Happy Hour: A Metta Vigil for the World

This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video Happy Hour: A Metta Vigil for the World. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

The following talk was given by Nikki Mirghafori at Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA on August 21, 2021. Please visit the website www.audiodharma.org for more information.

Happy Hour: A Metta Vigil for the World

Introduction

Welcome once again, everyone, to this edition of Happy Hour, practicing cultivating our heart.

For today, I was thinking—today being Friday or Saturday morning, whatever the time zone you might be in—it's been a pretty intense week on the international stage. It's a pretty intense week all around. And this being the quote-unquote end of the week, sometimes what's nice is to just sit and practice, mostly in silence, coming together. When you're tired, sometimes you just want to come together with your friends. You just want to sit. You don't want a loud party; you want to just sit with your friends and maybe not even talk much, but know that you're with good people. Just sitting with your body, with your heart, with your mind, holding presence with each other. It's almost like holding a vigil. Sitting, holding a vigil as if each of us was holding a candle with our mettā^[1], as if each of us was a candle of light unto this world.

And trusting that each of us is a light. Even if we judge ourselves or criticize ourselves—it's tough, it's difficult at times—and yet there is this inner goodness, this inner light. Especially when we come together in this container for cultivating mettā, for cultivating compassion, trusting that our light is shining. Our light is shining even brighter.

The light shining to dispel greed, hatred, and confusion, both for ourselves and for everyone in the world, as we cultivate our heart and kindness and goodwill towards ourselves and towards others.

So with this frame, it will be more of a quiet practice session tonight, but really feeling into the sense of interconnection, as if we were all sitting in a room together. In some ways, we are sitting in a room together—a Zoom room, a YouTube room. But this sense of sitting with people, holding space, holding a candle; that's an image I like to invoke for us with this practice. So let's formally begin. Enough words.

Guided Meditation

Let's land in our bodies together, both separately and together as a community, separated in space and maybe time. Here. Coming here.

Connecting with the body, breathing with your heart, with whatever is arising in this moment. And asking yourself, asking your heart, "This dear being who is you, sweetheart, what do you need? What do you need in this moment, my dear?"

An answer might come up, or maybe silence is what comes up. It's all okay. By simply asking the question kindly of ourselves, we're extending kindness first to ourselves, to the light that is us.

Simply letting awareness connect with the body and the breath. Settling with care, with gentleness.

Now bringing pure awareness again that you are sitting with others. As if we're all together holding vigil, each holding a candle, the candle of our heart's flame of mettā together. Holding a vigil, holding these candles of light together. Holding the light together.

As the light shines, it shares the wishes of well-being for ourselves, for everyone it shines upon, and beyond. "May all beings be safe." Fully knowing that it may not be possible, and yet holding the candle, holding this light of goodness for the sake of humanity.

"May all beings be happy. May all beings be healthy. May all beings have ease."

If phrases of compassion feel more appropriate, you can share those. "May all beings, including myself, including all of us, be free from suffering, have ease, have peace. May all beings be free."

Remember to connect with your body and the breath, especially as you hold the candle together.

And if thoughts or stories arise, and the mind goes off, it's okay. Simply notice that this is not helpful right now. Ever so gently, smilingly free it. Let it go.

Connecting with your body, with the breath. Connecting with your light shining upon yourself and others, wherever it's needed in this moment the most. If your body, heart, and mind are suffering, it's okay to really notice the light of your candle shining upon yourself.

Also know that it can shine on many beings at the same time. It is possible. It's not either-or. Letting your light shine. Letting your light shine.

Just as if you were holding a candle in vigil together for humanity, sharing mettā. Just as the candle's flame doesn't belong to you—it's just a flame. The candle might be yours in some way, but not the flame. Trusting this flame, trusting this light that is yours and not yours.

You are the guardian of this light, this goodness, this flame for a limited time in this life to support its flourishing, its shining, its getting stronger. Trust it is here already. Let it shine brightly for the benefit of all beings. "May all beings everywhere, including ourselves, be well, be free."

For the benefit of all beings, I offer my light of mettā to the world.

Notice the difference between doubting this light—doubting that there is a light, this flame, this candle of goodness shining mettā—and just trying to believe or trust. Trusting with confidence, as contrast, that it is here. Goodwill, kindness, mettā, shining, shared for the benefit of yourself and all beings. Landing in it. Landing with it. Holding it with humility. Holding it with others.

What happens if you trust it? If you trust this goodness? Trust there is goodness that you're holding up, cultivating, letting it shine.

For the last minutes of this practice period, having confidence in the goodness we're coming together, practicing together in this vigil of mettā, and offering the goodness. The merit generated, the goodness generated, offering it generously. May it be the cause and condition for freedom, for awakening, for goodness in the whole world. May all beings be well. May all beings be free.

Thank you for your practice, everyone.

Reflections and Q&A

So we have time for reflections, for questions, for comments. What did you notice? What was this like for you? And know that when you offer your insights, your challenges, it's a gift to others. You can type them in the chat. If typed publicly to everyone, I'll read your name and the reflection. If just typed to me in the chat, I will only read the reflection, not your name. You can also raise your Zoom hand to share, especially if you haven't shared in a while. I'd love to hear from you.

And as I wait for your reflections to come in, what I'll share about my practice today is this image of us holding candles of mettā. These candles of light, as if a vigil, all of us coming together. The sense of connection was really sweet for me, a sense of connection with all of you practicing either here together on Zoom and YouTube or separately later on AudioDharma, and those who will be listening later on YouTube. Just the sense of coming together, even if separated in time and space. And this idea of holding this light, this candle. Again, it's yours and not yours, because sometimes if it's ours, like, "Oh, it's our mettā, we're pushing it out," it becomes too effortful. So this idea of, well, it's yours and the flame isn't yours. Nobody owns a flame. It's not to be owned, right? So conjuring that up is to really get us not to take ownership so much of this mettā, of this cultivation. It is ours and not ours. The duality is important to keep.

So what did you discover? What worked for you? Ah, a reflection comes in: "Thank you, Nikki. I feel less alone." Thank you for that reflection, I appreciate it. Yeah, there's power in acknowledging our coming together.

One more reflection: "Quite a bit of sadness, but holding up tonight. For me, the mettā candle image was very supportive." Beautiful, thank you for that reflection.

Another reflection on YouTube: "It's nice to think that we can embrace all creation with our inner light, and that creation can in turn embrace us." Beautiful. Thank you, Henry. Thank you for that reflection. Indeed. As Ram Dass^[2] said, "We're all just walking each other home." All of us serving each other.

Any other reflections? Anything that was notable or different or challenging with these invitations?

It was a pretty quiet sit relatively. There's a lot of silence, so it's also possible that we're feeling pretty quiet, which I do actually. I feel pretty quiet. It felt nice to sit together in silence. So tell you what, let's hold our candles in small vigils of small groups of roughly size three or maybe four, and hold light for each other and for ourselves, and see what it feels like if you go with this kind of intention into a Zoom room. And it could be silent. You could just be sitting together silently tonight in the breakout rooms. Just see what it's like not to feel alone with three other people, not feeling compelled to say anything. Maybe you actually start with just silence, just holding your light, and then whoever feels compelled to say anything at any point, they may or they may not. So let us hold our light with each other and practice together in this way. I'm creating the rooms, and I'm going to open them up. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other.

(Breakout rooms session)

Welcome back, everyone. The rooms are closed. So we have a few minutes if any reflections have come up, any thoughts, especially as you practice together in small groups. It can really bring up more insight when we sit together. How were the small vigils, holding your candle? I'd love to hear some reports if you're willing to share.

Allison, please.

Allison: Hi, Nikki. It was really interesting. For me, I was having a lot of trouble staying present and kind of nodding off. It was just very quiet for me, and I didn't have a whole lot to share, and it seemed like other people had that experience too. It was interesting that it was the same for others.

Nikki Mirghafori: Yeah, thank you for sharing that. It was a pretty quiet sit. So that can happen. When it's a quiet sit, then the mind can also get kind of quiet, which is nice, and there's not a desire to really talk much. That is the insight that you're sharing. That's one insight. And the other one is that, well, sometimes when the mind gets very quiet and one is tired, sleepiness arises. "Oh yes, it's born of causes and conditions." So that's a very interesting insight to have. Thank you for sharing that.

Barbara, please.

Barbara: I also noticed that it was very gentle and quiet, as contrasted to Wednesday when we had our magic hose and we were spraying everybody with it. I've been busy spraying with mettā ever since! I mean, there's so much need. Anyway, I just wanted to say Wednesday was much more active. Since I did that a lot as a kid, spraying people with hoses, I could really get into my magic hose and spraying with mettā.

Nikki Mirghafori: I love it, Barbara. [Laughter] I love you bringing the contrast. The two different ways: one is very active and kind of joyful, and it's like, okay, a different way of practicing mettā. And this is very quiet. It's a vigil. We're holding candles, letting it shine. Thank you for bringing that counterpoint in. Absolutely. And they're all wonderful, different ways for different times. Great. Beautiful. Thank you, Barbara. I appreciate that contrast. I had forgotten about the hose and all that on Wednesday. It's like you're still doing it. I love it. It's great.

Patricia is sharing an appreciation: "Sitting together in silence with Kim, Larry, and Sharon." Oh, very sweet.

Any other thoughts or reflections you'd like to share?

Oh, actually, I see it's seven o'clock. We have come to the end of our time together. It's been so sweet, nourishing really, to sit with all of you. Today feels very special, all of it. Wednesday, the hose, all the different ways we practice mettā together, and today, this silent mettā vigil for the world that we come together for. So thank you all for your practice, for rolling with whatever invitations are given. Thank you so much for your practice. May all beings be well. May all beings be free. Thank you.