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Guided Meditation: Loving-Kindness

So we'll sit this morning. I'll offer you this morning a guided meditation on metta^[1], and the idea is to connect in whatever way you can to the notion of goodwill. It could be that it's simply the intention, the aspiration, the well-wishing that you can formulate. It could be a feeling of warmth, or appreciation, or love that radiates from you outwards. I'll offer you a simple use of the imagination to evoke it a little bit more, but to begin, it's also helpful to use the mindfulness practice to drop in deeply into your body. And for a few moments, to hold the breathing. "Hold" is maybe not the right word—to receive the breathing with care. As if the rest of your body was receiving it with love, with kindness, with support. Receiving it within a field of safety, goodwill, warmth, and kindness. Receiving the sensations of breathing. So we'll start there, and then we'll do an active imagination, and we'll continue with the simple phrases of loving-kindness.

Take a meditation posture and sit in a way that feels upright and open. The idea is to assume a posture with a little bit of embodiment, of presence, as if the posture itself expresses the confidence that you're really here. Confidently here, at this time, at this moment. Gently close your eyes. And then as you exhale, relax and soften the whole body. As you exhale, softening around the shoulders, relaxing the shoulders. As you exhale, a rather unambitious relaxation of the belly. Not trying too hard.

And perhaps there's some softening in the face, in the eyes, in the jaws. Sometimes the face carries with it our attitude and our drive to think, and to want, or to defend. Let the face take some rest. Nothing needs to be expressed through the face right now.

And ever so gently, allowing the exhale to relax—meaning, maybe allow the exhale to be a fuller release near the end of the exhale. It doesn't have to be much, just a fraction. And maybe there's a fuller exhale if gently you take a little bit deeper inhale. It doesn't have to be much. And with a deeper, fuller release in the exhale, see also if you can relax your thinking. Not necessarily letting go of your thoughts, but quieting your thinking. Relaxing the muscles associated with being in the control tower of thinking. Or, for those that fear is an issue, relaxing the watchtower of thinking.

And then, as if the whole body is maybe a cozy, warm easy chair, or a cozy, warm, safe cabin in the midst of this cold weather outside. In your easy chair resting back, or in the cabin of your body, let the body receive the changing sensations of breathing. Maybe as if there's care and kindness that envelops these particular sensations of inhale as the inhale begins, and exhale. Perhaps an inner softness, a gentleness that surrounds the sensations of breathing. That receives them, holds them.

No matter how the breathing is, comfortable or uncomfortable, there's a wider field of the body that is able to receive and hold softly, accept, allow. Maybe even have a quality of love and compassion for the breathing itself.

And then within your body, see if it's accessible, see if there's a place that you associate with warmth and goodwill, kindness, maybe a tenderness or softness within. And perhaps the breathing can move through that tenderness, or wash across it.

And from a tender place within, bring to mind—using your imagination—some person it's easy for you to have goodwill for. Someone you respect, someone you care for and love, or appreciate deeply. It doesn't have to be someone you might most obviously love. It could be someone that you very much appreciate, and it's easy to have a kind regard for them. Bring to mind this person, maybe imagining there's a smile on their face or they look happy. They have the potential for happiness and well-being.

And then keeping this image, or keeping the idea of this person in mind, maybe with the breathing, breathing from your tender place, breathing towards the person back and forth, you can repeat these phrases that I say:

May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you be free.

And we'll do it again. The last word of each sentence, say it during the exhale, as if you're dropping a pebble in a pond. Dropping this word into the core of your being and letting it reverberate outwards. So the warmth, the glow, the goodness that it evokes goes in the direction of the person you're having goodwill towards.

May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you be free.

Feeling your body. Feeling whatever softness and tenderness there is within that can be receptive and open. With tender care, tender appreciation, goodwill. And as we do this practice, have a very low bar for perfection. Whatever way you're doing it is perfect.

Feeling your body. Maybe again, the sensations of breathing received in a soft, caring field within the body. Relaxing on the exhale. Quieting the mind on the exhale.

And now bring to mind yourself. Maybe at a time in your life when you were happy, when you had a smile on your face, or a sparkle in your eye, or an ease in your being. Appreciating your potential for well-being. And now you can say these phrases keeping yourself in mind. Wishing yourself well, seeing whatever goodwill you can have for yourself. So you can repeat:

May I be happy. May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be free.

Sometimes if you hear secondhand that some person has goodwill for you, appreciation for you, it can feel very nice. To feel this, to know that there's someone out there who thinks well of you. In the way that you might appreciate that, see if you can allow yourself to appreciate whatever goodwill you have for yourself. And saying these phrases again, with the last word being dropped into the core of your being, and letting the associations, the feelings associated with these words, reverberate within.

May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be safe. May I be free.

And to whatever degree you might feel a sense of goodwill, well-wishing, tender kindness, or warmth for your friend, the person you appreciate, or for yourself—breathe with that. Appreciate that, however small it might be, in whatever way is accessible for you in the body, the heart, and the mind. In your thinking or your feeling.

And then to open up—to open up this goodwill. As if you're turning on a light bulb or opening all the windows in your home, and have it now spread out to wish goodwill to all beings everywhere. No limitations, no barriers, just an open, broad spectrum, a broad feeling, sense, or thought of goodwill for all beings.

May all beings be happy. May all beings be safe. May all beings be healthy. May all beings be free.

And then imagining that—firsthand, or secondhand, or thirdhand—your goodwill becomes known by everyone in the world. There are so many people out there who could use support, kindness, goodwill, and how encouraging it would be for them to know that they are not forgotten. And as if your goodwill actually reaches them, just acknowledge that you have goodwill, and repeat these phrases again. And as you say the last words, let your mind become quiet, really still. As if in the silence of the mind, the word can radiate outwards, that quality, and touch the hearts of all beings.

May all beings be happy. May all beings be safe. May all beings be healthy. And may all beings be free.

And as we come to the end of the sitting, may it be that all beings can experience your goodwill and kindness, your love and care. While at the same time, you make yourself safe for them. You help them be free from you, so that your love and care has no strings, no requirements, nothing sticky. May it be that you are a safe person who gives everyone their freedom—freedom from you. And maybe they will give freedom to you, and you can meet together in freedom. One of the cleanest and clearest ways for people to love each other is in the medium of their freedom.

Thank you.