Hi,
Everybody.
Thank you for being here today.
As I think about my own life and my own experience with meditation practice and the Dharma and mindfulness practice,
One of the most important practices that I have learned that has transformed me the most and my experience of my life,
Myself and my relationships is the practice of loving kindness or metta or the great translation of the word metta as to grow fat with friendliness.
That comes from the British Pali scholar,
John Peacock.
And that's really what I want.
I want to grow more and more capacity to meet my life and everything in it,
Everybody in it,
Including myself,
With a heart of warmth,
A heart of goodwill.
And the practice of metta,
The practice of repeating phrases of kindness,
Blessings of kindness for oneself or another,
Has transformed me.
It reminds me that in any moment,
I have the choice about kindness.
I can get grumpy,
I can have a difficult day,
But that doesn't change the fact that I have the choice to meet my life with a quality of warmth.
And so this meditation that I'm going to offer you inclines one's heart,
Inclines one's mind in that direction.
It is the practice of repeating phrases over and over again,
Which has the function of steadying the mind,
Like paying attention to the breath.
That has the function of steadying the mind.
And to repeat a phrase over and over again or multiple phrases,
It not only steadies the mind,
But it connects it to the warmth of the heart,
The goodness that is in everybody,
Really.
So I'm going to offer you some classical phrases.
And you can just follow along and see how this goes for you.
We'll start with settling in the breath and settling in the body,
And then we'll move into this practice of friendliness.
As my own teacher,
Sylvia Borstein,
Says,
You.
May I meet it as a friend.
And that's really what we're doing.
May I meet this moment.
May I meet my life.
Fully with my whole heart,
My whole mind,
Who I am.
And may I meet it as a friend.
Can I be kind and friendly to whatever is rising,
Even if what is arising is difficulty or startle or fear?
By meeting the whole thing with my whole self,
Being willing to say,
Yeah,
I'm here for it and I will do my best to meet myself and my life and those in it with some kindness just makes things easier.
So find yourself a posture It works well for you.
Sitting,
Standing,
Reclining.
And just doing that,
Just inviting yourself into a posture that's comfortable is immediately a practice of kindness.
No rigidity.
There's nowhere to get.
You're doing fine as you are.
If you'd like to let the eyes close,
Let the eyes close.
If you don't want your eyes closed,
You can have a gentle,
Soft gaze down.
And just begin by breathing and knowing you're breathing.
There's nothing else to do.
Just be here breathing.
Become aware of the body touching whatever it's touching.
The earth,
The floor.
The furniture,
The cushion,
Whatever it is.
And in this way,
It's beginning by knowing that you're here,
To sit and know you're sitting,
To breathe and know you're breathing,
Arriving here.
And then getting a sense of your own heart,
Your heart center.
You can place a hand on the chest if you like.
And if you're doing that,
You might notice how the hand moves on the chest with the rise and fall of the breath.
But placing a hand on the heart is a good way to connect the warmth of your own body with itself.
And every breath that comes in brings fresh energy and nourishment into this heart space.
And every breath out,
There's a letting go,
A little bit of a letting go.
Of anything at all,
Maybe letting any tension go.
Every breath in brings in fresh nourishing energy.
Every breath out,
A release.
And each breath in also.
Is an acknowledgement of all that is true in your life.
In your community,
In your family.
This allowing and acknowledging.
Of all that is real and true.
And every breath out,
Offering out some of your goodness.
Every time you meet somebody with a smile or a little care is adding some sweetness to the world.
That's true.
So each breath in is a receiving and a releasing.
Each breath out,
An allowing and an offering.
This is the heart's breath.
Breathing like this for another minute or so.
Being here.
The mind might wander.
Just come back to the sensation,
This internal knowing of your own heart.
And then bringing to mind.
Someone who is so dear to you.
Someone who's so easy to love.
Where there's very little complication.
Maybe an elder,
A mentor.
Someone who's easy to trust,
There is no problem.
You can find utter comfort with this being.
And what you want for them is for them to be well.
You can start offering these beautiful phrases.
Of well-being and goodwill.
Imagine giving them the gift of your goodwill,
Keeping in your mind's eye this person,
Maybe they're standing before you or sitting beside you,
Just accompanying you somehow.
And you say to them silently,
May you be safe.
May you be contented.
May you be healthy.
May you be well.
And we do that again to repeat the same wishes.
Connecting to your own heart the intention of these beautiful blessings.
May you be safe.
May you be contented.
May you be healthy.
May you be well.
And this time as you offer these beautiful phrases,
See if you get a sense of what it's like in your own body.
To offer safety,
Contentment,
Good health and well-being.
To really mean it.
So doing that again,
May you be safe.
May you be contented.
May you be healthy.
May you be well.
And notice the body now.
Notice the heart now do you have a sense of contentment.
Or well-being in your own body.
And now beginning to offer the same goodwill to yourself.
Letting the image of this being go.
And bringing to mind a place.
From your own life.
That you love,
Where you feel really well,
Where things just feel right with the world.
Could be from any place and time in your life.
Where you can relax completely,
A place that feels like home.
Where everything is okay.
Same phrases for yourself.
May I be safe.
Noticing what is safety any amount feel like inside of you.
May I be contented.
May I be healthy.
May I be well.
Keep going on your own for a minute or two.
Same phrases,
Really offering yourself.
The goodness of your own goodwill.
Noticing what it's like to give yourself the gift of kindness,
Of friendliness.
And now if you'd like,
You can bring back the image.
Of the one who you already gave these blessings to,
This one who's so dear to you.
And imagine sitting together anywhere,
Maybe in this place that you love.
Or right where you are right now.
Just feeling the presence of this person and the care that flows between you.
And then same phrases.
May we be safe.
May we be contented.
May we be healthy.
May we be well.
And it doesn't stop there.
The wish for safety and wellness,
Ease and peace goes way beyond oneself and even our dear one.
To include all of those.
In your life.
In widening circles.
To really train the heart towards kindness and warmth and friendliness.
Everywhere,
Because everybody benefits.
When there's more goodwill.
Just getting a sense of these circles widening out.
May everyone everywhere be safe.
Be contented.
May everyone everywhere be healthy and well.
And now letting go of all of the imagery.
It's coming back into the sense of your own being,
Your body,
Your heart,
Your mind.
Breathing here.
Resting in the goodness of your meditation,
In the goodness of your own heart.
And then coming back as you're ready.
Opening the eyes.
Nelson Mandela famously said,
It never hurts to think well of somebody.
They often act better because of it.
So let's give everybody a vote of confidence and show up kindly with friendliness,
With care.
It's a practice,
It takes time.
It's not always available.
Maybe the heart isn't there on some days,
And to even be kind to the practice of kindness itself.
And we go step by step.
May you be well.
