Developing Deep And Vast Compassion Meditation #3

'This guided Compassion Meditation is 'Level 3 - Advanced' in a three-part series. Here we add a greater number of beings as well as more diverse classes of beings to our meditation. Including enemies and even beings in hell. It is important to have listened to the two-part 'Cultivating Deep and Vast Compassion' talk and to have worked through levels 1 and 2 of the meditation before undertaking this advanced practice.' Follow all of the steps diligently you are sure to develop Great Compassion.

Transcript

Developing true,

Deep and vast compassion.

Guided meditation.

Level 3.

Advanced.

As this is the advanced practice,

It is important to have spent some time on the other two levels first,

Before engaging in this one.

For in this advanced practice we will be including greater numbers of beings,

Some of them quite challenging.

So please come well prepared for the challenge.

We commence by doing a body sweep and establishing mindfulness of breathing.

Please give yourself sincerely to the preliminary stages of this meditation,

As some clarity and collectedness will be very helpful for the latter stages.

So bringing your attention to the sitting posture.

Aware that you are sitting.

Knowing the felt experience,

Feeling the feeling of your bottom pressing against the mat or the chair or the cushion.

Sitting with an erect posture,

Not too tense,

Not too loose.

Wakeful.

Taking a few deep breaths,

Breathing in deeply a few times,

Filling the lungs.

Breathing in,

Bringing fresh energy into the present moment.

And breathing out.

Breathing in.

Breathing out,

Putting the past down,

Dropping any tension.

Bringing your awareness now to the top of the head.

Really aware of any feelings on the surface of the skin.

Moving the awareness down the forehead and face,

Relaxing any tension.

Feeling the sides of the head,

The ears,

Then the back of the head.

Aware of any feelings or sensations at the back of the neck,

Then the front of the neck.

Now aware of the shoulder area,

Relaxing any tension.

Sweeping your mindful awareness down the area of the back,

The upper part of the back,

Over the shoulder blades,

The middle part of the back,

And the lower back.

Over the buttocks,

And once again feeling the weight of the body pressing on the mat.

Feeling grounded,

Aware,

Awake,

Yet relaxed.

Bringing the awareness back up to the shoulder area.

Now moving the awareness down your right arm,

The upper arm,

And over the elbow.

Then down the lower arm,

The wrist area,

The palm of the right hand,

Including the fingers,

From the base to the tips.

And finally,

Feeling the feelings of the back of the hand resting in the other hand or on your lap.

Simply aware.

Once again,

Bringing the awareness back up to the shoulder area.

Now moving the awareness down your left arm,

The upper arm,

And over the elbow.

Then down the lower arm,

The wrist area,

The palm of the left hand,

Including the fingers from the base to the tips.

And finally,

Feeling the feelings of the back of the left hand resting in the other hand or on your lap.

Simply aware.

Bringing the awareness back up to the shoulder area.

Moving your awareness down over the chest,

Aware of any sensations.

Then down over the stomach area.

No judgements.

Simply aware of the feelings.

And now down over the abdomen,

The lower abdomen,

The groin area.

And once again,

Feeling the body pressing against the floor,

Or the mat,

Or the chair.

Now moving the awareness slowly down your right leg.

Sweeping awareness over the top and lower parts of the thigh.

The knee area,

Front and back.

Now sweeping the awareness down the lower leg,

The shin,

Then over the calf muscle area.

Aware of the ankle.

Bringing the awareness over the top of the foot.

Then include the toes.

And finally,

Simply being aware of any feelings in the area of the sole of the right foot.

And once again bringing the awareness back to the buttocks area.

Just feeling the body sitting.

Now moving the awareness slowly down your left leg.

Sweeping awareness over the top and lower parts of the thigh.

The knee area,

Front and back.

Now sweeping the awareness down the lower leg,

The shin,

Then over the calf muscle area.

Aware of the ankle.

Sweeping the awareness over the top of the foot.

Then including the toes.

And finally,

Simply being aware of any feelings in the area of the sole of the left foot.

Now gently bringing your awareness to the tip of your nose.

Setting the intention to be aware of the feelings involved with in and out breathing.

Knowing the entire in-breath as it comes in through the nose,

Down through the chest,

And into the abdomen.

Then the entire out-breath,

Abdomen,

Chest,

Nose.

If it is helpful,

You can use a mental recitation in conjunction while aware of the feelings.

Breathing in,

But,

Breathing out,

Do.

Butto.

The Buddha,

Mindful,

Aware,

Awake.

Mindfully knowing.

The feelings of the in and out breath.

The entire in-breath.

And the entire out-breath.

Practice this breath meditation for the next couple of minutes,

Simply being mindful of the feelings involved in in and out breathing.

Breathing in,

But,

Aware.

Breathing out,

Do.

Mindfully aware.

And the entire in-breath.

And the entire out-breath.

Before moving onto the compassion section of this meditation,

Where we become more aware of the suffering aspect of conditioned experience,

It is important to establish the heart of loving kindness,

A quality of goodwill,

Of unconditional love.

So while still aware of the breath,

We will now generate powerful goodwill in the area of the heart.

Breathing in,

Making the sincere wish,

May I be well.

Breathing out,

Wishing,

May I be happy.

Feeling a warm feeling of loving acceptance to fill the heart area.

Generating kind wishes and deep goodwill.

Breathing in,

Making the sincere wish,

May I be well.

Breathing out,

Wishing,

May I be happy.

If it is useful,

You can also visualize metta as golden light,

Filling the heart area while you generate and radiate.

A quality of unconditional love and acceptance,

Which also wishes the very best.

Breathing in,

Making the sincere wish,

May I be well.

The warmth of metta,

The golden light of metta,

Filling the heart.

Breathing out,

Wishing,

May I be happy.

The golden light spreading,

Filling the chest area.

The warmth of loving kindness,

Metta,

Filling your heart area.

The upper chest and your upper body.

Compassion for oneself.

Having generated some mindful clarity and goodwill in the heart.

We will now continue on to our main theme.

We are going to be mentally reciting a few simple phrases in conjunction with the in and out breath.

May I be free from suffering on the in breath and may I be well on the out breath.

While still being aware of the breath for the next minute or so,

I'd like to encourage you in doing a little inner reflection before we pick up these phrases.

It is important to acknowledge the very common human experience of suffering before wishing ourselves to be free from it.

It is also important to recognize deeply that we can ultimately be free from it.

To empower this deep wish with the power of truth.

So just asking yourself sincerely now,

Without any judging at all,

Just making an honest inquiry.

Do I currently have any suffering in my life?

We have to be careful here not to fall into any particular details or the story line.

We are simply trying to connect with the truth of conditioned experience.

So the question we ask ourselves now is,

And what is this suffering like?

How does it feel?

So what I am now asking of you here is to make the sincerest wish from the deepest reservoir of the heart that you can access.

May I be free from suffering?

Not thinking about the details restrain falling into sorrow.

Knowing that at this stage we don't actually need to fix anything.

Simply aware of the fact of pain,

Frustration and challenges.

And then wholeheartedly making the wish,

May I be free from suffering?

Now picking up the mental recitation and sincerely meaning this as you gently mentally recite on the in-breath,

May I be free from suffering?

And on the out-breath,

May I be well?

Oftentimes,

We try to avoid these feelings or push away the felt experience.

But many people find that through becoming more aware of these feelings,

This shared human experience,

And opening the heart with this cool,

Compassionate wish,

That a new sense of courage and space can open up in the mind.

While we understand that we might not be able to resolve all of the challenges which we face at present,

On another level we are affirming a deeper potential.

Freedom from all suffering is definitely possible.

It is our deeper potential.

Also,

Responding to pain with this kindest of wishes can feel very supportive.

The pain can be seen,

Known and cared for.

And so while holding this awareness of suffering with true care and with patience,

Not contending,

We are also gently affirming a deeper nature,

And determining to let go of the causes of suffering once we can.

So again,

Being aware of the fact of suffering,

And how this human experience feels,

And then sincerely wishing for freedom.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering?

Breathing out,

May I be well?

Breathing the experience with coolness and with deep kindness.

Aware of this human predicament without any judgement.

The heart melts and bathes this pain with loving care,

And the encouraging affirmation of true potential.

May I be free from suffering?

May I be well?

Continue with this for about a minute or so.

It can be useful after practicing compassion,

To return to some loving kindness practice for a couple of minutes,

Re-establishing the warmth of goodwill,

Unconditional love,

And holding this in the heart and chest area,

Before continuing on.

And so simply wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

Continuing the warmth of loving acceptance,

Of pure goodwill,

Of unconditional love,

To fill your heart.

Wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

Breathing in,

May I be well?

Breathing out,

May I be happy?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

Just as you do for yourself.

And then radiating the cool blessing of compassion inwardly on the in-breath,

And outwardly on the out-breath.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering?

Breathing out,

May this dear person be free from suffering?

Imagine cool waves of compassion radiating outwards,

Bathing the body and mind of this dear person.

Imagine their suffering decreasing,

And see them as being well.

And on the out-breath,

May I be well?

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy?

Several dear people,

For the sake of increasing our ability,

And of the blessings of this practice,

I'd like you to bring to mind now a group of such people.

Several of your past good friends,

And several beloved relatives,

Or people who have been like family to you.

Say a group of around seven to ten people.

Think how wonderful it would be if these dear people could have less and less challenges and difficulties in their lives.

Now we sincerely wish this from the very bottom of our heart,

As wholeheartedly as possible.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering?

Breathing out,

May all of these dear people be free from suffering?

Some people find visualizing light helpful.

For myself,

Dark blue works well,

Cooling the fires of pain.

For others,

White or gold works well,

The brightness dispelling the darkness.

And for some,

Just the pure,

Powerful,

Cool wishes and feeling of compassion,

Radiating,

Works fine.

Still considering these people,

Ten or so dear people,

We don't have to worry about them,

Or try to fix anything just yet.

We simply radiate this broad and pure altruistic wish.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering?

Breathing out,

May all of these dear people be completely free from suffering?

Thank you for the next minute or so.

Thank you.

A larger group,

While still bringing to mind this class of being.

People who have benefited us.

People who are,

Or who have been friends.

Or just people that we are aware of,

Or who we appreciate.

Friendly teachers,

Both secular and spiritual.

Friendly neighbors,

Etc.

Let's say a group of around 50 people.

Some people have a gift for visualization.

Others do not.

If you can see their faces,

It is good.

Otherwise just bringing them all to heart.

All of these good people.

And then thinking how great it would be if all of these people could have less and less suffering.

May they meet with positive influences,

Which help them in many ways.

And be supported to progress along this path of virtue and mental cultivation.

And eventually realizing for themselves,

Liberating truth in their own hearts and minds.

Completely free from suffering.

Then sharing the blessings of this with many.

So with all of these kind and wonderful wishes in mind,

We make our cool,

Compassionate,

Altruistic wish.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May all of these dear people be free from suffering.

Breathing in,

Cool compassion,

Deep blue light.

Breathing out,

Blue light radiating out,

Quenching the pain,

The frustration.

May I be free from suffering.

May these dear people be free from suffering.

Thank you for a minute or so.

So happy immediately.

And now see all of these people happy and well.

In the future,

As you train in this practice,

Instead of 50 people,

You can include hundreds,

Thousands,

Even millions of well-disposed sentient beings in this section here.

May they all be free from suffering.

Pets and animals.

It can be good to include other classes of beings at times.

In this section,

I'd like you to bring to mind now some animals.

Perhaps yours and the neighbour's pets,

Or all the animals on your street or in your area.

Once again,

Very mindful not to fall into any stories,

But just bringing them to heart.

Realise,

For example,

That they too are very vulnerable,

In many ways.

Also subject to illness,

To aging,

To death,

Even interpersonal conflicts.

So including these animals in altruistic good wishes.

Breathing the cool and deeply compassionate heart.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May all of these dear animals be free from suffering.

May they attain auspicious rebirths and grow in the path of peace.

In future,

You can include more and more animals here in this section if you like.

It can be useful after practising compassion in these ways,

To return to some loving kindness practice for a couple of minutes.

Re-establishing the warmth of goodwill,

Unconditional love,

And holding this in the heart and chest area,

Before continuing on.

Finally wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well,

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

Allowing the warmth of metta,

Loving acceptance,

Pure goodwill,

To fill your heart.

Wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well,

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

Breathing in,

May I be well,

And breathing out,

May I be happy.

Devas,

While still aware of the breathing,

Bringing to mind now,

May I be well,

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

The existence of devas,

Or devata,

Bright radiant beings with great merits from past and present good deeds.

But first,

Imagine just a small group,

Above your head some distance,

Say around ten devas.

Perhaps these devas are those with a close karmic connection.

They may be rejoicing in this practice.

Perhaps they have even been joining in.

Mindful once again that although currently experiencing some happiness and well-being,

Those devas,

Or angels,

Not yet established in liberation,

Must undergo painful change.

For there is still the fact of death and rebirth.

The place and details of the next birth are often unknown.

So,

Like us,

These devas are in need of compassion and blessings.

Once again we will radiate the cool blessing of compassion inwardly on the in-breath,

And outwardly in the direction of the devas on the out-breath.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May this group of devas be free from suffering.

May they meet with auspicious,

Supportive circumstances and grow along the path to freedom.

You generating compassion inwardly and outwardly towards yourself and this group of devas for the next minute or so.

We are going to include more devas now,

Recognizing that each of these devas above most likely has friends and family.

Imagine that they have come to join us in this practice,

Some from the realm of the four kings,

The lower heaven,

Some from the heaven of the thirty-three,

Dhāvatimsa heaven,

The heaven realm higher above.

Seeing this wholesome gathering,

Some devata from higher realms have come to join us as well,

Small groups from the yama,

Tushita and high brahma realms.

Suppose around one hundred devata altogether.

Careful not to get lost,

Wondering about the details,

Remembering the task at hand.

And as before,

Mindful that no matter how radiant or joyful,

The devas are also still affected by change and separation.

Death for the devas is often painful as well.

So we set the strong intention to include these radiant ones in our compassionate heart.

May their path to heaven reach further,

To the beyond.

Breathing in,

Radiating the cool and sincere compassionate wish inwards,

May I be free from suffering.

And breathing out,

Wishing with all of your heart that these devas may be safe,

Be well.

May this large group of devas be completely free from suffering.

Doing this for the next minute or so.

Breathing light also,

If you find this helpful.

And breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

And breathing out,

May this large group of devas be completely free from suffering.

In the future you can include larger and larger numbers of devas here,

If you wish.

Returning to some metta practice once again.

Re-establishing the warmth of goodwill,

Unconditional love.

Helping the perceptions of others for a few moments and coming inwards.

Holding the energy of loving kindness in the heart and chest area.

Before continuing on.

Simply wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well,

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

Allowing the warmth of goodwill,

Unconditional love,

Loving acceptance to fill your heart.

Nourishing your effort at this practice.

Wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well,

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

The golden light of loving kindness glowing at your heart.

Do this for the next minute or so.

I wish all living beings happiness and joy.

A small group of neutral people.

I'd like you to bring to mind now several people for whom you may feel neutral towards.

Distant relatives.

Old school acquaintances.

Work colleagues.

Say a group of 10 to 20 people.

And once again,

Simply bringing to mind the bare facts of the situation we all find ourselves in.

With physical bodies,

Affected by pleasure and pain.

Aging.

Disease.

And finally death.

Being prone to accidents,

Etc.

The vulnerability.

The fragility.

And the incredible opportunity to learn and to grow.

Knowing now how wonderful it would be if these people could all be safe and be supported and blessed to grow in this path to freedom and peace.

Wholeheartedly wishing then for this safety,

For this growth,

For this liberation,

For this peace.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May this group of people be free from suffering.

Breathing in,

May I be safe.

May I be supported to grow.

May I be well.

And breathing out,

May this group of people be safe.

May they be well.

May they be supported to grow.

And may they become free.

Continuing with this for the next minute or so.

Deep blue light filling your heart.

Cool,

Pure,

Powerful.

Radiating inwards on the in-breath,

Then radiating outwards on the out-breath.

Bathing the minds of these beings.

Pure altruistic caring.

Quenching the fire of pain and confusion.

Or white or gold light.

Dispelling the darkness.

Bringing blessings.

Illuminating deeper truth.

Как Expanding this section now,

Stretching our usual capacity for caring by simply becoming aware of many,

Many more people.

Not just neighbours,

But the entire neighbourhood.

All of our old classmates and workmates.

The people we see on the bus,

The train,

In the village or town,

Or on the way to work.

Everyone trying to be happy and fulfil their duties and dreams.

Say around 500 people.

Just feeling and then opening the heart with pure and courageous love and compassion for oneself and this large group of people.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May all of these people be free from suffering.

Breathing in,

May I be safe,

May I be well.

Breathing out,

May all of these people be safe,

May they be well.

Continue generating and radiating compassion and altruistic good wishes for all of these people for the next minute or so.

Thank you.

While still in this section,

Thinking of this more neutral class of being,

People for whom ordinarily we might not give much thought,

I would like to encourage you now to turn your attention to the likely existence of ghosts.

No need to be scared.

They are sentient beings just like us.

Because of the law of karma,

Sometimes beings shift to different realms after death.

And just as there are devas and angels above,

Experiencing more subtle and refined pleasures than us humans,

There are beings experiencing even more pain and challenges in lower realms.

So bringing to mind the fact of the existence of ghosts.

And recognizing that as sentient beings just like us,

They would prefer to be happy.

And if they knew of the possibility for complete liberation from all suffering,

They would appreciate the opportunity to work towards this.

We may have spent lives in such realms in the past as well.

And some of these beings,

Currently in ghost realms,

May have actually been dearly loved friends and family members of ours in the past,

Who made some mistakes.

When the heavy karma is exhausted,

They may join us again.

So just broadening the awareness of the fact of difficulty,

Hardship,

Challenges for beings in other realms.

And sharing the compassionate heart,

The compassionate wish,

With them.

Imagine a group of say around 10 well-behaved ghosts,

Somewhere beneath you,

Who have come to receive your kindness and care.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May these ghosts be free from suffering.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May the ghosts,

Relatives in birth,

Aging and death,

Be free from suffering.

Breathing in,

May I be well.

Breathing out,

May the ghosts be well.

May we all grow in Dhamma and progress towards complete freedom from every type of suffering.

You can imagine the bright healing light of altruistic compassion brightening up the gloominess of the lower realm.

Seeing these hungry and cold beings feeling warm and well.

It is useful after practicing compassion in these ways to return to some loving kindness practice once again for a few minutes.

Re-establishing the heart of metta,

Warm goodwill,

Loving acceptance and holding this in the heart and chest area before continuing on.

Allowing the perceptions of others to drop away and sincerely wishing yourself well with all of your heart.

Generating metta to support yourself in this process.

Wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well.

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

And really trying to feel that breath as well.

Knowing the entire in-breath and the entire out-breath.

Allowing the warmth of loving acceptance,

Of pure goodwill to fill the centre of your heart area.

Wishing on the in-breath,

May I be well.

And on the out-breath,

May I be happy.

Breathing in,

May I be well.

Breathing out,

May I be happy.

We will soon be moving on to the category of difficult people.

So really taking the time now to just rest inwardly,

Quietly.

Aware of the breath for the next minute or so.

You can use the mental recitation,

Buddho,

If you find it helpful.

Thank you.

The very difficult person.

Becoming bold and determined now in our compassionate wish.

Taking care not to fall into liking and disliking.

Not falling into any fixed perceptions or any stories.

Recognising deeply that all appearances change.

I'd like you to bring to mind now the very person who in the past you liked the least of all.

It's likely that you disliked this person because of the unskillful things he or she did and said.

Or perhaps the skillful,

Responsible things which they did not do.

The reasons though are not important.

For the purpose of our meditation,

We simply decide to recognise deeply that this being also experiences suffering.

Physical and mental suffering.

The negative qualities which affect this person are painful for them as well as for others.

We acknowledge also having faith in the Buddha,

His realisation,

His liberating teachings and well-practised,

Realised disciples.

That ultimately the ignorance behind all harmful actions can be removed,

Uprooted.

So then wishing this difficult person freedom from all suffering.

From the very depths of your wise and compassionate heart.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May this challenging person be free from suffering.

Breathing in,

May I be free from suffering.

Breathing out,

May this person learn and grow and eventually be completely free from suffering.

May they grow in this path of virtue and mental cultivation.

May they realise good-heartedness.

Heal and overcome the mental afflictions.

Returning to the breath for a minute or so,

Before including more people here.

Dropping all perceptions of self and other.

Just aware of the simple act of breathing.

Centering,

Collecting.

Breathing in,

But.

Breathing out,

Though.

Mindfully aware of in and out breathing.

Continuing this for the next minute or so.

Allowing the mind to rest before continuing on.

Allowing the mind to rest before continuing on.

Once again we will generate and radiate altruistic compassion.

This time bringing to mind many people who one might consider challenging.

It is helpful here not to think of the details of terrible things said and done.

But rather to think of the degree to which such beings' minds are shrouded in darkness and ignorance.

Being aware also of the law of karma.

Mindful that the more a person has harmed others,

The more pain and difficulty they will meet in the future.

Possibly for hundreds or thousands of lives.

Such beings are worthy of compassion.

So bringing to mind now the kinds of people who might have agitated to bring about wars.

Those who make a lot of money developing and selling weapons.

People who manage the illicit drug trade.

And human traffickers.

Politicians who make promises they've no intention to keep.

And secretly take large bribes.

People who manipulate financial markets.

Deliberately bringing about crashes and recessions.

People who suppress cures for disease.

While promoting ineffective medicines with terrible side effects.

Bring to mind a group of say about 50 individuals.

Whose minds are currently very dark.

Basically people without conscience.

In sensitive,

Unreflective individuals.

With hardened hearts.

Suppose now that you are a doctor and your most sincere wish is to heal.

We would then see these beings as the very ones who need the most help.

Remembering also that we too still have the same seeds in our hearts.

Which grew such terrible fruit.

In the wrong circumstances we could become like this as well.

So with strong determination we will generate a powerful compassionate heart.

With the wish that all causes of suffering.

Both in ourselves and in others.

Especially these most challenged beings.

May be uprooted.

Eradicated.

Purified.

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

Breathing out may all of these people be free from suffering.

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

Breathing out may all of these challenged people be completely free from every type of suffering.

May I receive every support and blessing to overcome all of my challenges.

May I weaken and conquer the heart staining defilements.

The cause of so much misery.

And may all of these difficult challenged beings.

Meet with influences that will help them to rectify their poor behaviors.

And purify their minds.

Sincerely wholeheartedly wishing in conjunction with the breath.

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

Breathing out may all of these people be free from suffering.

May they realize their deeper potential.

Considering that it is certainly possible that if many people did this in our world that some very real changes could come about.

That affected these people's minds in a positive way.

Love and altruism are very powerful and transformative.

So continuing with this for a minute or so.

Expanding our capacity.

Cultivating.

Generating.

Radiating.

Pure compassion.

If it is helpful see the light of non-judgmental powerfully impartial compassion bathing the bodies and minds of these people.

Deep dark blue or radiant white and gold.

Stimulating the latent seeds of goodness within.

A light radiating inwardly on the in-breath and outwardly on the out-breath.

Imagine the darkness dispelling.

In the future as you train in this cultivation you may wish to include more and more of this class of being.

Difficult,

Seriously challenged beings in this section.

Once again before moving on taking a few moments to rest.

Dropping perceptions of others.

Feeling the breath more clearly.

And generating metta resting in the heart area.

Coming inwards and resting.

Breathing in may I be well.

Breathing out may I be happy.

Breathing in may I be well.

Golden light of loving kindness filling your heart.

Breathing out may I be happy.

And really feeling that breath.

The entire in-breath and the entire out-breath.

Sharpening that mindfulness.

Taking a few moments to rest.

Breathing in may I be well.

Breathing out may I be happy.

Continuing with this for a minute or so.

We will soon be moving on to the category of beings in hell.

So really taking the time now to just rest inwardly.

Quietly.

Just aware of the breath for the next minute.

Gaining the energy to continue on.

And then we will move on to the category of beings in hell.

Mindful of the law of karma.

And the existence of past and future lives.

Bringing to mind now the likelihood of there being painful lower realms.

The places we call hell.

Remembering the difficult human beings we were just practicing with.

People who accumulate very heavy karmas.

Often fall to such places.

After the moment of death.

In some respects.

It is easier to feel compassion for beings in hell.

Than it is for the difficult human beings.

For the fact of suffering is so obvious.

Apparently there are very many beings in hell.

Even more than there are human beings.

But for our purposes here.

Let's just bring to mind a group of past relatives and friends.

Say around 20 beings.

And although we don't know the details or the stories.

Lord Buddha assures us that we all have relatives in hell.

Perhaps they just made one really big mistake in their past life.

Or perhaps they were very frightened at the time of death.

Some beings are reborn in hell because of this.

Or maybe what started as a seemingly harmless indulgence.

Became a very bad addictive habit.

It's possible also that they were just really bad on many levels.

In any case they are suffering terribly now.

We open our heart to this suffering and sincerely wish them well.

You can visualize these beings in a very dark and frightful place.

Surrounded by scorching flames.

Sincerely wish these beings liberation from hell.

And eventually liberation from all suffering.

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

And breathing out may these hell beings be free from suffering.

Imagine the powerful coolness of compassion quenching the flames.

These beings are previous relatives and friends feeling some respite.

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

Cool pure altruistic compassion bathing your own heart.

And breathing out may these hell beings be completely free from suffering.

Compassion,

Deep care and tender concern flowing down below in cooling healing waves.

I'll be continuing this for a minute or so.

Having come this far.

We will soon be taking one final big mental leap.

Soon we will be bringing to mind the category of all beings everywhere.

But before doing this turn your compassion exclusively inwards one last time.

While listening to these words fill your own heart with the cool compassionate wish.

The wonderful thing about this particular category is that you don't really have to think about anyone in particular.

We just have this vast impartial altruistic goodwill radiating out in every direction equally.

All we need to know is that there are beings suffering everywhere.

And just like us they desire freedom from suffering.

Just this is enough.

So breathing in filling your own heart to the brim may I be free from suffering.

And breathing out may all beings everywhere be free from suffering.

It can be a relief to drop the mental discriminating with labels.

And simply respond to the fact of pain and suffering with wholehearted care,

Concern,

Kindness and compassion.

And radiate this altruistic attitude,

Energy,

Wish,

Blessing in all directions equally.

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

And breathing out may all beings everywhere be free from suffering.

I'll continue this for a couple of minutes.

Thank you.

If we do this sincerely over a long period of time,

All that is left is pure compassion.

No sense of self or other,

Just pure compassion radiating,

Filling space.

Compassion is boundless.

So really giving ourselves to this now,

Trusting in your potential,

Trusting in this practice praised by Lord Buddha and the Arahants and the Bodhisattvas.

Radiating compassion in all directions equally,

Filling space,

Breathing in may I be free from suffering.

If you don't need the words anymore,

You can drop the words,

Just go with the energy,

The pure altruistic intention,

Radiating the blessings in all directions equally.

May all beings be free from suffering.

May all beings be completely free from every type of suffering.

May they realize their true potential and be liberated.

Thank you.

Closing.

Having generated metta for oneself,

Then deep compassion,

The altruistic wish to be free.

We've then included many other dear friends,

As well as many neutral people,

A group of devas and many animals.

Then groups of difficult people,

Some ghosts and even some beings in hell.

Finally,

All beings everywhere.

Well done.

In just a few more minutes we will end the meditation session.

It is important to close properly.

Returning to some loving kindness practice for a couple of minutes.

Reestablishing the warmth of goodwill and holding this in the heart and chest area.

This goodwill for oneself is the necessary foundation for cultivating true and deep compassion for oneself and eventually all beings.

Healthy self-care and self-interest is not the same as selfishness or self-cherishing.

It is the foundation that supports and inspires the sincere efforts and practices that will liberate from duality and lead to the realization of not-self.

For if we truly care,

We will work in order to better our situation.

And so once again we re-establish this wholesome,

Good heart as a support to our life and practice.

Simply wishing on the in-breaths may I be well,

And on the out-breaths may I be happy.

Allowing the warmth of loving acceptance,

Of pure goodwill,

Of unconditional love to fill your heart.

Wishing on the in-breaths may I be well,

And on the out-breaths may I be happy.

And breathing in may I be well,

And breathing out may I be happy.

Before finishing the meditation,

We will return to the mindfulness of breathing practice.

Brahma Vihara based practices can sensitize the mind considerably.

And so it can be helpful to sharpen the mindfulness now,

Knowing the feelings in the body in more detail,

More clearly.

This can have a pleasant,

Grounding effect upon the mind.

And so bringing our attention to know the feelings involved in in and out breathing.

Try to know the entire in-breath,

And the entire out-breath.

Being aware of the feelings of the in-breath coming in at the nose,

Down through the chest,

Into the abdomen,

And the feelings of the out-breath,

Abdomen,

Chest,

Nose.

Putting down perceptions of self and other,

And simply knowing feelings in the body.

You can use buddho if you find this helpful.

Breathing in buddho,

Breathing out do,

Aware of the feelings.

Doing this for a minute or so,

Before we make some final dedications.

Okay.

Determination,

Aspiration,

Practicing meditation in these ways,

Produces wholesome karma or merit.

It is very good to dedicate merits and to make aspirations.

Particularly after long meditation when the mind is peaceful and powerful.

Since this has been a compassion-based practice,

Let's dedicate the merits to all beings everywhere.

I dedicate the merits of this practice to all beings everywhere.

May we all grow to be completely free from every type of suffering.

So we have been diligently working on the third level,

The advanced level of this compassion practice.

Learning to include all beings,

Especially all of the difficult ones,

Will be very transformative and beneficial to your spiritual cultivation.

We are learning to see all beings as equal in the experience of suffering,

And equal also in their potential to be free from it.

Eventually,

We will come to see that all beings have the same,

Ultimately empty,

Non-being nature.

And after this,

We will be even more kind.

Wishing you every success in your cultivation.

Be well.

Reviews

I’m forever grateful for your sessions. The last 27 minutes went silent and it’s unfortunate not being able to finish such a beautiful meditation.
I wish there is something you could do to fix this glitch.
Thanks 🙏🏻

Reply: the very first time I did this meditation worked great. I’ve done this meditation about 5 times now and the last fourth had stopped it at the last 27 minutes.
🙏🏻

Very Deep and powerful. Such a beautiful practice. When envisioning the darker beings, I also repeated may you be free from anger, may you be free from hatred may you be free from judgment. Thank you so much, dear beautiful soul. Namaste♥️🙏🏽

...lots of pauses...lots of contemplation...took 4 hours. Thank you 🕊🙏

wow just life changing

Thank you

i loveddd

Thanks sensei

Keep coming back to this! Thank you 🥰

Blissful 🙏🏽💙

this is a challenging practice but I think worth attempting and understanding

I feel so lucky to have found Ajahn Achalo’s teachings. Thank you for taking all the time and effort to record them and post them. 🙏🏽

Thanks a lot 🙏😌

Thank you Ajahn 🙏🙏 for a deepening experience of compassion. With loving kindness Ruth.

Thank you so much for all of your teachings! Sending my gratitude, kindness, and appreciative joy 🙏 Part 3 was so worth the wait!!

Thank you for sharing this powerful and inspiring meditation

So compassionate in your approach! Beautifully done. Many blessings. 🙏

So grateful Dear Ajahn for this very powerful practice 💫 How fortunate and blessed we are that you made this amazing and helpful series available to us 💐🙏💐
🕉💚Karuna💚🕉

Beautifully paced work for restoration.

Deepest gratitude sweet soul sibling.
💛💚💙💜
Namaste
🙏⭕🙏

Thank you so much, dear teacher! I have benefited greatly from listening to your talks and engaging in your guided meditations. This one addresses my current concerns, in sending metta to the most difficult beings in the most difficult realms. Ahhhh....
✨🙏🏽☯️🌸🕉💜✨