38. Meditation 19

Feel compassion for yourself and others with Metta (loving-kindness) practice.

Once again, find a comfortable posture. And you might take a few deep breaths. And gently, close your eyes. And let your mind come to rest on. The sensation of sitting. And you might sit a little straighter. Then you were. It’s interesting that the posture itself can add or detract from your awareness. And now just bring your attention to the sensations of breathing. And see if you can be very attentive to what the mind is like. The moment my voice intrudes. What is that first moment like? It catching you in a thought. Do you? Judge yourself in the next instant. Become aware of that. Automaticity. How long does it take you to? Come back with a fresh sense of awareness. This really is a journey without a goal. The goal is simply to notice what ever is appearing in each moment. Not to change it. Not to improve it. Not to get rid of it. Just notice whatever is happening all on its own. This might be the only period of your life during each day where you can truly give up any sense of struggle. And as you sit here feeling the sensations of the breath and the energy of your body. Letting thoughts come and go. I’d like you to bring to mind someone in your life who you care deeply about. But with whom you have a very simple, uncomplicated relationship. This could be a friend or a colleague. Someone you respect and admire. Against whom you have no grievances. And when you find that person. Just picture him or her. Picture them truly happy. Picture. All of what they’re seeking in life. Being attained. Picture them healthy. And consciously wish that for them. As you picture them in your mind. You might actually think the thoughts. May you be happy? May you be free from suffering? May be peaceful. Use phrases like that. Or any others that come to you. To direct this feeling of well wishing. The Buddhist term is lovingkindness. Otherwise known as Meta from the Pali. A feeling of love, which is just. The desire for that person to be happy. To be free from suffering. Picture this person as clearly as you can. It might still be a vague image. Or a fleeting one. But just get a sense of who you’re thinking about. And direct this feeling. Toward them. May you be happy? See if you can connect. Emotionally. With the fact that you really do want that person to be happy. That is what you want. Without reservation. And see if you can notice what that does to your mind. You might consciously put a smile in your mind. And let this feeling of loving kindness grow. For the last minute of the session, take stock of how you feel. Is there a feeling tone? To consciousness in this moment. Has wishing someone well done anything? To the character of your mind. Is there a smoothness or openness? There certainly can be. If you manage to concentrate. On that feeling of love and kindness. The sense of expansiveness can grow to a point that is quite remarkable. But now, for the last minute, just rest. Keeping your mind wide open. Without making any effort at all. Well, so today I introduced a practice called Meta as the official Buddhist name. And the mental state that is the goal of that practice is this feeling of loving kindness that is quite distinct from romantic attachment. Or any kind of complicated or self directed entanglement with another person. It really is just this unimpeded well wishing toward another that they be happy that they be free from suffering. And there are people who do this practice quite one point and leave for weeks and months and even years at a time. And unlike Vipassana, which is what we’ve been training in primarily. There really is a goal, there is a single mental state that you were trying to achieve and deepen and expand and not let go of. And this is a classically a concentration practice. And as I said, the effect can be quite amazing. So as we continue in this course, you might experiment from time to time with adding even just a few moments of meta practice, because it can connect you to one of the primary purposes of meditation. After all, we’re not doing this merely for ourselves. We’re doing it so that we can be better with others. We want better relationships. We want a better world. And it’s the recognition that we always are our minds in relationship and in the world that makes meditation practice an intrinsically social project, even though we do it in isolation very often. If this is good for anything, it has to be good for our being in the world with others. And bringing in meta, however, occasionally can make that fact quite vivid.