So then we begin our actual meditation on giving and taking,
Getting yourself comfortable and upright.
Start with a few deep breaths to calm your mind and calm your body.
Take one more long breath in,
Long breath out.
And then we set our intention to be here not just for ourselves alone,
But for the benefit of every single living being.
And then coming into the present moment,
Let everything else go,
You don't need to be anywhere else for this short time.
Begin by bringing your attention to your breathing and just be there with your breath for a few moments.
And then we visualize ourselves in the middle and visualize ourselves surrounded in all directions as far as we can see by all other living beings,
Like a sea or an ocean of living beings around us.
And we begin by equalizing our feelings towards all these beings,
Any one of them could be friend,
Enemy or stranger.
All of them are the same in not wanting to suffer and wanting to be happy.
So try to feel that equal feeling towards all these living beings.
And then we consider the faults of selfishness or self-cherishing and begin to recognize how everything that goes wrong,
That causes problems and suffering in life arises from this one attitude.
Whether it's problems in relationships or partnerships or marriages,
One person is being selfish,
Then there's problems.
Same within families,
One member puts their happiness above others,
Then the arguments and problems occur.
Likewise with neighbors and communities.
My property,
My happiness is more important than others and we end up having problems and disputes and arguments.
Likewise at work,
Amongst colleagues,
If my job is more important than yours.
Right up through communities,
Regions in a country and even between countries.
The main root cause of war is selfishness,
Self-importance.
My land,
My people are more important than yours.
We can see all of these worldly issues are rooted in this one negative attitude,
Putting oneself first.
Self-importance,
Self-cherishing.
Even our small discomforts and suffering we experience during the day,
When you really get down to why we're suffering,
It's not the thing that causes our suffering,
The external thing,
It's our reaction to it.
You can't do that to me.
You're disturbing my peace.
You're disturbing my sleep.
Selfishness is at the root of all of those reactions.
And of course working with our mind,
Becoming better,
Healthier,
Happier people,
Is completely blocked by this attitude.
There is no great being with any spiritual tradition or religious tradition who lives in selfishness.
Being a wise,
Healthy,
Happy person depends upon thinking of others,
It depends upon letting go of this negative attitude.
So we can see in all areas of our life that this attitude is so destructive.
And it's clearly something we should try to let go of,
Reduce and even eliminate if we can.
Whereas the opposite of this attitude,
The mind that cherishes others and puts them first,
Is the cause of everything good in the world.
In relationships,
In families,
In communities,
Amongst neighbours,
At work,
Between regions and between countries,
Is when we think of others,
When we cherish others,
When we put their needs before our own,
Then there is harmony,
There's peace,
There's good relationships with everybody around us.
And again even the small happinesses we experience during the day,
When we really look for the root of that happiness,
It all comes from when we think of others.
Connection,
Feeling,
Empathising with others,
Everything good comes from these attitudes.
And most importantly,
Working with our minds,
Spiritual practice,
Becoming a better,
Healthier,
Happier person,
Completely depends upon how much we cherish others.
How much love,
Compassion and feeling we have towards others.
So clearly this attitude is the one we should try to adopt,
To generate,
To increase.
And then we try to do that exchange in our mind and put that focus away from ourselves and put it onto others.
It's not about me,
It's about them.
Others are more important.
Others are where the focus of my attention is.
Try and do that in your mind,
Try and take the attitude we normally have for ourselves and put it onto others.
And then we begin our giving and taking practice.
So start by just imagining your friends and family in front of you.
Other living beings all around you still,
But focus just on your friends and family.
Think about their suffering,
The physical,
Emotional,
Mental suffering.
Visualise it as black smoke inside them.
Feeling compassion,
Wishing to take that suffering away from them.
Breathe that black smoke into yourself.
And as you breathe it in it comes to your chest where there's a rock which represents your self-cherishing.
And it destroys that rock.
Begin with just taking,
Breathing in that black smoke from your friends and family,
Feel that it's really taking their suffering away from them.
Breathe it all into yourself.
I will take it,
You don't need to have it.
Take it away,
Breathe it in,
Black smoke,
Destroying the rock of selfishness at your chest,
In the middle of your chest.
And then not only wishing to take their suffering but wishing to also make them completely happy.
Breathe out white light,
Which is everything you own,
Your happiness,
Your well-being,
Your possessions,
Your money,
Your health.
Breathe all of that out to others and give it away first of all to your friends and family.
Filling them with white light,
Making them completely happy.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in that black smoke,
Completely taking away all their suffering,
Destroying the rock of selfishness at our heart or the center of our chest and then breathe out white light,
Giving away everything that anyone could ever wish for,
Making all of your friends and family completely happy.
And then gradually extend your attention beyond your friends and family to all the living beings around you,
Friends,
Enemies,
Strangers,
All living beings,
Human,
Animal.
Think of their suffering,
Feel their suffering,
Feel that.
Breaking the heart of their suffering,
The physical,
The mental,
Emotional suffering.
See that as being black smoke or black dirt inside them and wishing to take it from them,
Breathe it into yourself.
As it reaches the center of a chest,
It destroys the rock of self-cherishing and then breathe out everything they could ever wish for,
Right from temporary material financial happiness to health,
Up to the perfect happiness of well-being and true inner happiness.
Give that away completely to others.
And extending out to all the living beings around you,
Breathe in that black smoke,
Destroying the rock of selfishness and breathe out white light,
Giving them complete happiness.
All the living beings around you become completely free of all their suffering and are put into a state of perfect happiness.
And we dedicate the positive energy we've created through our practice today.
May it become the cause to actually free others from all their problems and may it lead to actual happiness for all living beings.
Thank you very much.
