Welcome to this meditation on Metta or Loving Kindness.
In this meditation,
You'll be cultivating loving kindness by repeating a phrase.
Start by getting into a position that's comfortable for you.
Sitting,
Standing or lying down.
Try to be kind to yourself already here and now.
You can also change positions during the practice as well as make adjustments and other movements.
You can close your eyes or leave them open.
Now,
Bring to mind someone or something that embodies love and kindness for you.
A pet,
Teacher,
Spiritual figure,
Family member or someone else.
How do they look?
How do they act?
How do you feel thinking of them?
Allow yourself to open to the qualities you see in them,
Perhaps allowing a soft smile to form on your lips.
Now choose a phrase that can express some of this loving kindness.
A phrase such as,
May you be happy.
May you be filled with joy.
Or may you live with ease.
You'll be using the same one throughout the meditation.
You can choose one of these or another.
They were,
May you be happy.
May you be filled with joy and may you live with ease.
Having chosen a phrase,
Place a hand on your heart or in some other way place your attention on yourself.
You'll start here with this living being right here,
This heart,
Body and mind.
Maybe you already sense something now with this touch of your hand,
This willingness to be kind to yourself.
In your mind,
Repeat the phrase you've chosen.
For example,
May I be happy.
You can experiment with the phrase,
The pace,
Where you place the emphasis,
The tone.
It can be helpful to remember the one who embodies loving kindness for you,
How they love you,
Wish you well.
Perhaps try adding your name at the end.
For example,
I say,
May you be happy Vikram.
If you want to,
You can also imagine a warm light spreading from your heart into your whole being as you repeat your phrase.
You can also imagine a warm light spreading from your heart into your whole being as you repeat your phrase.
The mind will inevitably wander.
The moment you become aware that the mind has wandered is a precious opportunity for loving kindness.
See if you can gently let go and with kindness towards yourself,
Return to your phrase and practice.
The practice may at times feel mechanical.
You may not feel particularly loving and kind.
It may be difficult.
If so,
See if you can be kind to yourself in this moment of difficulty.
Remember that what matters is your intention and that you're practicing.
You're watering seeds of kindness and love.
That is all you can do.
Now,
For a moment,
Become aware of the body sensations in the body.
If a certain part of the body is calling for attention,
Perhaps an area of tension,
You can direct loving kindness to this specific part.
For example,
Saying,
May my shoulders be happy,
Perhaps placing a hand there,
Perhaps also visualizing the warm light there.
You can see your heart because it's so powerful,
So racing around,
Kind of,
This amazing light where you Sonja,
Speaker probabilities,
Now,
We'll widen to include another being.
See who comes to mind.
It could be someone you like or dislike,
Know or don't really know,
Someone close or far away.
It can be a human,
Animal,
Plant or other being.
In your mind,
Say your chosen phrase of loving kindness,
Perhaps adding their name at the end.
You can also visualize sending the warm light,
Letting it embrace them,
Hold them,
Fill them.
Watch what holds you back.
When you realize that the mind has wandered,
You can gently let go and return to the phrase and practice.
Now,
Let us widen even further and extend loving kindness to all beings.
In your mind,
Say your chosen phrase of loving kindness.
For example,
May we all be happy.
Perhaps you want to also visualize the warm light spreading out in all directions as you repeat the phrase,
Embracing us all,
Holding us all,
Filling us all.
Let a boundless love pervade the whole universe above,
Below and across,
Including all beings,
Frail and strong,
Big and small,
Visible and invisible,
Near and far away,
Already born and yet to be born.
Finally,
You can rest in an open awareness,
Letting go of the practice,
Letting go of doing.
If you notice thinking,
You can direct loving kindness to whomever is involved in the thought,
Yourself or another,
Saying your phrase and then let go and just rest in open awareness again.
All right.
.
Soon I will end the meditation with one sound of the bell.
When you come out of the practice,
Perhaps you can bring some of the loving-kindness energy and focus into the rest of your day.
Thank you for spending this time with me cultivating loving-kindness.
.
