Loving Kindness

Meta bhavana or loving kindness meditation is ascribed to Buddha. There are many versions of this practice, all leading to awakening within the body mind with pleasant peaceful after effects, sometimes lasting for long and with practice, even longer.

You need to make this practice your own for it to work not simply rote repeat of a mantra or prayer although those are essential starting points to let your body mind get curious and follow through.

My practice begins with first recalling  loving people, things, events in my life not as a daydream but a body scan practice. More recent the event, easier it is to feel the sensations. One way to do this is when you feel loving towards something like my cat for example, scan your body immidiately and look for points of bliss in your body, heart, stomach, tingling in your limbs and all leading to a peaceful stillness in your head. Try to lock in this memeory and recall it when on the cushion. And make that sensation the object of your meditation, bring the attention back to it over and over for at least five minutes. Also keep asking who is feeling this?

Second step is the most difficult as it requires you sharing your bliss with those who have done you wrong or situations that were or are hurtful. This practice for me is best with yoga. As you feel the stress and strain in your body, see the discomfort as the net result of causes and conditions of yoga. See your nemesis going through the same discomfort and even pain in their own body and mind. Now bring back the feeling of step one and see that compassion spill onto this difficult group as well. Keep asking who is feeling this? Now see that bodies are different the feelings are similar. See the unity not separation.

After at least ten minutes of second step, cast your attention to your third eye and visualise the entire creation as a functioning causes and conditions machine all working by itself from ever to forever. If you are mathematically saavy see the creation as fourrier integration of your bliss to all creation. Keep asking who is sending bliss to all?

Never forget to make the body feel gratitude for this practice.

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