This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

Happy Hour: Metta as Abundant Space

Introduction

Welcome, welcome everyone, and welcome to Happy Hour. If you're joining us on Zoom, in which case I get to see your lovely faces, and if you're joining on YouTube—oh yes, we have folks joining from YouTube also. Hello Dexter from Bainbridge Island, Washington, and other folks too.

Tonight's practice is a guided meditation for metta^[1] (loving-kindness). The theme is going to be exploring the element of space.

What does that mean? For those of you who've been joining me for the past week and a half or couple of weeks, I've been exploring metta as different elements. In Buddhist cosmology, there is an idea—which is similar in some other traditions—of the four elements, or sometimes five elements. There is the fire element, the water element, the earth element, the air element, and sometimes there is an extra element, which is the space element.

The past few weeks I've explored the other four elements, and the reports have been very positive. People love different ways of exploring metta, kindness, and care. Being held in healing waters, or the air we breathe as being nourishing, healing, and supportive. Or exploring fire—the holy fire and metta as this fire within. And last time we explored the earth element—grounding, supportive as Mother Earth, and loving.

How about us exploring receiving that love and care? Since the series was so much fun and really brought up different aspects of experiencing a sense of being held in care and in love, I figured, "Why stick to the four elements?" There are different places in the suttas^[2] that the Buddha talks about the fifth element, which is space. Sometimes it's put together similar to air, but sometimes it's actually separate. So the space element, ākāsa dhātu^[3], is this sense of spaciousness.

So now you know where this inspiration is coming from. What I'll be inviting us to explore tonight is this sense of spaciousness in our hearts, spaciousness in our bodies. Can we feel ourselves held by a sense of space? Not tightness. We often associate a sense of tightness or lack of space with a lack of safety, a lack of love, a lack of security, a lack of metta, a lack of goodwill. But how about exploring this opposite—the sense of spaciousness?

I'll be inviting various imagery for us to explore the sense of spaciousness in our own bodies, in our own hearts, in our own minds. Feeling held in safety and goodwill spaciously. That's the plan.

If, with this little introduction, you're curious now: "Hmm, I wonder what happened with fire, and water, and earth, and air?" They are all on AudioDharma, and they are also on YouTube, and you're welcome to go and listen to them. I see Glenn is laughing because fire was quite eventful! At the end of doing the guided meditation on the fire element, the fire alarm in my apartment building went off. It was a really funny cosmic joke, as if I had caught on fire. It was just a burnt pizza, but anyway, it was the most eventful Happy Hour ever so far. We'll see about space. I don't know of any dangers associated with space, but we'll see. We'll explore together. I'm willing to risk myself. [Laughter]

Guided Meditation

Alright everyone, I'd like to invite you to get into a comfortable meditation posture, wherever that might be for you.

Arriving, landing in this moment. Landing in this body. Landing in this breath.

Offering up, letting go of all the thoughts, cares, whatever has come before this moment, as if it was light, weightless. As if you were just simply opening your fist and offering all the thoughts up to the spaciousness beyond. Seeing them float, and allowing there to be a sense of lightness, spaciousness in your body as you land, as you open up in this moment.

Becoming more aware of all the spaces in your body where the breath is moving through. Connecting with each breath, each and every breath, in a lightly spacious way. Noticing with the entire duration of the in-breath, more space feels like it becomes available in your body.

Letting yourself take delight, enjoy every breath. Spacious, spacious breath in your lungs, your whole body. The entire in-breath, the entire out-breath. Can you feel the spaciousness of the in-breath? Is it possible to connect with the spaciousness of the out-breath?

Each breath calming, soothing, freeing. Freeing up more space in your mind. And if thoughts are arising in this moment, maybe see them like dandelions offered up by the breath. They're offered up spaciously, playfully.

As you feel the breath moving throughout your body, the spaces and the cavities in the body, realizing that this body is made of space. According to physics, the molecules and the atoms, it's mostly space. You are mostly space. This body is mostly space. Open, light. As if the breath was opening up, allowing more spaciousness in the body, especially in the areas where there was tightness and contraction. All the contractions, tightness freed up, released, offered up to space. Space within and space without.

And if thoughts, judgments, whatever arises in this moment, it's okay, no problem. You're not doing this practice wrong. Whatever is arising needs to arise. See if you can ever so gently, lovingly, kindly smile with it. And in this moment, let it be offered up, released into the spaciousness of kindness and ease. Not out of duty or ill will, let them be released. Offering the thoughts, the judgments to spaciousness. See how that works, experiment.

Now I'd like to invite you to imagine the limit of your body, the skin. Maybe the perimeter of your body doesn't end at your skin, but it's more spacious. Your body is more spacious. And as you breathe, feeling the space inside. Open, friendly. There's a spaciousness, expansiveness to your awareness beyond the limits of your body. As if your breath was filling just a few inches beyond the perimeters of your body.

Spacious inside, spacious outside your body. Your heart. Inviting spaciousness in our heart to be felt, appreciated. Even if the voice comes up, "Oh, my heart is not spacious," well, let yourself be surprised. Appreciating the ways in which you don't truly know your own beauty, your own grace. The grace within you, the grace of your heart. This being that is you, whom you think you know, but you don't quite appreciate or fully understand. Inviting the spaciousness, grace, and expansiveness of your own heart to reveal itself to you.

Your heart as wide as the sky. First and foremost, holding yourself in the spaciousness of kindness and forgiveness and care, as much as it is accessible and available.

As if now you were breathing through your heart center with each breath. Feeling expansiveness of your heart. Letting go. Letting go of contraction, tightness, ill will, the bracing. Spaciousness of goodwill, boundlessness of kindness, friendliness, warmth, and care. You're welcome to feel yourself in it, objectless. Just feeling a sense of expansiveness in the heart with goodwill, without any objects. Just spacious, brimming with goodwill. You decide what's best for you in this moment, in this way.

Your heart spacious, exultant with goodwill. Feeling safe in your heart, feeling safe in its spaciousness. Your heart feeling light, happy, joyous in its own spaciousness. Reveling in its own abundance. Your heart expansive in its own sense of well-being. Spacious, exultant, abundant sense of well-being, for no reason at all. Just offered to you and your spacious heart, held in grace.

And connecting with the metta wish of safety. Or I'm sorry, safety was first—connecting with ease. Ease, and the spaciousness of your heart. So much ease. Conjuring up ease, offering the feeling in this moment. Spaciousness of ease. Ease of spaciousness, resting. Resting.

Connecting with the spaciousness of metta, goodwill. We've connected through this guidance a sense of safety. May I be safe, may I feel safe. Feeling the spaciousness of the heart. Safe, whole, expansive in its goodness.

And connecting with exultant, abundant joy. Happiness, spaciousness of joy. Limitless like the sky, heart full of joy.

Again connecting with the third metta wish for well-being. Sense that expansiveness of the heart, body, and mind in all dimensions of our well-being, health, and goodness, mentally and physically.

And again reconnecting with the fourth metta wish... I keep saying safety, but I mean ease. Ease. Spaciousness of ease and peace. Letting your whole body, your heart, feel a sense of being held in ease in this moment, as much as it is accessible.

Now I invite you to connect with the space inside, space outside. As if you were offering all the spaciousness of your heart to the whole world. As if your heart was spacious enough—and it is wide enough—for the whole world, all the beings in it.

Wishing safety in all the space, that all beings in this world are held. May all the space around them, space inside, space outside, be a space of safety. Just as I wish for myself to be safe inside, safe outside, within and without. Wishing, offering your goodwill, wishing safety internally, externally.

And just as I want to be happy, connect with the spaciousness, abundance of joy. Wishing all beings abundance, spaciousness of joy, happiness. Who knows, maybe even a smile shows up on your face with this one. Offering joy.

And just as I wish for myself to have well-being inside, spaciousness of well-being, may all beings everywhere find a sense of well-being and goodness. The goodness of this space, and goodness that affords all well-being.

Just as I wish to take care of myself happily and have ease in my life, spaciousness of ease in my life in all aspects of my affairs, I wish the spaciousness of ease and peace to imbue the lives of all beings.

And for the last moments of this guided practice together, again offering yourself the spaciousness of goodwill. For however this practice period was or wasn't, if there are judgments arising, offer them up. Let them be held spaciously. There's so much room for goodness, well-being, happiness, and joy that the judgments and the thoughts don't have to be squashed. There's plenty of space for everything to be held spaciously with kindness.

Reflections and Q&A

Thank you all. At this time, I usually like to ask if you would offer a word or phrase as to what's arising for you right now from this practice period. You can type it in the chat and I'll read them out loud, or you can unmute yourself.

What's coming up for me right now is a sense of joy and happiness. I feel so spacious, as if I'm on cloud nine right now, with just a sense of happiness and goodwill and delight. Looking at your faces, I'm even happier now. And also, there's a sense of connecting with you through the space. The space feels more spacious somehow. I see the space around all of you and your rooms.

Any offerings? Any words or phrases you feel called to offer? Everything is welcome. Whatever worked, whatever didn't.

Thank you, Olivia. Vulnerability is arising. Thank you, Megan. Holding things lightly. Thank you, Nancy. Open, yeah. Chelsea says relaxed.

And Trudy has her hand up. I will unmute you, Trudy, please. (Trudy speaks) Thank you, Trudy. Lovely words, thank you.

Kristin offers: "Parenting and doing dishes with a light heart." Love it, love it, love it. Austin offers: "Slowed down." Nice. Victor offers: "Spaciousness of kindness and friendship." Nice.

It is time for us to transition to our next practice together in community, which is to hold each other with the spaciousness of love. Not being a "gated community," as Trudy beautifully brought it up, but a sense of openness and spaciousness that we hold ourselves and hold each other in. And see what that might be like. See what might shift or move or break in this space, in this vulnerable space.

If you're willing to try, if you're willing to sit and love each other, the prompt is simple: How are you letting yourself be held, and letting yourself hold others? As an experiment in what is possible in humanity. If it is not appropriate for you tonight to engage in this way, it's perfectly okay. It's fine to bow out. But I'd also like to invite you to give it a try. If you're on the fence, research shows you'll be happier if you did it and stuck around and experimented this evening. It's all good. I'd like to make the breakout rooms now, and they will be sizes three or four.

(Breakout groups occur)

So we have a few minutes for anything you'd like to share about your practice experience. Any comments, reflections, questions, complaints—all welcome, please.

Participant: I was nervous about the breakout room, but it was really great. It was great to talk to a couple of other people and share.

Nikki Mirghafori: Lovely, lovely. Thank you for that, Kali. That's wonderful, it's great. And I see Charlie waving, agreeing with that. Awesome. Anybody like to add?

Nancy: I want to put a link to a video in the chat. Sorry, it looks like part of my message got cut off. It's an older video, but in light of the pandemic and George Floyd, it was sent to me yesterday and it's so exquisitely beautiful that I really wanted to share it, especially with the metta group, because it's called "Song for All Beings" and it has the metta practice in it.

Nikki Mirghafori: Yes, please feel free to put the link in the chat so folks can grab it. I'll give a heads-up before we end so you can save the chat and have the link. Thank you for that, Nancy, that's lovely. Thanks for offering. Any other thoughts? How was your practice tonight?

Kristin: Nikki, I just want to say thank you for hosting these happy hours. This is my second time joining you and it's in the middle of high parenting time for me, so it's my second practice of doing the dishes and parenting, and just being in the mundane tasks of my life. I really appreciate getting to practice off the cushion. I've been, for the first time ever, having a very serious morning daily meditation practice over these past three months, and that's wonderful! But it's not the same as me doing the dishes and responding to messes^[4] and scraping stuff off the counter with a spacious heart. So thank you so much for providing this format for me to practice. I'm very grateful.

Nikki Mirghafori: Thank you so much, Kristin, for practicing in this way and bringing that into the space, offering that as an inspiration for everyone. I hope to practice that way too! Practicing on the cushion is awesome, fantastic, yes, of course. But bringing that into daily life, into what you call a mundane task—doing that with a spacious heart! The cleaning and cooking and scraping... we don't get to redo this life again, and can we do these tasks with a spaciousness of heart? So beautiful. Thank you for showing up in this way.

Kathleen: (via chat) Barriers shifted. Thank you so much for this space to occur.

Nikki Mirghafori: Oh, it's lovely. Thank you, Kathleen. That's a lovely note to end on, as it is seven o'clock already. I want to thank you all for showing up for yourselves, for each other, for all beings. We don't do this practice just for ourselves; we do it for everyone whose life we touch in the world with our kindness and our goodwill. I am just touched by all of your practices, and I'm delighted to see your smiling faces.

Thank you all, thank you for showing up. I feel happier, I feel supported. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Barbara. Thank you!