Belichaamde Metta

In deze meditatie gaan we oefenen in het belichamen van Metta. Metta is de boeddhistische term voor Liefdevolle Vriendelijkheid. Maar deze Liefdevolle Vriendelijkheid is niet bedoeld als woord, maar als een levenswijze. Metta moet gevoeld worden in en uitgedragen worden door ons lichaam. Daarom deze meditatie, om te leren hoe we Metta - de liefde en warmte van ons wezen - werkelijk kunnen belichamen.

Transcript

Recovery Dharma Embodied Metta Meditation In this meditation we are going to practice the embodiment of metta.

Metta is the Buddhist term for loving-kindness,

But if it stays with a word,

Then metta is not metta,

But it is only emptiness.

Then our lips may move when we pronounce the word or the sentences that belong to it,

But actually we only move air.

But metta is not air.

It forms a very real,

Intense practice of the heart.

It is a practical exercise of the heart.

And if we are talking about loving-kindness,

Then we will really have to bring this to life,

In our body.

We must,

That is what we say,

Necessarily.

Because metta is mainly a feeling word.

Metta is not cognition.

It is not an exercise of the head,

But of the heart.

It is a practice of feeling.

That is why I would like to invite you to adjust your sitting position so that you sit comfortably,

But at the same time with attention and attention.

Some of you may choose to lie down.

You can also stand fine in this exercise.

Whatever works best for you,

As long as you show your attitude,

But attention,

Dignity and respect for yourself and for the world around you.

You may close your eyes or keep them open.

Take a few deep breaths.

Bring yourself here,

To this moment.

Take a deep breath.

Fully in.

And fully out.

Take a deep breath.

Fill your lungs with the inhalation.

Let go with the exhalation.

Follow the breath as it flows naturally.

You don't have to control or control anything.

Just be present with the breath.

You can start by imagining a wide open sky.

A white,

Clear blue sky.

And imagine the curved impression of a smile,

As it spreads through the sky.

The receptivity of a smile.

Its openness and friendliness.

And imagine that your mind can melt with that wide open sky,

So that your mind is filled with the curves of a smile.

And then,

With that openness and receptivity,

Gently bring the smile to your eyes.

Feel how the smile spreads through your eyes.

Relax and let your eyes become soft and your eyebrows relax.

You can relax your forehead a little further.

Maybe you feel the smile on your lips.

A very light smile,

Like the relaxing,

Present smile of the Buddha.

This is what Thich Nhat Hanh called the yoga of the smile.

Pull the corners of your lips up slightly,

In a state of relaxed presence.

No grunts,

Like a predator,

But a very light smile,

Soft and friendly.

When you relax your lips completely,

They drop down.

Your lips have an unsatisfied position and you are completely relaxed.

But that is not the exercise.

The goal of our exercise is not to achieve relaxation,

But to find the conscious attention in ourselves,

Filled with loving friendliness.

And that attention can be in such a small thing as the attention to fill the position of the lips on our face with a very light,

Conscious,

Friendly smile.

In addition,

With a smile you let yourself know that your nervous system can relax.

It helps you to come into contact with a feeling of well-being and relaxation.

So see if you can even smile with the inside of your mouth.

Let the eyes smile.

Let all small muscles of the face relax.

Let your face smile.

Relax your jaw and feel how this creates an openness.

Relax your neck and feel and experience the space and the openness there.

Let your shoulders drop off your neck so that there is also a feeling of relaxation.

Feel the length and volume of your arms and let your hands become soft.

You can try to make your hands even softer.

Let them rest in an easy,

Effortless way in your lap or on your legs.

And feel and experience how the smile on your lips,

On your face,

Around your eyes,

Extends through your body to your heart.

Feel and experience how the smile spreads through your shoulders,

Through your arms,

Your hands and so flows through your heart.

Feel the smile in your physical heart and especially in your emotional heart.

Experience the warmth of the smile in your chest and feel the space that creates this.

Let the soft,

Tender,

Present smile form the space that offers room to everything that is there.

And let that feeling of a soft,

Relaxed smile radiate into your heart.

Relax your upper back.

Relax your middle back and your lower back.

Feel and experience the soft,

Warm and open presence of the breath in your soft belly.

This breathing.

And now this one.

And one more time.

Relax through your lower body and feel how a smile spreads through your belly and feel how the openness of a soft smile creates space for everything that is there.

Feel the liveliness,

The space in your belly.

And one more time.

Continue scanning the body with this image of a smile.

Relaxed and present.

You can imagine and feel how a warm smile spreads through the hips and again you feel the openness,

Liveliness and warmth that is there.

And let the openness of the smile spread through the legs,

Through the feet,

So that when you widen your attention you can feel the tenderness of a soft smile as it spreads,

Penetrates and is fully expressed through your whole body.

And one more time.

Feel the space around you fill up with a relaxed,

Soft smile.

You can deepen your attention and notice whether there are parts of your body,

Certain sensations or precisely emotions that require surrounding attention.

And if there is something that asks for that acceptance,

For openness,

For healing,

Feel and experience how the spirit of the smile of relaxed attention can spread through that area with love and tenderness.

Try to be present at every place that feels hurt,

That feels blocked or tense.

And try to remember that tenderness in the form of the loving friendliness of a smile.

And simply notice what is happening.

Feel and experience all sensations as they arise and dissolve in the flow of presence.

Stay in the here and now.

Maybe you experience on the foreground the soft and conscious movement of the breath.

Or maybe you hear the sounds in the space around you.

Feel and experience the liveliness of the body,

From moment to moment.

And feel in the background the tender presence of the smile you see and which holds and envelops all that life.

And if there is something that calls your attention,

Feel that you can bring the spirit of a smile to the life that is here.

Maybe you notice that your thoughts are fading.

Try again to find the image and feeling of that smile,

The smile of the Buddha,

In your body as a way back to a embodied and friendly presence.

Remember that at every moment you can start again by the embodied spirit of a smile.

The smile on your lips that relaxes your body,

That consciously and physically keeps you present in the here and now.

And as we slowly approach the end of this meditation,

You can feel the heart space that is present here in this moment.

Feel from that heart space which message of care,

Which gift or wish of love and friendliness you want to give to yourself at this moment.

And whatever your wish is for yourself,

Maybe you can also fill your wish with a message of compassion,

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May all beings be safe.

May all beings be healthy in body,

Heart and mind.

May all beings be filled with loving-kindness.

Let the smile and the wish to Metta simply exist in your body.

Bring your body back together with the focus on your mind and heart.

Notice if you experience discomfort,

Tension or resistance.

And also notice if you experience a new feeling of lightness,

Warmth,

Relaxation or joy.

Then,

When you are ready,

You can open your eyes again with a smile,

And focus your attention on the space where you are.

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Luefdevolle vriendelijkheid🙏🥰