Loving-kindness meditation,
A visualization involving meeting Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni.
This meditation will be a loving-kindness meditation involving visualizing Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni and several of her disciples meditating in a banyan grove outside of the ancient Indian town of Savati.
Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni's qualities of loving-kindness,
Courage and determination brought great benefit to many people in her lifetime and her example continues to be an inspiring object of recollection to thousands of beings to this day.
In the following guided meditation we will make an offering,
Pay respects and then meditate alongside the Bhikkhunis.
These types of visualizations can be helpful with regards to encouraging the development of loving-kindness in our own minds.
By bringing to mind within meditative discipline an inspiring example which represents the quality of loving-kindness,
We are setting a resonance in our own minds and by learning to empathize with and deeply appreciate this quality of metta,
Our own minds can become imbued with this same quality.
We will start as per usual by establishing a body-based mindful awareness and then move on to breath awareness.
After a few minutes of this we will then proceed to the visualization and contemplation of the great loving-kindness of Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni.
And lastly we will then generate the mind imbued with loving-kindness to whatever extent is possible within our own minds radiating metta to all beings.
Bringing your attention to your sitting posture,
Being simply aware that you are now sitting with a straight yet relaxed posture.
At first simply feeling the physical feelings of the buttocks pressing against the harder surface underneath,
The mat or the cushion or the chair.
Grounding awareness in the present moment.
Allowing a broad awareness to embrace your whole body.
Knowing the sitting posture,
Aware that you are sitting.
And now we are going to take three slow and deep in and out breaths.
Releasing any tension on the out breath.
Relaxing.
Breathing slowly and deeply in all the way into the abdomen.
And then breathing out.
Letting go.
Once again breathing deeply in and breathing out.
Putting things down.
And one more deep in and out breath at your own pace.
Bringing a fresh awareness,
A sense of being present into the new moment.
Now allow the breathing to become relaxed and natural.
Breathing ordinarily at your own pace.
Acknowledge that we are doing a session of sitting meditation and other than meditating now we don't need to do anything else.
Just taking small relaxed natural breaths.
Not following thoughts.
Allowing thoughts to simply drop away.
And so now with mindful awareness try to feel the area around the top of the head.
Simply aware of the various feelings on the surface area of the skin.
Now include the face.
And then the ears.
And the neck.
Now include the upper shoulder area.
Simply aware.
Simply feeling.
Knowing the various feelings on the surface of the skin in the shoulder area.
Becoming more aware,
More alert and at the same time relaxing.
Aware of the shoulders.
Relaxing the shoulders.
Now include the chest in this awareness.
And then include the stomach area.
And then bring this gentle knowing awareness to include all of your back.
Now include your arms.
Embracing the whole upper area of the body with gentle awareness.
Simply knowing the felt sense of this body.
Now sitting.
And now include the lower abdomen.
The groin.
And the buttocks.
Feel your bottom pressing against the surface underneath.
Allowing awareness to shift from the realms of thoughts and emotions.
And simply settling with this awareness of sitting.
Now include the legs and feet in your awareness.
Feel the whole body simply sitting,
Knowing the sitting posture.
Now gently bring your awareness to your in and out breathing.
Being mindful of each in and out breath.
Try to be aware of the entire in breath and the entire out breath.
Knowing the breath as it comes in at the nose,
Down through the chest and into the abdomen.
And then knowing the breath as it leaves the abdomen,
Out through the chest and out the nose.
Simply knowing the natural relaxed ordinary breathing.
Knowing the feelings of each in breath and each out breath.
As this is a session of loving kindness meditation,
You can recite phrases in your mind gently in conjunction with the breathing.
As a way of noting the breath and also of encouraging the heart of loving kindness.
Breathing in making the simple wish,
May I be well.
And breathing out wishing,
May I be happy.
Try to do this for the next couple of minutes.
Maintaining awareness of the entire in breath and the entire out breath while wishing yourself well.
Generating goodwill within your own body and mind.
And in return for your goodwill sometimes always.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
May I be happy.
As I ask you to imagine the following scene,
Try to continue with your mindful awareness of each in and out breath.
Allow the breath to be a center,
An island,
An anchor,
And hear my voice as if in the distance,
While trying to visualize the following scene as clearly as possible.
You are in ancient India.
It is morning time and you are wandering out from the busy township of Savati in northern India,
Seeking some fresh air,
Sun and quiet.
You have bought a meal with you for later,
Wrapped in banana leaves and carefully tied in a cloth.
You carry this food along with you with some fresh fruit in your shoulder bag.
After walking for some time,
You have come to open parklands at the edge of the town.
Grand old trees stand here and there and birdsong is clearly audible from their direction.
Along in the distance a little,
There are seemingly endless golden fields with cows and oxen grazing lazily.
You continue to walk gently,
Carefully away from the hustle and bustle of the town,
Aware of your own quiet footsteps.
Aware of each in-breath,
Aware of each out-breath.
But-do,
But-do.
Sang-go,
Sang-go.
It is the middle of autumn.
The nights have become quite cold.
And now that the sun is high in the sky,
The pleasantly warm rays are dispelling the cool air.
The dew and the mist are quickly evaporating.
As you come to the edge of the fields,
You observe that the rice has already been harvested and thrashed.
Golden hay lies scattered everywhere.
The smell of dew on fresh hay and the touch of the warm morning sun on your skin is very pleasant.
Closing your eyes,
You stand still for a few moments,
Enjoying this morning in the fields of rural India.
Aware of each in-breath,
Aware of each out-breath.
But-do,
Sang-go.
Opening your eyes once again,
You notice in the distance the various people who are toiling around you in different ways.
There are women in long and elegant saris,
Walking slowly and gracefully along winding dirt paths and ox tracks.
They have large earthen pots full of water balanced upon their heads.
Some of them have young babies carefully strapped to their bodies.
And there are some men who are raking and stacking the hay into very large piles in the middle of their fields.
And young boys with long sticks are leading herds of cattle and buffalo out to pasture in different directions with a joyful spring in their step.
Some of the women are singing devotional songs.
Some of the men are whistling.
And others are serenely quiet.
Although you are enjoying the scene,
You decide to walk along further,
Seeking the quiet of seclusion.
Aware of each in-breath,
Aware of each out-breath.
To the right,
Way off in the distance,
You notice an ancient grove of very large banyan trees.
You feel drawn to this grove and so you continue along at an easy pace,
Aware of each in- and out-breath,
Enjoying the sunshine and the warm fresh air.
Approaching the ancient banyan grove,
You take in the autumn sky.
The sky is so blue now,
It is breathtaking.
The sunlight is pure silver and gold and there is not a cloud in sight.
Away from the town and from the fields,
Everything seems delightfully quiet.
Aware of each in-breath,
Aware of each out-breath.
Bhutto.
Sang-ko.
Seeing the banyan trees close by now and feeling warm from your walk,
You feel drawn to the cool of the shade.
Walking to the edge of the first trees,
You peer inside.
It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The canopy is very thick,
But underneath is surprisingly open,
Pleasantly shaded and remarkably quiet.
The large,
Twisting ancient trunks and aerial roots reach up grandly from the earth and stretch into the dark foliage above.
The giant roots snake and curve in various ways,
Creating inviting nooks and perfect picnic spaces.
You take a few careful steps into this magical grove.
Aware of each in-breath,
Aware of each out-breath.
Feeling a little hungry now,
You decide to choose a place to sit and take your meal.
About ten yards away,
You see an inviting nook at the base of a trunk,
Which seems reasonably flat and free of debris.
You make your way to that tree.
You don't know quite why,
But as you have made your way towards this tree,
Something in the air has changed.
There is a calm and quiet in the air that is so pronounced,
It seems to ring in your ears.
And then you notice,
Peering around,
You see that over the tall root,
On the other side of the very same tree,
There is a shaven-headed yogi,
Clad in ochre robes,
Absorbed in meditation.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
You wonder to yourself,
Should you back away?
Should you find another part of the forest to take your meal in?
And yet,
Being close to this meditating mendicant,
You have begun to feel wondrously happy and at ease.
And so you stand still for a few more quiet moments,
Enjoying peaceful serenity.
Sang,
Go.
During these precious quiet moments,
It has occurred to you that you would like to pay respects and offer your meal to this mendicant,
Rather than eat it yourself.
And so you quietly move backwards and then slowly walk around,
Carefully stepping over winding roots and fallen twigs,
Trying to be quiet.
You move towards the meditating saint.
Aware of each in-breath,
Aware of each out-breath,
Put,
Do.
Sang,
Go.
Now that you can see this meditator more clearly,
You notice that she is in fact a mature and dignified woman.
Identifying the robes and shaven head more clearly now,
You recognize that this must be a disciple of the Bhagawan Gautama,
Lord Buddha.
A bhikkhuni.
Her face with eyes closed looks extraordinarily calm and kind.
And there appears to be an ethereal golden glow emanating from inside,
Surrounding her entire body,
Permeating space.
You lower yourself onto your knees and prepare to approach quietly.
Now that you have been in the banyan forest for some time,
It hardly seems dark anymore.
More and more details can now easily be seen.
Kneeling on your knees,
Glancing around the forest,
You notice that there are other meditating yogis nestled in various nooks around this ancient grove.
And all of them appear to be women.
And now you understand.
This must be the forest where the bhikkhuni order dwells.
You have seen them on their arms round in the town in the mornings.
And the full figure and dignified bearing of the matriarch before you suggests that this must be Mahapajapati bhikkhuni,
The first in the order of nuns.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
Sang,
Go.
Sang,
Go.
You do not wish to disturb the serenity and silence of the grove.
But being deeply moved by faith,
You decide that you will discreetly pay respects and quietly place your offering before Mahapajapati bhikkhuni.
With deep heartfelt reverence,
You lower your head to the ground and say to yourself in your heart,
I offer my deep respects to Mahapajapati bhikkhuni,
Courageous and kind.
Bowing deeply once again,
I offer my respects to the holy dharma,
The teachings and truths realized by such beings.
And bowing one last time,
And I offer my respects to this holy community of bhikkhunis who have practiced well.
Raising your eyes to gaze upon Mahapajapati,
You consider her extraordinary example.
She was a devoted mother to Prince Siddhartha,
Who later became the Buddha.
And then she became like a mother to many other nuns,
Who took refuge in her courage and kindness.
Looking upon her now,
You feel that you love her like you love your very own mother.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
Remembering that you have a small parcel of food,
You decide to approach now.
As Mahapajapati's eyes are closed in meditation,
You will simply place your offerings before her discreetly and then quietly back away once again.
Moving forwards carefully on your knees,
Coming closer to Mahapajapati.
You notice that her eyes are now open.
In those eyes you recognize an unshakable and boundless quality of kindness.
And crystal clear clarity.
Warm like the golden sun,
Yet clear as the diamond-like autumn sky.
As you come closer,
The soft golden light pervading her body radiates outwards and embraces you in its gentle warmth.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
Although she does not say anything,
You know that the Great Bhikkhuni has seen you.
And her kind eyes are telling you that it is perfectly okay to approach.
You are just a meter from her now,
And all thoughts have simply fallen from your mind.
You feel full,
Well,
At ease.
Blessed in the holy presence of this mother of Bhikkhunis.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
Gently you place your carefully wrapped parcel before the Bhikkhuni and take out the fruit from your bag as well.
Mahapajapati graciously extends her right hand,
And you understand that you should place the food directly into her palm.
You feel honored,
And you carefully place the food in her holy hands.
Having offered the food,
You feel wonderfully blessed.
Looking once again into Mahapajapati's holy eyes,
You are struck by her vast loving kindness.
You are aware that she knows you intimately.
You are confident that with one well-directed glance she sees everything.
She knows you in fact much better than you know yourself,
And she wishes you well.
She wishes you happiness,
Safety,
And she wishes you every success.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
And you recognize in those pure and kind eyes that this Bhikkhuni has loving kindness for everyone.
Every single being without exception in every type of existence.
And you can feel that she is spreading her loving kindness to all beings in this very moment.
Embracing the entire ten-thousand-fold world system with a mind grown vast imbued with loving kindness.
You have now witnessed the true potential of a human being.
And you think to yourself,
How wonderful,
How profound,
How beautiful.
Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni has seen your unique potential.
She has seen your capacity to become enlightened,
And she is very happy.
Smiling,
She radiates loving kindness towards you now,
Blessing you with profound goodwill.
The happiness and contentment that you now feel is beyond words.
And you are slightly surprised when this amazing being before you opens her mouth and speaks to you directly.
Meditate with us for some time,
Child.
There is no need to hurry home.
And having encouraged you thus,
Mahapajapati extends her gracious hand towards the roots of the ancient trees.
Glancing around,
You see that there are still many spaces among the hanging roots of the ancient banyan trees.
Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni nods and smiles ever so slightly.
When she sees that you understand,
She gently closes her eyes once again.
And once again you notice the profound quality of stillness and silence.
Aware of each in-breath,
Sang.
Aware of each out-breath,
Go.
Respectfully you back away from the enlightened Bhikkhuni and slowly make your way towards a space.
Nestling among the roots of another ancient banyan tree,
Quietly sitting under the shade of the tree,
You cross your legs in meditation posture.
It is pleasantly cool under the trees and a fragrant gentle breeze blows in from the warm distant fields.
You feel blessed on this most auspicious day.
Taking one last glance at the inspiring Mahapajapati and the other radiant meditating nuns,
You gently close your eyes.
Your mind is settled at ease inward and you are aware of each in-breath and each out-breath.
The entire in-breath and the entire out-breath.
You understand more deeply now the potential of a human being.
Having seen the purity,
The wisdom and the loving kindness of an enlightened being.
You feel deeply blessed and you wish to share these blessings.
Seeing that it is truly possible to radiate loving kindness to all beings,
Without exception,
You turn your mind now to loving kindness meditation.
Breathing in,
You suffuse your own body with loving kindness,
Wishing,
May I be well.
Breathing out,
You radiate this quality towards all beings in all directions,
Wishing,
May all beings be well.
Breathing in,
May I be well.
Breathing out,
May all beings be well.
May I be well.
May all beings be well.
May I be happy.
May all beings be happy.
May I be well.
Imagine your whole body and all of the space around you becoming completely suffused with soft golden light.
Breathing in,
Simply wishing with kindness,
May I be well.
And breathing out,
Making the pure and simple wish,
May all beings be well.
The golden light from your own heart fills your body on the in-breath,
May I be well.
And then radiate outwards to all beings on the out-breath,
May all beings be well.
May I be well.
Breathing in,
Sincerely wishing,
May I be well.
As you make this benevolent wish towards yourself,
A beautiful golden light grows and glows at your heart.
Breathing out,
May all beings be well.
And then the golden light of loving kindness spreads outwards towards all other beings.
With each in-breath,
This golden light of metta fills the area of your heart.
And then emits with the out-breath from the area of your heart,
Outwards,
Boundless and unobstructed.
There is no limit to the extent to which metta can be generated.
Breathing in,
May I be well.
Breathing out,
May all beings be well.
If you find it helpful,
You can once again bring to mind the image of Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni meditating under the banyan tree,
Imagining the golden light of loving kindness radiating out from her body in all directions.
With all ignorance and defilements uprooted from her mind,
Her loving kindness is boundless,
Unobstructed,
Impartial.
It is able to flow outwards in all directions easily.
Take Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni as your role model and once again allow the golden light of metta to grow at your heart on each in-breath.
Blessing yourself with your own mind's innate capacity to generate loving kindness,
Sincerely wishing,
May I be well.
And then radiating the light of loving kindness outwards on each out-breath,
Wishing all beings well.
May all beings be well,
May all beings be safe and happy and free from fear.
Pervading all directions with goodwill equally,
To whatever extent seems possible.
Pervading the entire world with the warm light of loving kindness,
Metta.
Breathing in,
May I be well.
Breathing out,
May all beings be well.
In a couple of minutes we will come to the end of our meditation.
But before we end,
Try to sharpen the awareness of the in and out breathing once again.
Re-establishing a very clear,
Present moment based awareness in the mind.
On the in-breath,
Still wishing,
May I be well.
And on the out-breath,
Bringing the awareness back to oneself wishing,
May I be happy.
In ending the meditation,
It is important to consider for a moment what we have been doing.
We have been using our imagination visualizing a scene from ancient India.
Visualizing an ancient banyan tree grove inhabited by a community of enlightened nuns.
Using our imagination in this way and bringing to mind inspiring examples such as the great Bhikkhuni Mahapajapati can be very effective in helping to generate the mind of loving kindness.
Although we do not yet possess the boundless metta of an enlightened being,
Imagining that we do can be very affirming and encouraging.
And can help us to generate more loving kindness than we might ordinarily be able to.
If you would like to,
Before finishing the meditation,
You can refresh your visualization of Mahapajapati Bhikkhuni sitting under the ancient banyan tree in the company of other enlightened nuns.
Imagine finishing your meditation now under the grand old trees.
And then slowly uncrossing your legs.
Graciously bow slowly in the direction of the venerable Bhikkhuni.
Bow gracefully three times.
If you would like now,
You can dedicate the merit of this meditation to someone in particular or to all sentient beings.
I hope that you found this meditation encouraging or helpful.
Be well.
