So we start by making sure we're sitting comfortably,
With our back fairly straight,
Without being strained or overarched.
It's fine to sit in a chair or on an arrangement of cushions on the floor.
For this meditation,
It's ideal to be seated in a comfortable yet upright position,
As long as you can ensure you will be comfortable for the entire session.
So take a few moments to settle into a position that feels comfortable for you.
And bear in mind,
You can readjust your posture later too,
At any time,
If you need to.
When you're ready,
You can gently close your eyes,
Or begin taking a few deep breaths without undue effort.
Use the full capacity of your lungs to take a deep breath in,
Filling your lungs,
Then breathe out,
Releasing all the stale air,
As you continue to take a few more deep breaths.
Pay particular attention to the sensation of your breathing in and out,
Feeling the breath as it enters your nostrils,
Fills your chest and abdomen,
And then releases.
Then allow the breath to become natural,
Without forcing it or controlling it,
And we become aware of how we're feeling,
Without any judgment of this.
We begin to get a feel for the body,
Noticing its shape and position,
Again without any judgment.
We let any tension dissolve and allow our muscles to relax,
All the way from the top of our head,
Right the way down to the tips of our toes.
So now we come to time for relaxing the mind.
We take the rare opportunity to withdraw our attention from any ambient sounds,
Whether they are loud or soft,
Far away or close by.
Additionally,
Our mind can become inundated with thoughts or worries,
So let's put as many thoughts as we can to one side,
So that we're left with a less cluttered mind,
Like a person with no future and no past,
As if all we have is the present moment,
The here and now.
We might imagine that we're sitting all alone in a vast space,
And all around us is nothing and no one.
If our mind drifts back into thought,
We just let the thought settle towards silence for a few moments,
Gradually gaining mindfulness,
Where being mindful,
For now,
Means simply being aware,
Conscious and present in the moment.
We focus our attention on one moment at a time.
We needn't concern ourselves with what has already gone by,
And there's no need to anticipate the future.
And when we're ready,
We begin to direct our attention inside the body.
To help keep our mind in place,
We can picture the image of the sun shining in our mind,
The same sort of sun we might see if we were walking at the seaside and saw the sun on the horizon,
Shining bright,
Clear and round.
We visualize without making any effort,
Because it's the natural ability of the mind to picture things internally.
Whenever we think of anything,
A picture of that thing will arise in the mind.
That's the way we visualize the shining sun at the center of the body,
Or at the place you feel most comfortable,
Wherever we experience it the most distinctly,
Whether it be at the nostrils,
The chest or the abdomen.
And we'll continue to keep our awareness in touch with the inner object the whole of the time.
We rest our attention with the same lightness as a butterfly alighting on a flower petal.
Meanwhile,
If we find our mind wandering,
We calmly bring our attention back to the inner object by relocating our awareness there.
In spite of inner focus during meditation,
Many people find that the stream of thoughts in the mind is almost continuous.
It can sometimes be hard to find a single break in the thoughts to give ourselves that sense of peace and quiet that we need.
In such a case,
To open up a space between the thoughts in the mind,
We make use of something called a mantra,
Which is basically a word that we repeat to ourselves silently,
As if we hear the sound of it coming up from the center of our inner object.
The traditional mantra for this meditation method is the words Samma Arahang.
Samma Arahang.
Samma Arahang.
And we hear the sound of those words coming up as if like a silent music from the center of ourselves,
From the center of the inner object over and over again,
Gently encouraging the mind to become free of thought,
While at the same time linking our awareness more closely with the inner object.
So we continue to cultivate the mind in this way,
Maintaining our inner focus while keeping our mind free of thoughts,
Lightly and gently,
For a few more moments now in silence.
If our mind wanders,
We shouldn't let it cause us concern.
We shouldn't even pay attention to whatever has captured our attention.
We just let go of the thought or feeling and return to our awareness.
It's okay if we get distracted by our thoughts or we just bring our attention back again to our center.
If our thoughts waver,
We simply acknowledge the thought rather than trying to add to it.
We let them pass and bring our awareness back to the center.
If we find ourselves emerging from a cloud and realize a lot of time has elapsed since we were last aware,
That is the moment to consciously practice compassion for ourselves.
However long it's been or however far away our mind has wandered,
We can always begin again.
And little by little in our meditation,
We gradually cultivate positive aspects of the mind,
Such as the much undervalued quality of kindness.
Those who belittle kindness seem to equate it with lip service to righteousness.
Or see it as a second best to wisdom,
Clarity or incisiveness.
The good intentions of those who haven't been able to make any substantial difference in the world.
In fact,
Kindness on the level of the mind is like a thread of meaning.
Where we find out if we can be profoundly kind to ourselves,
While at the same time strongly dedicated to kindness for those around us.
It becomes a movement of the heart,
So deep and subtle,
That is like a movement of the sea close to the ocean floor.
As people get older,
They come to value good-heartedness more and more in those around them.
Kindness is based on the observation that deep down,
There is no one who doesn't want to be happy,
Or at least have the chance to be happy.
The warm-heartedness of kindness supplants cynicism.
Compassion overcomes indifference to others.
Caring melts away standoffishness.
It helps to roll back the misapprehension that in a dog-eat-dog world,
It's better to have no close friends,
Because it's too tiring to care for anyone else.
However,
The wisdom of meditation would say,
When watching after oneself,
One watches after others.
And when watching after others,
One watches after oneself.
By sustaining meditation and having access to our inner world of thoughts and feelings,
We can understand our deeper motivations more and more.
As we begin to catch sight of the fleeting impulses in our own minds,
By cultivating patience,
By renouncing cruelty,
By the tender loving care of others,
We find that our self-respect grows and flourishes,
And that this is the base of our growing confidence,
Courage and ease of heart.
Because a life suffused with kindness is not just an ideal,
But an action.
So including the power of kindness in our inner cultivation,
We keep our mind gently on track within ourselves for a few more moments in silence,
Until we come to time for some loving-kindness meditation.
And as we come to the final phase of our meditation,
We find that the center of our body is much more than a defined area,
But can expand concentrically without limits,
As a direct way to cultivate the power of kindness within us.
And on top of this expansion of inner experience,
We can superimpose silent repetition of certain phrases,
Phrases which are like an offering through the expression of the heart.
Being words,
They would tend to be imperfect,
But that's okay.
Traditionally,
The first recipient of loving-kindness is always ourselves,
Because the logic is that we have to have kindness for ourselves first,
Before we gain kindness to share with others.
So we might extend heartfelt phrases to ourselves like,
May I be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
Live with ease,
Where living with ease means the things of day-to-day life,
Like livelihood and family,
May not be such a struggle.
We can use these phrases or other phrases that seem more relevant,
And simply let them resonate from our center,
With enough space and silence that it forms a rhythm that's pleasing to us,
Like the song of the heart.
Repeating the affirmation,
May I be healthy,
Over and over again,
Might be dismissed by some as magical thinking,
To expect it will protect us from ever getting sick.
However,
It's more accurate to regard the phrase as a way of surrounding ourselves with beneficence and goodwill,
Instead of disparaging ourselves or carping at ourselves.
Practicing in this way,
Meditation teaches us gentleness,
And an ability to more easily forgive our mistakes in life,
In order to overcome them.
In the same way,
We widen the inner experience beyond our body,
To all living beings around us.
Together with phrases or affirmations,
Again,
It's not magical thinking,
Because it was once said,
If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else,
You have already succeeded in kindness.
Nonetheless,
We don't struggle to fabricate a feeling or sentiment,
But perhaps try out the phrases for size in our mind,
In a way that lifts us out of our old dynamics,
And frees us from the limitations of defining circumstances and personalities,
In an adventurous expanse of our own power of kindness,
With the words,
May you live in safety,
May you have the peace and joy of mental happiness,
May you have the health and freedom from pain,
That represents physical happiness,
May the elements of your daily life allow you to live with ease and without struggle,
Elevating those living beings from the status of neutral objects,
To those that are loved and appreciated,
Through a capacity for kindness that is intelligent and wise.
Finally,
We extend our loving kindness to its furthest extent,
With the wish,
May all beings everywhere,
All people,
All creatures,
All those in existence,
Near and far,
Known and unknown,
May all beings be safe,
Be happy,
Be healthy,
Live with ease.
And we continue in this way,
For the last few moments of our meditation,
Together in silence.
