Loving Kindness Meditation - Long Practice

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Preparation:

Settling quietly. Focus into your own thoughts and feelings at this moment. Connecting into the body.

First stage:

Self: First focus on yourself, Noticing how it feels to be you right now. Feel the truth of your experience, perhaps joyous, perhaps sad, tired, restless, calm, or anything else — without trying to change it. And allowing what is to be - as it is.

Now generating warm feelings towards yourself. Saying to yourself: “May I be well, happy, and free from suffering.”

Second stage:

Good friend: Visualize a friend or loved one, someone roughly your age, but not someone you have sexual feelings for. Experience your true response in the moment.

And wish them happiness as you did earlier for yourself. Repeating phrases like; “May you be well, happy, and free from suffering.”

Third stage:

Neutral person: Bring to mind someone neutral, someone you don’t know well and have no strong feelings about (e.g. a shopkeeper, neighbour).

Extending the same wishes; “May you be well, happy, and free from suffering.”

Fourth stage:

Difficult person: Turn your attention to someone you’re not getting on with, someone you find challenging or difficult. Start with someone only moderately difficult rather than the very hardest person in your life. Remember you are not approving of any harmful behaviour; you are just acknowledging that this person, too, experiences pain and wants happiness.

Cultivate a fresh response to this person. Extending the same wishes; “May you be well, happy, and free from suffering.”

Fifth stage:

All beings: Now hold all four; yourself, the friend, the neutral person, and the difficult person—together in your awareness. and all sentient beings—in universal loving-kindness. Let this sense expand outward: your household, your neighbourhood, your city, country, all beings in every direction. Recall how all these beings are undergoing every kind of experience, even as you are meditating. Think of them all with an equally strong love and kindness.

Extending the same wishes; “May you all be well, happy, and free from suffering.”

Bhavatu Sarva Mangalam
May all beings be happy