Metta Meditation

A meditation on Loving-Kindness

The Metta Meditation is based on the Metta Sutta, part of the ancient Pali Buddhist Canon.

This is what should be done

By one who is skilled in goodness,

And who knows the path of peace:

Let them be able and upright,

Straightforward and gentle in speech,

Humble and not conceited,

Contented and easily satisfied,

Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,

Not proud or demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing

That the wise would later reprove.

Wishing: In gladness and in safety,

May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;

Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,

The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away,

Those born and to-be-born —

May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,

Or despise any being in any state.

Let none through anger or ill-will

Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life

Her child, her only child,

So with a boundless heart

Should one cherish all living beings;

Radiating kindness over the entire world:

Spreading upwards to the skies,

And downwards to the depths;

Outwards and unbounded,

Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down

Free from drowsiness,

One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views,

The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,

Being freed from all sense desires,

Is not born again into this world. (1)

We can use the Metta Sutta as the basis for a meditation to promote peace and harmony in the world. In Buddhism, generosity, or dana, is encouraged; meditating on the Metta Sutta is one way to be generous with our time and energy for the benefit of all.

One simple way to do this is as follows:

Make yourself comfortable in a seated or lying position.

Relax your body and mind as fully as you can, releasing tension. Become aware of the rhythm of your breathing.

Bring to mind an awareness of yourself, either by sensing your body, or picturing yourself in your mind's eye. Arouse a feeling of love and kindness towards yourself. Hold yourself in love, kindness and compassion for 2 to 5 minutes.

Now bring to mind someone you love deeply and easily, a relationship where love is the natural state. Hold this person in love and kindness, wishing them well, for 2 to 5 minutes.

Next, hold in awareness someone neutral in your life, such as a distant neighbour that you know to see, or the postman, or someone you pass regularly but don't really know. Hold this person in Loving-Kindness for 2 to 5 minutes.

Now bring to mind someone with whom you have a challenging or difficult relationship, and try to hold them also in compassionate awareness for 2 to 5 minutes.

Finally, visualise Loving-Kindness spreading out from yourself and rippling across the whole world, to all living beings, on land, in the sea and in the sky. Wish all beings well, without judgement, and hold the world and all her inhabitants in love and kindness for between 2 to 5 minutes.

Come back to yourself, back to your body and your breath. Stretch, and slowly and mindfully return to your day.

With metta,

Fiona.

References:

(1)Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness" 

(Sn 1.8), translated from the Pali by The Amaravati Sangha. 

Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 2 November 2013,

 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.amar.html .