Loving-kindness Meditation
- Jack Kornfield
This meditation uses
words, images, and feelings to evoke a loving-kindness and friendliness toward
oneself and others. With each recitation of the phrases, we are expressing an
intention, planting the seeds of loving wishes over and over in our heart. With
a loving heart as the background, all that we attempt, all that we encounter
will open and flow more easily. You can begin the practice of loving-kindness by
meditating for fifteen or twenty minutes in a quiet place.
Let yourself sit in a comfortable fashion. Let
your body rest and be relaxed. Let your heart be soft. Let go of any plans or
preoccupations.
Begin with yourself. Breathe gently, and recite inwardly the
following traditional phrases directed toward our own well-being. You being
with yourself because without loving yourself it is almost impossible to love
others:
May I be filled with
loving-kindness.
May I be safe from inner and
outer dangers.
May I be well in body and mind.
May I be at ease and happy.
As you repeat these phrases, picture yourself as you are now,
and hold that image in a heart of loving-kindness. Or perhaps you will find it
easier to picture yourself as a young and beloved child. Adjust the words and
images in any way you wish. Create the exact phrases that best open your heart
of kindness. Repeat these phrases over and over again, letting the feelings
permeate your body and mind. Practice this meditation for a number of weeks,
until the sense of loving-kindness for yourself grows.
Be aware that this meditation may at times feel mechanical or
awkward. It can also bring up feelings contrary to loving-kindness, feelings of
irritation and anger. If this happens, it is especially important to be patient
and kind toward yourself, allowing whatever arises to be received in a spirit
of friendliness and kind affection. When you feel you have established some
stronger sense of loving-kindness for yourself, you can then expand your
meditation to include others. After focusing on yourself for five or ten
minutes, choose a benefactor, someone in your life who has loved and truly
cared for you. Picture this person and carefully recite the same phrases:
May you be filled with loving-kindness.
May you be safe from inner and
outer dangers.
May you be well in body and
mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
Let the image and feelings you have for your benefactor support
the meditation. Whether the image or feelings are clear or not does not matter.
In meditation they will be subject to change. Simply continue to plant the
seeds of loving wishes, repeating the phrases gently no matter what arises.
Expressing gratitude to our benefactors is a natural form of
love. In fact, some people find loving-kindness for themselves so hard, they
begin their practice with a benefactor. This too is fine. The rule in loving-kindness practice is to follow the way that most easily opens your heart.
When loving-kindness for your benefactor has developed, you can
gradually begin to include other people in your meditation. Picturing each
beloved person, recite inwardly the same phrases, evoking a sense of loving-kindness for each person in turn.
After this you can include others: Spend some time wishing well
to a wider circle of friends. Then gradually extend your meditation to picture
and include community members, neighbors, people everywhere, animals, all
beings, the whole earth. Finally, include the difficult people in your life,
even your enemies, wishing that they too may be filled with loving-kindness and
peace. This will take practice. But as your heart opens, first to loved ones
and friends, you will find that in the end you won’t want to close it anymore. Loving-kindness can be practiced anywhere. You can use this meditation in traffic jams, in
buses, and on airplanes. As you silently practice this meditation among people,
you will come to feel a wonderful connection with them – the power of loving-kindness. It will calm your mind and keep you connected to your heart.
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