So,
I'll invite you to find the posture in which you feel awake and relaxed.
And for a few moments you might just let yourself sit in a quiet and centered way,
Collect your scattered attention on your anchor.
You might breathe deeply and relax any tension that is not needed in the body.
Just relaxing into this presence,
Letting life flow through you.
So,
Just centering yourself around your anchor for another moment here.
And as you sit in this way,
Centered and present,
You might feel or you might explore how you treasure your own life,
This sense of being alive,
What that means to you.
And after some time of doing this,
You might bring to mind someone with whom you have a rather easy,
Loving relationship,
Someone with whom love comes a bit easier than other people.
It can be a friend,
It can be a mentor.
And you might picture them and you might feel your natural caring for them,
Noticing how you feel about them,
How you hold them in your heart.
And then you might let yourself be aware of their measure of suffering.
So,
What are the struggles and the suffering,
The difficulties of this person turning intentionally toward this suffering?
Or if you don't know in detail the suffering,
Then maybe turning toward the fact that there is probably suffering in this person's life as well.
And this understanding of common humanity that they also treasure their own life.
So,
You might feel how your heart opens to wish them well to extend some comfort in response to this suffering,
This natural tendency we have to respond with care when we notice suffering.
And so,
You might inwardly recite the following phrases and then you might add your own.
You might say for this person,
May you be held in compassion,
May your pain and sorrow be released,
May your heart be at peace,
And may you find freedom from suffering.
And you can add here any other phrases you would like to add,
Finding any phrases that help you express your heart's true intention.
And after you've recited or sent these wishes for a while for this person,
May you be held in compassion,
May your pain and sorrow be eased,
May your heart be at peace,
And may you be free from suffering.
You can imagine that this person turns to you,
Looks at you,
And they have this understanding that you treasure your life.
They have an understanding of your share of suffering in your life,
The difficulties you carry,
And they have this tenderness toward you,
This wish to alleviate your pain,
To reduce your pain.
You might imagine them saying the same sentences for you.
Imagine them saying to you,
May you be held in compassion,
May your pain and sorrow be eased,
May you be at peace,
May you be free from suffering.
And you might explore taking in these wishes and letting them touch your heart,
Receiving their care for you,
Noticing how this feels in your body.
Picturing them saying to you,
May you be held in compassion,
May your pain and sorrow be eased,
May you be at peace,
And may you be free from suffering.
And after a few more moments of receiving their care,
Then you might turn your attention toward yourself.
Without going into any detailed stories,
You might just remember the fact that you also have difficulties,
You also have struggles,
And you also have suffering in your life from time to time.
And you might sense or you might explore this natural inclination of the heart toward yourself,
This wish to reduce the pain and the suffering in yourself.
And with a hand on your heart,
You might wish for yourself,
May I be held in compassion,
May my pain and sorrow be eased,
May I be at peace,
And may I be free from suffering.
And just noticing sensations of this inside your body,
This while wishing for yourself,
In opening your heart as best as you can to this care,
You're extending to yourself.
Be repeating one more time,
May I be held in compassion,
May my pain and sorrow be eased,
May I be at peace,
May I be free from suffering.
And then you might call upon a neutral person.
This might be a familiar stranger,
Someone you know a little bit but you don't know too well,
Could be someone who cuts your hair or someone you run into on the street.
And you might again picture this person,
Remember their qualities,
And then extend or explore extending this same tenderness and compassion toward them by remembering that they also treasure their life and they also have suffering and difficulties from time to time.
And you might again with this natural inclination of the heart wish for them,
May you be held in compassion,
May your pain and sorrow be eased,
May you be at peace,
And may you be free from suffering.
And you can add your own phrases,
You can search for the phrases that express your heart's truest intention for this neutral being.
Just searching for some words that are compassionate and caring and staying with this intention of extending care for another moment.
And now for the last minute of this practice,
You might bring together in your mind your friend or mentor that you first sent compassion to,
And then include yourself in the picture and include your neutral being.
Picture other friends,
Mentors,
Other people you love,
Other neutral beings,
People you don't know too well,
And even people whom you find may be slightly difficult.
And then from there opening up to all beings everywhere,
In every direction,
Up and down,
Left and right,
Front and back.
And connecting to this tenderness toward the entire world,
Toward the entire universe,
Remembering that we're not holding on to any of this suffering.
We're just simply noticing it's there and we're letting it be held by something larger than ourselves.
So letting the universe hold all this pain,
All this suffering,
Including your own suffering.
And then with this natural tendency of the heart,
You might wish for all beings everywhere.
May all beings everywhere be held in compassion.
May all beings everywhere have a heart that's at peace.
May the pain and sorrow of all beings everywhere be eased.
May all beings everywhere be free from suffering.
May they be held in compassion.
May their pain and sorrows be eased.
May their hearts be at peace and may they be free from suffering.
And just imagining that these compassionate wishes extend from you,
Maybe from your chest in every direction,
Touching all beings everywhere.
With this intention of letting this suffering be held by something larger.
And now I want to invite you to just drop any sense of doing any practice,
Just relax for a few moments until you hear a bell,
Maybe noticing the qualities of your presence right now.
Lag
