Practice of the metta bhavana,
Or cultivation of loving-kindness.
In the spirit of the radical embrace,
I invite you to take a few moments before we start this practice.
You could just welcome any parts of yourself showing up right now.
And just notice them and allow them to be here as they are.
Maybe even inviting them to join us in this practice.
So there's nothing that need be left out here.
So we'll begin by establishing a posture that works for your body.
Make sure that you have at least three points of contact in touch with the ground.
Where the weight of the body is fully supported,
Without straining any other parts,
Particularly your limbs,
Back,
Or neck.
Taking some time now to just begin to drop the awareness down into the points of contact with the ground.
Feeling that support.
Feeling the body held here.
Beginning to connect with space,
Stretching in all directions,
Supporting you as well.
Finding the breath.
Throughout this practice,
We'll be using the breath as an anchor we can come back to.
So just spending a little bit of time here familiarizing ourselves with how the breath is just now.
And then just spending a minute or so reflecting on who you'd like to bring to mind in this practice.
We'll be starting with ourselves and then moving on to.
Bringing an intention of well wishing towards a good friend.
A neutral person or someone we don't know very well.
Someone we're having difficulty with at the moment.
And finally,
All beings everywhere.
So we'll begin now in the first stage of the practice.
Connecting with ourselves.
You might find it helpful here to take a slightly deeper breath.
Maybe even three deep breaths.
You might use self-touch here to help connect in with your own experience just now.
Placing a hand on the heart,
Belly,
Or anywhere else calling out for attention just now.
Letting the body know.
We're here.
Finally,
You might use the breath here to support imagining breathing in this intention of well-wishing.
This deep heart wish for ourselves to be well.
Remembering that this deep heart wish for wellness is what brought us to the path of practice in the first place.
We can even appreciate that version of us that made the decision to begin meditating.
One of the conditions that's led to us being here now.
Just feeling how that is when you remember that.
Particularly in the heart center.
How can you feel here?
You could use the phrases.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I come to know my true nature.
As you repeat these phrases to yourself,
Just noticing.
How the body responds.
What happens next?
What sensations?
Emotions,
Impulses,
Images,
Memories,
Urges arise in response to these phrases?
And can we allow for all of that to be here just as it is?
With curiosity.
And an intention to be radically honest with yourself.
Meet whatever arises.
With a willingness to simply be with it without trying to change it.
Or interfere with it in any way.
Notice what happens when you do this.
If at any time the phrases aren't working for you,
You could also try just visualizing yourself wrapped in a warm,
Loving light.
Or remember being in a place or with people where you felt safe.
Feel free to use your imagination in any way that helps you get in touch with yourself.
And your deep heart wish to be well.
So without losing this connection with ourselves.
There's an invitation to gently begin to invite a friend into this practice.
You may imagine them walking into the room you're in,
Sitting with you.
Maybe you imagine doing something you enjoy together.
You might imagine that year.
Holding their hand or giving them a hug.
So whatever you do,
The invitation is the same.
Just getting curious about what happens when you bring this person to mind.
And begin to get in touch with your own wish for them to be well.
Again you might want to use the phrases if that helps you to get in touch with your intention.
You may imagine saying to this friend.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
And may you realize your own true nature.
What happens when you imagine saying these loving words to your friends?
What sensations?
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Do you notice?
Here we might leave room for the unexpected.
Maybe we imagine it's all gonna feel warm and gooey.
But in reality,
Something a little bit more complicated pops up.
Like a jealousy or a confusion or a vagueness.
Or even some aversion towards a part of this friend.
That we don't relate to or don't like very much.
So just notice without judging,
See what it's like to allow all of that to simply be here in the light.
Of our intention to wish this person well.
What's it like to sit with our friend in a field of loving kindness?
Remembering the goodness.
At their heart.
And wishing all the best for them.
Before moving on to the next stage of this practice,
There's an invitation to just take a deep breath.
There are a few deep breaths letting go of any effort you've been making and broadening the awareness to include your whole body breathing.
Head to toe,
Side to side,
Front to back.
Resting here for a little while.
If you've gotten distracted,
You might find it helpful to connect back with the ground.
And the stillness and support that the ground offers us.
And that we will remember.
And then when you're ready.
Moving on to the next stage,
Where we bring to mind a neutral person.
Someone we don't know very well.
You might simply imagine them in whatever environment you're used to seeing them in.
The bus driver.
The barista.
A neighbor.
A colleague.
It might also be helpful to imagine what the rest of their life might be like.
You might imagine.
Where they live,
Their home.
Who they love.
What they enjoy doing.
Maybe you know these things,
Maybe you don't.
But here we're broadening our awareness of a person to include all the things.
That we know are there,
But we might not know the specifics.
We know everyone.
As a home they go back to at the end of the day.
What is that home like for them?
Or maybe your neutral person doesn't have a home.
Imagining where it is that they sleep at night.
Imagining what it's like for them to receive love.
From people who know them.
Who care for them.
Imagine them giving that love in return.
So here we can experiment with what helps us to get in touch with a sense of this person.
And then notice what it's like once we have a connection.
To simply wish them well.
You can use the phrases if you find them useful.
How does it feel in your body?
When you imagine saying to this person.
May you be well.
May you be happy and free from suffering.
May you come to know who and what you truly are.
See if you can stay with whatever comes up.
In an open and curious way.
Again,
If the phrases aren't working,
You might just imagine this person bathed in light.
Or doing something that they really enjoy.
You might imagine.
Interacting with them in a way that's Makes you both feel good.
Open.
Laughing together.
Sharing a moment.
However brief.
Remembering that most people.
Are neutral to us.
The majority of humanity are people we haven't yet.
Cotton to know.
What's it like to?
Spend some time filling that out a bit.
Seeing if we can really relate to them as four human beings with four lives.
Joys and sorrows,
Ups and downs.
Wishing them well through all of it.
And then once again.
Just beginning to let that person fade into the background.
Coming back to ground,
Space,
Body.
Maybe taking a few deeper breaths again.
You could even at this point in the practice,
Especially if you started to feel a bit rigid or.
Bit like you're doing it in a rote fashion.
You could open the eyes and have a little look around,
Maybe give the body a little shake.
You might want to make some noises.
Wiggle the tongue inside the mouth.
Anything that supports you to break up the energy a little bit.
Bring some aliveness into the body.
Then when you're ready,
Settling back down.
Into the ground.
Into the breath.
And then when you're ready,
Starting to imagine.
That person that you're finding difficult just now.
It may be enough just to remember them.
Or you might use your imagination to get a fuller sense of them.
Maybe think of the last time that you saw them.
Really take your time here to simply notice what it's like in the body.
To bring them to mind.
You might find places of contraction.
Tension,
Holding.
Maybe there's some thoughts or emotions tied up with that physical bracing against this person.
Without trying to change any of that,
We can just make space for it,
Hold it in a loving container of awareness.
It may be that whatever comes up as you bring this person to mind is so strong.
That it doesn't feel possible to wish them well.
That's okay.
For now,
Just bring an openness to what is happening and what is possible.
Can you meet whatever's here with curiosity?
Give it space.
If it does feel possible to wish this person well,
You could use the imagination or the phrases in any way that feels useful to you.
And again,
Simply notice the effect that this has.
What's it like to imagine saying to this person?
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you realize your true nature.
What happens when you do that?
Before moving on to the last stage of this practice.
There's an invitation to really take care of yourself.
Whatever.
Can support you.
In your intention to wish.
All beings well.
Deeper breaths,
Some movement.
Some sound.
Some touch.
Either self-touch or touching something that can resource you just now.
Soft blanket,
String of beads.
And then when you feel ready.
Very gently beginning to connect back in with yourself and your own wish for wellness.
And then including your friend.
The neutral and the person you're finding difficult.
Might imagine the four of you are sitting together looking at each other.
Imagine all of you wishing wellness for each other.
A warm circle of wellness between you.
Here it can be interesting to notice if you have any different sensations,
Thoughts,
Or emotions.
As you bring your intention for well-wishing to all four people.
If any judgment comes up or you're finding it difficult.
Try to meet that with kindness.
This practice isn't about getting it right or being able to equally wish well to different people.
It's really about noticing whatever's here.
And trying to meet it with as much.
Curiosity and kindness as we can,
And then seeing.
What happens in the alchemy of that moment,
Of meeting it with kindness.
It's understandable that it might be easier to wish a friend well than someone that we're finding difficult.
And yet we have a deep heart wish.
To extend loving kindness to all beings,
Regardless of how we feel about them.
That both things can be true at the same time.
And then when you're ready,
From here,
We can begin to extend this intention for well-wishing out to all beings everywhere.
You might imagine people and animals you know and love first.
And slowly start to expand out to other beings in your life.
Family,
Friends.
Co-workers.
Neighbors.
And then finally extending beyond to even those people.
To all those million people that we don't know.
Appear.
In a building where you know there's other people you might extend this well wishing out spatially first to those in the building or the street or surrounding environment where you are,
And then outwards from there.
Or you might simply imagine a warm golden light from your own heart.
Expanding outwards in all directions,
Bathing the whole world and all living beings in well-wishing.
Whatever you do,
Once again,
Just stay curious and open to the effect it has on you.
Sensations,
Thoughts,
And emotions.
That arise.
May all beings be well.
May all living beings everywhere.
Be happy.
May they all be free from suffering.
May they all wake up to who and what they actually are.
And to do this,
You might find it hard to bring some categories of people to mind or individuals that you know are out there in the world.
That have harmed you or people you love.
And if that's the case,
The invitation is to just do what you can.
You don't have to push for anything beyond.
What you're able to do just now.
May all beings everywhere be well.
Happy.
Free from suffering.
And may they all realize their true nature.
I invite you now to let go of any effort you've been making.
Begin to take a few deeper breaths.
You might even want to rest back a bit in the posture.
Broadening the awareness out.
And letting go.
Of any sense of purpose.
Having gotten anywhere in this practice.
Any judgments about what's happened.
Just appreciating what effort you have made.
And enjoying any benefits of the practice.
Whether or not you can feel them just now.
And if you'd like,
You can also dedicate the practice to all beings everywhere.
Especially those suffering just now.
Taking any benefits out into the day with you.
