Cultivating And Nourishing Metta

Metta is one of the Four Immeasurable Accords. It means amity, benevolence, active interest in others. This practice is not about creating Metta. Metta has alwasy been within us. All we need to do is cultivate and nourish it.

Transcript

This afternoon I'll offer a guided Metta meditation,

M-E-T-T-A.

We've mentioned this word,

Just a few brief words about this particular practice.

So Metta is an attitude of friendliness,

Of goodwill,

Of kindness,

Of care.

And it's an attitude that we've already been cultivating through the practice.

It's kind of there in that emphasis that we have of how we practice,

What the attitude is that we bring in.

But it's also a practice that we can do intentionally.

So kind of emphasizing that attitude in particular as a practice,

As a cultivation practice.

And it's part of a group of attitudes,

Of qualities.

There's four of them.

They're called immeasurable or limitless qualities of the heart and mind.

And Metta is the first one.

The others are compassion,

Joy and equanimity.

Just putting it out there because it's helpful to know as we practice with Metta that it's one of these four,

One of this group or family of attitudes.

And with all of them,

But we'll emphasize Metta,

The practice isn't about creating something that isn't there,

But it's about uncovering or getting in touch with this quality that's already within us and nourishing it so that it grows.

It's really about a practice of intention.

Really that sense of we all know this attitude of kindness,

Friendliness,

Goodwill,

Care.

We know it in ourselves in certain conditions and the intention of the practice or the vision of the practice is to cultivate this attitude of quality more and more,

In more and more directions towards more and more aspects of experience and towards more and more beings.

So from the conditioned and the particular to the expansive and the unconditional.

And just to say that it's a practice that kind of has three strands or cultivates in three ways,

Cultivates the heart and mind in three ways.

One is we can use Metta or we will use it when we do the practice.

Metta becomes the object of our meditation rather than breath or body.

Still embodied practice and you'll see that when I guide it,

But the Metta becomes the object of the meditation.

So it can be quite a powerful for some people,

Very powerful practice of gathering and collecting the awareness and the mind and the heart.

It's also as I've been saying a cultivation practice.

So cultivating,

Nourishing something that is beneficial,

Something that is wholesome,

Something that's nourishing for ourselves in our own hearts but also in the world.

So we're nourishing in ourselves and it gets nourished in the world because we are part of that.

And it's also a practice that can really support insight and the cultivation of wisdom.

We can see what happens when we bring this kind of attitude towards particular beings,

Towards experience,

Particular attitude of friendliness and of care and of kindness.

So a few guidelines for the practice and then I'll lead you through it.

So you know when this practice first came into the world around 2600 years ago there was already a lot of wisdom with it.

The idea with the practice is that we start with the easy and we build on it.

So we can have this and maybe some of you may have already had this,

Sometimes we go,

Ah this is a practice of cultivating friendliness and care and kindness.

I'm going to use it to solve that really difficult relationship in my life.

That can come up as a really beautiful aspiration,

Really beautiful intention.

And that is definitely where the practice is going.

But we begin with what is relatively easy and then we expand from there.

The image that's often used is it's like building a fire.

You know when we want to make a campfire we start with the small dry twigs and kindling and then we slowly build up.

And what's really helpful to remember in this is that the movement of the metta is the same movement.

It doesn't matter where it's directed to,

Towards something that's easier or more challenging,

It's the same movement.

And the important thing is that we nourish that seed,

That we get that fire going.

And then it can expand and include more.

In the tradition we start with ourselves,

It's quite an interesting thing.

In our cultures we are not necessarily the easy person for us in modern days.

And actually it seems also in the Buddha's days because he has this saying when he said to his students,

You can travel the whole world and not find anyone more worthy of receiving metta than yourself.

And of course he said that to all of us.

So I kind of always think,

Well if he said that it must mean that some people were struggling with that and they needed that reminder that basically everyone is worthy of metta.

Everyone,

Doesn't matter who they are,

What they've done.

And if we can begin with ourselves,

That's wonderful.

If that's too hard then we begin with the easy being,

The easy personal being.

That's the way I'll start the practice today,

Is to begin with the easy personal being which is somebody for whom this movement of metta is quite natural and relatively accessible.

It's not so complicated.

And we just start with that easy.

And also the practice traditionally uses phrases,

Sentences,

Like you know,

May I or you be happy,

Peaceful.

And these phrases become the object of the meditation.

And that's the tradition,

That's the way I'll guide it.

But a few invitations with that.

One is to feel really welcome to play with the phrases,

To find the phrases that resonate with you with that attitude of kindness and friendliness.

So they may be different to what I'm offering.

They can also be shorter,

So a word rather than a sentence.

And for some people what actually works more than words is an image or a felt sense,

You know,

Felt sense of warmth,

So just notice for yourself as we do the practice and what feels more natural,

More accessible and kind of allow yourself to play with that.

The important thing is that you find your own way with the practice.

And so sometimes metta can feel good,

You know,

There can be a sense of ease,

Of warmth,

Of care that arises of love,

That arises with the practice.

If that's the case,

Wonderful,

You know,

Let yourself kind of sit more deeply into it.

But if that's not what happens,

Just to remember that's also okay.

Yeah,

Sometimes this will happen,

Sometimes it won't.

It's a practice of cultivating intention.

So we're nourishing this intention towards friendliness.

So it doesn't always have to feel good in the way that we would like it to,

You know,

In the way that we know an open heart feels.

It may feel like that and that's great,

Like I said,

But it's not a measure of am I succeeding or failing if it doesn't necessarily feel as warm-hearted and open-hearted as we'd like it to.

And that's a place where metta becomes an insight practice is when we can see,

Right now,

The heart is maybe closed or it's kind of numb,

It's unresponsive.

And if that's the case,

How can I bring metta to that?

Yeah,

How can I hold that with friendliness and care and kindness,

That experience,

Not pushing it away?

So that kind of becomes also seeing where we're closed or where it's more difficult for us to open and also inquiring into,

Okay,

What would it be to hold this experience as it is right now in an atmosphere of friendliness,

In an atmosphere of goodwill and of care?

So those are the guidelines and we'll practice together.

Maybe just one last thing to say is that if it feels,

My invitation would be to try this,

But if it feels like you've already had enough input,

Enough things to practice with,

Then a real encouragement to listen to your own voice of wisdom or so and if it feels like it's too much,

It's not going to be the only time we'll do metta practice on this retreat and you can just rest into a practice that feels more appropriate for you.

So that's really allowed to do.

So you can just,

You know,

My voice can just be another sound and you do your body breath,

Veda now,

Whatever practice that feels more appropriate right now.

So we'll begin the practice like we've been doing by bringing the awareness into the body and settling the awareness in the body.

You can use the contact areas,

The sensations of contact to ground and root the awareness in the body.

We'll take a few moments for yourself.

From this grounded rootedness in the contact with the seat and with the ground,

Gently expanding the awareness,

Opening the awareness out into the field of the body.

And you can gently let it flow down and include the legs and the feet and then flow up into the back of the body,

All the way up the neck and the head,

Down the arms and the front of the body.

Giving a sense of the whole body as a field of receptivity,

Of sensitive awareness,

Receiving the body sensations,

Receiving the breath.

Just a wide open field of awareness spread in the whole body through the whole body.

And inviting into awareness,

Inviting into this field of sensitivity in the body,

This field of knowing.

Inviting someone for whom it's fairly natural,

Easeful to feel kindness,

Friendliness,

Goodwill,

Warmth.

And sometimes this isn't necessarily the closest relationships we have,

It can be,

But it's not necessarily.

There's something sometimes less complicated.

Be someone from the past or the present who's supported us,

Who's there for us.

Or someone with whom we feel loved in a very uncomplicated way.

For many of us it might be a non-human being like a tree or a dog or cat.

We're just opening out the field,

Inviting into awareness the easy being,

Relatively easy being,

Seeing who comes.

And seeing if we can get a real sense of this being within the field of awareness.

It might be an image of them,

If they're here in front of us,

It might be the feeling that we have or we had when we were around them.

Opening their presence and opening in ourselves to the knowledge that we have that this being like any being,

Which is to be happy,

To be safe and healthy,

To live with ease.

So feeling that and beginning to direct the matter or invite the matter to flow towards this being.

Feeling if it's possible as you do that to stay resting in the body field as you're offering May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be safe and well.

May you live with ease.

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be safe and well.

May you live with ease.

As you offer the phrases,

Finding your own pace and rhythm.

Allowing yourself to find appropriate phrases or images or felt sounds that work for you,

Maybe a combination.

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be happy.

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be safe and well.

May you live with ease.

May you be peaceful.

If the mind gets distracted and moves away,

Just like with any other object,

We recognize that distraction when we notice.

And we come back to the body,

Come back to the image of the being that we're directing the matter towards.

And we come back to the phrases,

Taking time with our process.

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be healthy and safe.

May you live with ease.

May you be peaceful.

And gently bringing the awareness into the body.

Letting go of this being.

Thinking if you can connect to your own wish to be happy,

Your own wish to be safe and well,

To live with ease.

And gently begin offering the meta phrases to yourself.

Still maintaining awareness in the body.

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be safe and well.

May I live with ease.

And finding your own rhythm.

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be healthy and safe.

May I be healthy and safe.

May I live with ease.

May I be peaceful.

May I be happy.

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be safe and well.

May I live with ease.

Feeling the body field of awareness.

Filled with meta,

Meta intention.

Inviting it to expand a little bit.

Include those who are sitting nearest to you.

In front,

Behind,

To the left or right.

Expanding the field of awareness.

Expanding the field of meta.

To include one or two or three people sitting nearest to you.

Knowing that they too wish to be happy.

And to be free of the causes of suffering.

Expanding the field of meta.

To include all of you.

May we be happy.

May we be peaceful.

May we be safe and well.

May we live with ease.

May we be happy.

May we be peaceful.

May we be healthy and safe.

May we live with ease.

Continuing to offer the meta out.

It's allowing it to radiate and to flow.

More towards those sitting directly around you.

Including yourself.

May we be happy.

May we be peaceful.

May we be safe and well.

May we live with ease.

And allowing the meta to be offered out without a particular person or beings.

Just radiating out into the space around.

Into the air and the ground.

Radiating out into the world.

And all its beings.

May we all be happy.

May we all be peaceful.

May we all be safe and well.

May we live with ease.

May we live with ease.

The meta flowing through the being,

Through the body,

Through the field of awareness.

Radiating out.

Including this whole body.

Everyone in this room.

Radiating out into the world in all directions.

May all beings in all directions be happy.

May all beings in all directions be peaceful.

Reviews

Thank you 🙏
Your teaching speaks deeply to means I find it transformative ✨

Beautiful progression within the guided meta, as well as skillfully named teaching about the practice prior to the meditation. So grateful for her grounded kindness that shines through.

Different but a good different.

Starts with an “easy entity” and transitions to self, which is often discussed in talks but rarely guided.

The pacing is slow and broad: four categories are visited, Easy entity, self, meditators next to you, then all beings.

It cuts off fairly quickly at all beings. Not as much time is spent here as on other categories.

That would be my only suggestion for improvement. More time on the last two steps, but i mean hey, we can do that ourselves right?

Well paced with space to practise. The introduction at the beginning is not too wordy, and easy to follow with useful insight into the practice of metta.

Great meditation. Simple and very heartfelt .🙏🏻