Meditation on loving kindness.
Finding a comfortable place to sit on the chair or on a cushion on the floor.
Intention is to be fully awake and aware.
In this practice we begin with some contemplation.
The loving kindness meditation is derived from the ancient Buddhist practice called metta bhavana.
In this practice we begin by recognizing the causes of suffering.
The causes of human suffering are threefold.
Our greed,
Our hatred and our delusions.
We can think about our greed as our craving.
All of the things that we desire not feeling that we have enough and wanting to bring more and more things into our life and to possess.
We can think about hatred as all of the things that we don't want to have.
Whether that's difficulty or pain or people that cause us suffering in some way.
And we can think about delusion as not seeing correctly.
Perhaps seeing through our ego or seeing through some other way that is not reality.
It's based on a false perception of how things really are.
For example seeing people as either good or evil.
Whereas we know that everyone has the capability of doing good things and evil things.
So we begin just by recognizing that that is the reality,
The causes of suffering in life.
And we just contemplate.
I recognize this.
I understand the causes of my suffering and everyone else's suffering are the same.
What we do know is that the dangers of hatred and anger can be countered by exercising patience and tolerance.
And by extending loving kindness.
And we do that by beginning with ourselves and then moving our awareness out to others as we eventually extend loving kindness to all beings in the world.
Bringing your attention to your breath.
As you breathe in and breathe out,
You understand.
You recognize the causes of your suffering and others.
And you create an intention to bring loving kindness and compassion to yourself,
To others,
To all beings.
Begin by wishing yourself the following.
Saying the words to yourself or other words that are similar and have a similar intention.
Just saying them in your own mind or out loud if you prefer.
Just think about the words dropping into your awareness so that you can begin to feel what it really feels like to believe them.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I have love and be loved.
If you can really welcome these words into your heart.
Just like a special friend visiting that you're glad to see,
Glad to hear.
Welcome each thought,
Really listening to the message.
Not taking it lightly.
Believing.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I have love and be loved.
Bring your awareness now to someone that you love.
Perhaps it's a partner or a close family member or friend.
It might even be a special pet.
Just bring them into your mind's eye as if they're right there in front of you and think about how special they are to you.
How much you care about them.
And then just like you did with yourself extend loving kindly words to them.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you have love and be loved.
Once again imagine this loved person being able to really accept these words and these thoughts and these feelings into their heart.
If you've had any difficulty with that person perhaps now is a time of healing.
You can experience that healing within yourself and within your loved one.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you have love and be loved.
And now if you can just allow your loving kindness to be extended to someone that you might think of as being neutral.
It's not someone that you have any particular attachment to.
It could be someone who served you in the shop,
Somebody you see walking the dog,
Somebody you know at work but you don't know them very well.
Once again bring them into your awareness and see them in front of you if you can.
As if they're right there ready to receive your words of loving kindness as you extend them once again.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you love and be loved.
Imagine that person being really able to accept those thoughts,
Those words into their heart.
Imagine them extending loving kindly thoughts back to you,
Reflecting in every direction.
And stay with this for a moment.
May you be well.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you love and be loved.
Perhaps you can now bring to mind someone that you have some negative feelings for or you've had some particular difficulty with.
Perhaps it's someone that used to be a friend that you've fallen out with or perhaps it's someone who's always caused you difficulty.
It may be somebody at your workplace that you just find it too difficult to get along with.
But once again it is possible for you to extend loving kindly thoughts to that person,
Knowing that they are living their life just like you trying to do the best that they can,
Trying to find happiness and peace,
Contentment,
Not deliberately setting out to cause you difficulty.
So if you can now extend whatever good feelings and loving kindness you can towards the person that's causing you difficulty.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be happy.
May you be well.
May you love and be loved.
And now allow those loving kindly feelings to be extended from yourself to all of your loved ones,
All of the strangers and everyone that you have problems with.
Perhaps you can imagine extending that feeling to everyone in your locality,
Everyone in your neighborhood,
Everyone in your village or town,
Everyone in the country and eventually extending it to everyone in the whole world,
The whole population of the planet benefiting from your loving kindness.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be happy and healthy.
May all beings love and be loved.
Just spend a few moments sitting quietly,
Reflecting on these feelings and what a difference you can make by extending them.
Enjoying the moment as you continue to watch your breath,
Bathing in the experience of extending loving kindness to all.
Thank you.
