So settling into your sitting meditation posture for a loving kindness meditation,
Allowing the body to settle and soften.
Settle into this moment,
Letting go of past moments,
Thoughts about the future,
Allowing the chest area to soften and open as much as it will in this moment,
Not forcing anything,
But it's an invitation,
Light and easy,
Checking in with the heart space and breathing into the chest area,
To the heart space,
Feeling the chest cavity expand on the in-breath and contract on the out-breath,
Checking in with the truth of the heart in this moment.
What is the climate of the heart in this moment?
Recognizing that our true nature is one of love and peace,
As Derek Walcott said in the poem,
Love After Love,
You can understand that the human heart is fundamentally loving and caring.
We include everyone in this practice as we extend phrases of loving kindness or boundless friendliness outward.
And in this practice,
Your anchor or home base can be your heart rather than the breath,
Or it could be the breath in the heart space.
And we're just being with the heart as it is in this moment.
And sometimes the heart's open and there's boundless affection and peaceful.
And sometimes the heart can be closed,
Tight,
Even walled off or armored,
Inclining the inclining one's being towards love.
It's not involved feeling a certain way.
We're not trying to conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings,
Sweet feelings.
We're not trying to push away anger or anything else.
We're simply inclining the heart a particular way and being with it the way it is.
Whatever arises is okay.
The meditation uses words or phrases to evoke feelings of loving kindness or boundless friendliness towards oneself and others.
And with each reciting of the phrases,
We're expressing the intention of loving kindness.
And we're also planting seeds for loving kindness in the future.
So we begin by bringing to mind someone for whom you've had deep feelings of love and someone who's cared for and supported you,
Perhaps seeing this person in front of you,
Imagining them in your mind,
Sensing into their presence and noticing what this evokes in you,
Noticing any feelings that arise in the heart and in the body,
Maybe an inner sense of peace and ease that arises,
Perhaps a warmth in the heart space,
Perhaps a lightness in the mind,
Simply and deeply sensing into whatever feelings arise as you bring to mind someone to whom you have deep feelings of love.
And as with all our practices,
If you get lost in thought,
Once you've noticed,
Simply,
Gently and firmly,
It's bringing your attention back to the heart space,
Perhaps the breath in the heart space and any feelings that have arisen as you imagine this person whom you feel deep feelings of love.
And while dwelling in these feelings of loving kindness and shifting your focus of attention to yourself,
Bring yourself to mind now,
Seeing if you can offer these feelings of loving kindness to yourself,
Offering phrases of loving kindness towards yourself.
May I be happy and at ease.
May I be free from physical and mental suffering.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I live in peace,
Noticing the feelings that arise and letting them be as you repeat silently,
Inwardly,
Repeat the phrases of loving kindness towards yourself and creating your own phrases,
Whatever phrases you find best to open your heart to loving kindness.
Sometimes this practice may feel mechanical or awkward and feelings that run counter to loving kindness may arise,
Feelings of frustration or irritation.
If this happens,
It's not a problem.
Simply let whatever arises just be as it is.
It's especially important to be patient towards yourself,
Allowing whatever arises to be,
To be received in the spirit of openheartedness and kind affection.
Repeating the phrases over and over,
Letting any feelings of loving kindness that may arise,
Permeate your body and mind.
And if it feels,
If you're comfortable with this offering loving kindness to what is called a benefactor,
Someone in your life that has loved,
Cared for,
Supported you,
Picturing this person and reciting your phrases of loving kindness,
May he or she be happy and at ease.
May he or she be free from physical and mental suffering.
May he or she be filled with loving kindness.
May he or she live in peace,
Continuing to plant the seeds of loving kindness,
Repeating the phrases gently,
No matter what arises.
Sometimes an expression of gratitude towards a benefactor naturally evokes loving kindness.
Once your feelings flow naturally and easily towards a benefactor,
Turning your attention now to other beloved people in your life,
Picturing in turn each beloved person and inwardly reciting your phrases of loving kindness.
May they be happy and at ease.
May they be free from physical and mental suffering.
May they be filled with loving kindness.
May they live in peace,
Noticing the sensations and feelings that arise within you as you expand your circle of compassion and love further and further.
And now bringing to mind the broader community of which you are a part,
You might imagine the people on this day-long retreat.
You might imagine your family,
People in your workplace,
Your neighbors,
Or you might expand your attention until you include people everywhere,
Or even all beings,
All animals,
Plants,
All of the earth,
And including yourself as well.
In this offering of loving kindness,
As you recite your phrases of loving kindness,
May all beings be happy and at ease.
May all beings be free from physical and mental suffering.
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
May all beings live in peace.
You're repeating those phrases and noticing the sensations and feelings that arise within you,
And feeling the energy of this aspiration extending within you and infinitely around you as the heart extends in this boundless way,
Leaving no one out.
May all beings be happy and at ease.
May all beings be free from physical and mental suffering.
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
May all beings live in peace.
The time will come when,
With elation,
You will greet yourself arriving at your own door,
In your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other's welcome and say,
Sit here,
Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine,
Give bread,
Give back your heart to itself,
To the stranger who has loved you all your life,
Whom you ignored for another,
Who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters,
Peel your own image from the mirror,
Sit,
Feast on your life.
