Guided Metta Practice By Ajahn Brahm

Ajahn Brahm coined the word "kindfulness" to stress that mindfulness and kindness work hand in hand. Here he guides Metta meditation in his own, unique way. Beginning with a simple object, we progressively build the "fire" of Metta until its strong enough to direct towards all beings, including ourselves.

Note: This track was recorded live, so contains some minor background noise. It was published courtesy of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia.

Transcript

So close your eyes,

Just relax your body first of all.

Relax,

Relax,

Relax.

I'm just going to be quiet for five minutes while you relax,

And then I'm going to start the guided loving-kindness meditation.

I'm just going to be quiet for five minutes while you just get into some bodily and mental relaxation.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Once the mind is calm and the body is relaxed,

I invite you to join in the guided loving-kindness meditation.

I ask you to start with an object which is very easy to give compassion meta-towards.

I'm going to choose a little kitten,

Because I like cats,

Especially kittens.

You may choose a dog,

A puppy if you like,

A little baby.

Or if you don't like animals,

Rabbits or whatever,

Use a,

Like one lady did a pot plant,

Or a plant in the garden she was growing.

Something which you find it very easy to generate feelings of warmth and kindness towards.

So when I say kitten,

You can understand that to mean your primary imaginary objects to develop feelings of warmth and kindness towards.

So imagine finding my little kitten,

Abandoned,

Hungry,

In some dark corner,

Frightened,

From the time it was born,

It's had no kindness,

No love,

No protection,

And every time this little kitten has trusted someone,

She's been bitten or scratched.

Lonely,

Desperate,

Terrified.

I see these little eyes peering from the darkness of a corner.

And I send my kindness towards this little being.

If I don't help and assist it,

This little kitten will die a lonely,

Cold,

Hungry death,

Never knowing any love in her life.

So I look into its eyes and see its fear,

But underneath that fear,

Some hope,

Hope that maybe this person,

Me,

Might protect her and be kind to her.

And in its eyes I pour all my loving kindness,

My compassion,

My caring,

My protection.

Dear little kitten,

You don't need to fear me.

I'll always be kind to you,

Protecting,

Caring.

I'll always touch you so gently.

It's my joy to feed you and share whatever I have with you.

Dear little kitten,

I care for you.

When I think those words,

I really mean it.

And then I extend my hand out towards that kitten and see it withdraw further into the dark corner,

But not too far.

Let the little kitten feel my hand against its fur.

And I can feel like most kittens,

Their fur is clean,

This one is dirty.

I can feel the dried blood on its fur,

I can feel the bones through its emaciated frame.

This little kitten has suffered so much in a few days of her life.

And still,

Keeping eye contact,

I send every last piece of my kindness and care and well-wishing to her.

Little kitten,

Please let me look after you,

Care for you,

Protect you,

Feed you.

Little kitten,

I will never harm you at all.

Little kitten,

Let me care and protect you,

Feed you and watch you grow.

See you play around like other kittens and grow into a big cat.

I care for you and I very slowly pick up the kitten and it lets me.

It is trusting me when no one else has been kind to her.

And very slowly,

Because I can't scare her or hurt her,

The trust is so fragile,

I bring her to my chest and hold her softly against my skin,

Warm her coldness with my warmth.

Just feeling her relax,

The tightness of fear slowly disappear as I give this total loving kindness and protection to this being who is so vulnerable,

Who is so fragile,

Who has already been hurt so much.

Dear little kitten,

May all of your pain disappear.

Please let me take it away.

Let all of your desperation change into hope.

You have a big protector,

Someone who can find food for you and a warm safe place to sleep,

Milk for you to drink.

I care for you little kitten and I feel the kitten relax even more.

I feel its warmth against my chest,

My warmth against hers as I hold this kitten so gently.

I imagine this energy come out from my chest,

The energy of loving kindness,

Like a golden light coming out through my chest and entering my imaginary kitten's body,

Warming,

Healing,

Releasing any pain as loving kindness does.

Bathing this little kitten from whiskers to tail to the tips of her ears to her paws.

Little kitten,

I love you,

I care for you.

I feel the kitten receive my loving kindness and relax and start to purr for the first time in its life.

Alas,

It knows it will be fed,

It will be protected until it can grow enough to protect itself.

But even then I will always be there for her,

Putting out bowls of fish and biscuits and milk,

Whatever it wants.

It's my joy to do that for you little friend.

And this beautiful loving kindness starts to create a tingle in my chest.

This golden energy of kindness goes right through surrounding this easy imaginary object.

I do this to generate the initial feelings of loving kindness on the easiest object I can imagine.

And when I can feel that loving kindness,

That tingle in my chest,

Then I let go of the image of the imaginary cat and then I imagine a friend.

Now you imagine your friend,

The person who is closest to you in this life.

It might be a partner,

It might be a son or daughter,

But this is a real person this time.

It might be your closest friend.

Whoever they are,

Imagine that they are standing right in front of you.

You have your eyes closed but imagine you've got your eyes open and your closest person in this world to you is right in front of you.

They too are like the little kitten.

They need your love,

Your kindness,

Your friendship.

Otherwise they too will wither and die.

They need a friend,

Someone to stand by them in difficulties,

To help them when they're sick,

To nurture them when they're weak,

To hold their hand when they're afraid.

And that's you.

Now you imagine your closest friend.

You say to them,

Friend,

I care for you.

I'm there whenever you're in pain or trouble,

Not because I have to,

Because I want to.

Dear friend,

Anytime you're in pain or sick,

Know I'm here.

I will come and heal,

Do whatever I can,

Just knowing that I'm here for you.

May that give you safety,

Reassurance and hope.

As you imagine this golden light of loving kindness coming out of your chest and bathing your best friend,

Your closest person in this life,

Bathing them up and down.

May you be free from pain and sickness and fear.

May you smile and laugh like I remember you've done in the past.

Your happiness is my concern and my happiness too.

I care for you.

As you spread this loving kindness up and down,

Right through their body,

Healing,

Freeing,

Loving,

Wishing well,

Taking away their pain.

Just like my mother,

She loved me so much when she kissed my wounds,

Pain went away and the wounds healed.

I know the power of loving kindness,

Because you're giving this to your best friend in the whole world.

They need it and you need to give it.

Now how does it feel in your chest area?

This golden light of loving kindness coming from an area around your heart is starting to build up power.

Now without opening your eyes,

Imagine all the people in this room,

All the people who have been meditating together for the last two days mostly.

All these people are just like you,

Got sore legs and sore backs,

Problems with family,

Difficulties,

Finances,

Sicknesses.

We all have pain,

Disappointments,

Frustrations and resentments,

Guilt and fears,

Just like you.

Now without opening your eyes,

Spread this beautiful golden light of loving kindness to everybody in this room.

My dear friends,

I care for you.

I truly wish you happiness and well-being.

I want you to be peaceful,

Joyful.

May all of that suffering you've experienced in the past,

Give it to me,

I'll take it.

I want you to let it go.

I want you to be free.

I care for each one of you.

I just send this incredible,

Powerful loving kindness to everybody in this room,

Up and down,

Taking away their pain,

Taking away their fear,

Taking away their sickness,

Because loving kindness can do that.

Any faults that you've done,

Anything which has irritated me,

I forgive that.

Just like a mother loves her child,

Even changes her child's diapers,

Washes all the shit off his bum,

Mother loves her child.

I love you.

I care for you.

May you all be happy and well,

Free of pain,

Free of fear.

May you all know the deep,

Deep peace of the Dhamma and the freedom of insight.

May you all attain the highest in this lifetime.

That's my wish for you,

Because I care for you.

This powerful loving kindness goes up and down everywhere in this room.

You feel the tingling in your chest now.

As this golden glow of loving kindness gets stronger,

The more you give,

The stronger it becomes.

All the people just like you.

Now it gets so strong it can't stay in these walls.

It goes around the whole compound,

The monks next door,

The people in the streets,

People selling food,

And the shops of birds outside.

May all the beings in this locality be at peace.

You are just like that kitten,

You are hurt so easily.

We carry around the wounds of the past,

The fears of the future.

It's a harsh place,

This world,

Without love,

Without kindness,

Without compassion.

I'm giving it to you all.

We all are sending out this golden glow of light of loving kindness right down Darling Road,

Right down Waverley Road.

The whole neighborhood feeling this loving kindness go to the trams waiting at the terminus,

Up and down the street until it's going all over East Moorford.

Imagine the people,

Some really lonely people,

They've lost their friends,

People who are afraid,

Having arguments with the people they love,

Children in trouble,

Old people sick,

All people in this neighborhood,

Dogs,

Cats,

Animals,

Birds.

May all people in this neighborhood know we care about you right now.

May you all be free of suffering and pain.

May you be happy,

May you be well,

And mean it.

Give it everything you've got,

The well-wishing.

The more you give,

The more you have to give.

Imagine this beautiful golden light of loving kindness spreading even further.

You have many friends and relations in this great city.

Imagine this golden light flowing over this whole city of Melbourne,

Every suburb,

Some of you have come from country Victoria,

Go there as well.

All these people,

People you know and people you've never met in your life,

They all need your loving kindness.

May all people,

All beings be free of fear.

May you trust one another,

Care for one another,

Forgive each other's faults.

We're just beings who make mistakes.

May all people know I have only goodwill for you,

Wishing you the very,

Very best.

May you feel so at peace,

You feel you don't need so much when you've got love and respect and kindness.

So imagine all the healing,

The freeing that you're giving to all the people in the state of Victoria.

Imagine that loving kindness,

That golden light going even further across the Bass Strait to Tasmania,

Across the Tasman to New Zealand,

Across the deserts to Adelaide to West Australia,

Up to New South Wales and Queensland,

Over this whole country.

All the people have to make these decisions in governments,

All the doctors trying their hardest to take away the sicknesses and the pain,

All the people worrying like hell in the emergency rooms,

Praying that their loved ones survive,

All the people worried and concerned,

Depressed.

May all beings in this great country be free of pain,

Free of fear,

At ease,

Comfortable.

I give you my loving kindness,

My forgiveness,

My well-wishing.

May you spread this loving kindness even further over the whole planet Earth,

To the countries of Southeast Asia,

China,

East Asia,

Down to India and Sri Lanka where many of your friends and relations live.

Wherever they are now,

I'm thinking of you,

I care for you.

I really want you to be free of pain,

Achieve your goals in life,

Going even further over to Europe and United States,

Africa,

All the friends and relations of Venerable Buddha Rakato in Uganda.

May all beings in this whole world know that we're thinking of you right now.

You're not alone,

Because our loving kindness spreads across this whole huge Earth to all beings without distinction,

No matter what religion or race,

All the beings afraid in the Middle East,

In the wars.

May all beings know you're cared for.

May all beings be happy and well,

Free of pain,

Free of anger,

Resentment and violence.

Our thoughts do have power,

Loving kindness works.

May you spread this loving kindness,

This beautiful golden light over the whole world,

Wishing well,

Just like you wish that little kitten to be well.

May all beings be free of pain and suffering and sickness and fear.

May you have happiness and peace and joy,

Laughing with the people you love,

With your friends.

May all beings be happy and well.

As you let this golden glow of loving kindness settle so gently over the whole planet Earth,

How do you feel?

And then remember,

There's one person you've missed out,

Yourself.

Now imagine you're standing in front of yourself as if you were looking in a mirror,

And that's you in that mirror.

You are no different than that little kitten,

Afraid,

You've been hurt,

Sometimes really badly disappointed,

Let down.

You really need to be loved.

You look at yourself and say,

Me,

This person I've known as long as I can remember,

We've gone through so much together,

I care for this person called me.

May I be happy.

May I be free from fear and free from pain.

All that guilt,

Anger,

Grief of the past,

I love myself so much,

I can let it go.

I forgive me,

Because I care for me.

I want me to be well and happy and free.

I love me.

I care.

May I be free of all fear,

Because I know if I can accept this loving kindness,

My future will be bright and I can dance into the next few days,

Next years.

If you spread this loving kindness right throughout yourself,

The tips of your head,

The tips of your ears,

Down to your fingertips,

To your toes and everywhere in between,

If there's any disease which I have,

How this beautiful loving kindness,

May I be healed,

May I be at peace,

May I be free,

May I learn to accept this moment called now,

Forgive my mistakes and laugh at them and find joy,

May I be happy and well,

Because I give my loving kindness,

My care to me.

As you let this golden light of loving kindness linger on yourself,

On your body,

Your mind,

On your life,

By giving yourself the biggest of hugs,

Accepting,

Warm,

Embracing.

How do you feel?

I'm going to be silent for 30 seconds as you love yourself.

Now to complete the loving kindness meditation,

We've got to gather all that loving kindness,

All that golden energy,

That light which is spread all over the planet.

Imagine drawing it back in,

Drawing it back in,

Drawing it in.

It's done its job,

Allowing it to come back,

Come back from many countries into Australia,

Come back from Australia into Victoria,

Victoria into Melbourne,

Melbourne into East Moorford,

East Moorford into 73,

Darling Road,

Into this room,

Into your heart,

Until it's concentrated into this golden ball of loving kindness,

Right in your heart.

Imagine your heart like a pure white lotus fully opened and this incandescent powerful ball of loving kindness which you've drawn in,

Hovering above this white pure lotus called your heart.

Very slowly the lotus closing up to embrace that loving kindness inside of you.

Keep it there,

Safe,

As a seed to be used,

And the next time,

How do you feel?

Please keep your eyes closed.

I'm now going to give the blessing when the blessing is finished.

Only then open your eyes.

Saba Buddha Nubawena,

Saba Dharma Nubawena,

Saba Sangha Nubawena,

Buddha Ratanang,

Dharma Ratanang,

Sangha Ratanang,

Tinang Ratanang Nubawena,

Chaturasi Tisahasa Dharma Khandha Nubawena,

Pita Kata Nubawena,

Jina Sawa Kha Nubawena,

Saba Oga Winimuto,

Saba Santapavacito,

Saba Weramati Khandho Nibhuto Chaturang Bhava,

Saba Pitiyo Iwa Chantu,

Saba Oga Winasatumate,

Bhavanwan Tharayosukhiti Gayugopawa,

Apiwa Dhanhasilitsanichan,

Utapachali No Chataro Dhammavatanti Ayuwanosukham,

Aalaa Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu There we go.

Reviews

Love Ajahn Brahm!! 🌈🦄😊

What an incredibly powerful meditation. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu!!! 😁 🙏

Beautiful as always!

Cried a little but in a good way like I unlocked something

ThankyouandBless 🧸

A really unique form of Metta! Genuine and relaxed. Thank you!

Such a blessing to bask in the golden light of loving kindness. And kittens!

One of the most beautiful loving kindness meditation I ever joined. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu!!!

Greats

Wonderful. So much light and kindness. May you all be well and happy. Thank you. ☮️💖🙏🕉️

Thank you for sharing. Read in Ajahn’s books this meditation and very good to have discovered it here to listen. Thank you. Namaste 🙏

Thank you for sharing. Read in Ajahn’s books this meditation and very good to have discovered it here to listen. Thank you. Namaste 🙏

Hw has a wonderful way to get you to feel compassion.

Thank you Ajahn Brahm! Loved every minute of it!

Wow one of the best loving and kindness meditations I ever experienced its a class of its own , very expansive and very ❤️ felt ..

Thank you so much for this beautiful meditation. It helps me so much to feel the love and compassion for others and myself. May all be happy. Namaste 🙏

I felt so at peace after this....namaste.

Amazing, the love, compassion & emotion generated & felt in this guided meditation! Makes me want to hear more from this him.

Absolutly amazing! Thank you so much! Namaste

Ajahn Brahm nails it again 🙏♥️