The following meditation is a meditation on metta.
In this metta meditation,
We'll practice cultivating metta and radiating it out in all directions to all living beings without exception.
So inviting you to come into a posture that can be both wakeful and relaxed.
A posture in which the body's comfortable as best as possible.
So we can let go of striving.
Let go of trying to get anywhere.
And just settle in to being here.
The following meditation is a meditation on metta.
So as the bells fade away,
We can return awareness to the body.
And just bringing mindfulness to whatever posture you're in.
Sensing into the seated posture or the lying down posture.
But beginning to shift from thinking about being seated to actually the full sensory experience of being right here.
Taking a moment just to notice the felt sense of the body making contact with whatever surface is beneath you.
And checking into the energy balance in the body.
How is it right now?
On one end of the spectrum,
We may be experiencing some restlessness or agitation.
And at the other end of the spectrum,
Sleepiness,
Dullness.
And somewhere in the middle is a sense of being both awake and alert and relaxed,
Grounded.
So no judgments needed.
We're just tuning in to how it is right now in the body.
And if you do note some sleepiness or dullness,
You may just emphasize the awareness of the in-breath for a few breaths.
Just noticing more intensely the in-breath.
Or if there's some restlessness or dis-ease,
You might place the emphasis of awareness on the out-breath.
Just letting the breath drop you more deeply into the body,
Into the sense of groundedness.
And now that we've checked in with the energy,
Notice the in-breath and the out-breath.
Just allow awareness to expand again to include the entire body.
Up and down the torso,
All the way down the arms to the hands,
Up the neck and the head,
And down through the hips,
Through the legs,
All the way to the feet.
Starting to sense into this whole body awareness.
Once again,
On thisOut MAtin B grass joint.
And as you rest in this whole body awareness,
You may have noticed one or more places of tension in the body.
And if this is so,
Just taking the opportunity to invite those places to relax,
To invite the body to relax and the mind to let go.
Relax and let go.
Relax and let go.
And maintaining this relaxed whole body awareness,
Allowing it to be the background of our metta practice as best we can staying connected to the body as a whole.
We'll now move into the radiating metta practice.
So I invite you to begin by bringing an inner experience of goodwill,
Loving kindness to the forefront of your mind and heart.
And there's a number of ways that we can begin to bring this goodwill,
Friendliness,
Loving kindness to the forefront of the mind and heart.
You may bring an image up in your mind's eye,
Some image that signifies all beings,
All life,
Or you may choose to use phrases such as,
May all beings be safe,
Peaceful,
Healthy and live with ease.
Or you may cultivate a certain emotional experience in the center of your chest.
Doesn't matter whatever works for you to begin to experience metta,
To begin to open to this loving kindness,
This goodwill.
Breathing in,
We cultivate this loving kindness and breathing out,
We ground in this whole body awareness.
Metta.
Breathing in metta and breathing out,
Deepening the connection to the whole body.
And now that we have aroused the effort to bring metta to the forefront,
Cultivating,
Doing metta,
I invite you now just to relax the effort and shift into simply being metta.
Just relaxing the body,
Opening fully to just being metta.
Metta shining from every cell,
All aspects of the body,
Mind and heart.
We can become this embodiment of metta.
Just resting and abiding in metta itself.
And as you do this,
You may feel a strong sensation beginning to develop in the body,
Or maybe something softer,
Quieter.
It doesn't matter.
Any form and experience of metta,
No need to make it different than it is.
Just relax into whatever's here for you.
No effort,
No work.
And now that we are resting comfortably in metta,
We can proceed with the radiating practice.
Just as a lamp surrounded by curtains on all sides gives off a soft light.
But when the curtains are opened,
The light expands and extends outward.
We too can envision ourselves filled with the light of metta,
Surrounded by curtains.
And in just a moment,
We'll proceed with opening these curtains to begin to let the light of metta radiate out toward all beings in all directions.
And as we begin to do this in just a moment,
See if it's possible to allow your body,
Heart and mind just to stay relaxed.
Just allowing the metta to travel as far and wide as is natural.
No need to push it out.
To want it to go further.
Just let it be natural.
So now as you see yourself with the light of metta shining through you,
Go ahead and in your mind's eye,
Open this front curtain letting metta radiate naturally to every being to the front of your body to the front of your seat.
Opening the curtain to the front and just let the light of metta pour out radiating just as it is wishing all beings to be safe,
Healthy,
Peaceful and free.
And now shifting around to the right side of the body and moving the curtain back on the right side and allowing the metta,
The light of metta to radiate all over that right side as far and as wide as is natural.
Radiating metta to all beings to the right side of your body.
And now continuing to move the curtain back around the back body,
Radiating metta out the back side of the body to all beings in the back side of the body,
Near and far.
And moving the curtain again,
Continuing to open it to the left side of the body,
Radiating the light of metta out the left side of the body as far and wide as it can go,
Letting it naturally shine its light,
Goodwill,
Loving friendliness to all beings everywhere.
And now with the curtain completely open from the front to the right to the back and to the left,
We now open the curtain above the head,
Allowing metta to radiate to all beings above.
And lifting the final curtain underneath the body,
Underneath the seed and radiating metta to all beings below,
Resting in this ultimate beautiful light of metta,
Radiating equally to all beings without exception.
And just relaxing the body and letting metta flow freely,
Being metta.
And in these last couple of moments of the meditation practice,
Returning fully to the whole body awareness,
Coming back to the breath,
The breath as the focal point,
Relaxing the in and the out breath,
Dropping into the body,
Feeling that groundedness of the earth element.
May we all be safe,
Peaceful,
Healthy and free.
