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Introduction

It's strange enough to be teaching to an empty room, but because of the chats and how it's usually going, I got caught into habit and had a very strong imagination of, or sense of, all of you watching and participating. But when it all went blank and nothing was happening, I was thinking, "Wow... I somehow couldn't imagine speaking to an empty room." But now I'm beginning to feel connected again, and I think we will trust that it's all working and carry on.

I hope the first eight paramis^[1] have supported all of us to manage with technology and a six-minute delay. Maybe if the Buddha was alive today, he'd have eleven paramis, and one of them would be specifically about technology.

Guided Meditation Mindfulness is Goodwill

So, let's meditate. The parami of today is metta^[2], often known in English as loving-kindness, but other translations sometimes capture different aspects of it. I often like goodwill or well-wishing as a translation. It's related to friendliness.

As we sit here, there are teachers, and myself as well, who will often associate, or almost see, that mindfulness—a moment of clear recognition, clear presence for what's happening—is virtually synonymous with kindness, with goodwill, with metta.

Today, as we do this sitting, see if you can be aware. Know what's happening in clear recognition, clear knowing what's happening in a relaxed way, moment by moment, staying in the flow of change in the moment. There's no need for retrospective thinking. Just be relaxed and ready for the next thing that appears. Sometimes that's the same thing over and over again, but just clearly recognize it.

It's in that clear recognition, the clear knowing, that mindfulness begins opening up. It's a clear recognition and knowing, which is not thinking. In fact, it's not opposed to thinking, but it's like stepping out of a busy room and looking back at it and seeing, "Oh, look at that. There's a noisy mind. It's thinking a lot." As we're stepping out of the stream or the river of thinking, and kind of being on the riverbank watching it go by, or being with the breath and really clearly knowing it—that clear knowing, maybe for this sitting here, these next twenty minutes or so, can be done as an experiment with it being a moment of kindness.

What would it be like to be friendly, or have a sense of goodwill or even compassion, in each moment of mindfulness? In a relaxed way, staying in that stream of knowing and knowing.

So taking an upright posture, literally or metaphorically, and closing your eyes. Then seeing if you can bring a sense of kindness to this moment. A sense of goodwill. Or if it works better for you, friendliness. Or if there are a lot of challenges happening, perhaps a sense of compassion. Perhaps a gentling of your capacity to know and be aware.

And then you might experiment a little bit with knowing your body breathing. Just in the simplest possible way, recognize the experience of the body breathing. Not to try to get concentrated, not to develop your meditation. But the simplest way, just simply recognizing how the body is breathing, the experience of it as it is occurring. Not analyzing it or judging it. But the simplest way of knowing, experiencing the body breathing.

And then to see if you can bring a sense of kindness, gentleness, tenderness, friendliness as part of that simple knowing recognition. And without having much agenda or ambition for the sitting, to be content just with how things are. See if you can allow or engage a flow of the simple recognizing of the moment. So you're not swept into thought and thinking, but rather you can just stay with just knowing this.

This is an in-breath. This is an exhale. This is the body sitting here. This is listening. This is thinking. But as you recognize what arises in the present moment, see if you can bring some modicum of goodwill, well-wishing, care, friendliness. Moment by moment.

Mindfulness with goodwill. Goodwill with mindfulness. Back and forth, emphasizing one or the other. Gently, tenderly. Nothing more, nothing less. Nowhere to go. Not pushing ahead. Not needing anything to be different. Just to know what it is. Simple, simple recognition that is done kindly, softly. Perhaps a recognition that comes from a quiet mind. Recognition that comes from a place that's somewhat calm. Patient. Connecting to the truth of the moment.

Perhaps allowing for a quietening, a stilling within. Finding a quiet place or calm place within, from which, or with which, to know what arises, what appears in awareness. And to know it with kindness. Whatever exists as we meditate can be the recipient of our goodwill, our metta.

And then, as we come to the end of this sitting, to bring to mind the people of your lives, people that you'll be seeing today, or talking to, emailing. The people who live in your neighborhood or your town. This network of people who make it possible for you to live here the life that you have. The mail carrier, clerks in the stores, medical people, friends, family, and as concentric circles to receive your kindness, bring these people to mind with goodwill. At least in the knowing of them now, a friendliness, a kindness, a well-wishing, a positive regard.

And to have the spread of your goodwill reach out to all the beings that you know and don't know. Like the sound of a bell rings outwards in concentric circles. So, your goodwill can radiate outwards to whatever you can know about the other people in the world. To know it with goodwill, to know them with kindness, with generosity, with ethics. To know them while letting go, renouncing hostility and resentment. To know them with a wisdom of not causing harm, but to bring benefit. To make the effort, the gentle inspiring effort to live a life of well-wishing of others, of patience, of truth, of determination, and kindness.

May it be that our meditation today, with 500 people sitting here—may we be 500 people who go out into the world (or don't go out in the world, but from their shelter in place) to emanate, to think, to be committed to living in a kinder world, a caring world, where the kindness and the caring begins with yourself. And let it radiate out.

May all beings be the recipient of goodwill, kindness. May all beings be safe. May all beings have the requisites that they need for a safe, healthy life. May all beings experience happiness and joy. May all beings be respected for their dignity and their value. May all beings be free. Free from oppression, free from hunger, free from sickness, free from injustice, and free from war and economic challenges. May all beings be happy.