over time you may adjust these phrases to be more meaningful to yourself.
I eventually changed may I live in equanimity to may I move through life with ease in a relationship of loving kindness with each person I encounter.
Somehow that was more resonant to me and I love the image that arises.
I see myself walking through a field of people like through a field of giant nodding sunflowers and a path opens as I move through their smiling faces and then slowly closes behind me.
It is so easy to move through these warm faces.
Forgive yourself for the time you don't do it all perfectly.
It's so powerful to have compassion for yourself to cradle the soft,
Tender child of you in your arms and say,
I love you.
I'm proud of you.
Blessings be.
4.5 (64)
Recent Reviews
Dee
March 26, 2017
A new sense of serenity has taken over my thoughts...
Cate
November 26, 2016
Very powerful practice thank you
Lisa
November 25, 2016
Good suggestions for fostering compassion.
Bessie
November 25, 2016
Thank you. This was very helpful to me at this time with so much division in my country.