How to Practice Buddhist Loving-Kindness Meditation.
Metta bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation, is one of the two simplest meditations in
Buddhism.
It helps develop positive feelings towards all other living creatures.
You will need Understanding and acceptance of what you are going to do A place where
you will not be interrupted A cushion A blanket A timer, a meditation track on a music player,
or a watch or clock and something pleasant to gaze upon.
Step 1.
Find a position in which you can sit comfortably for the meditation.
You can kneel using a meditation bench, sit cross-legged on the floor, or sit upright
on a chair.
Use a cushion to support your back if necessary, and wrap yourself in a blanket if you’d
like extra warmth.
Step 2.
Decide how long each of the five phases of the meditation will be.
Five minutes is a good length of time for beginners.
Step 3.
Set the timer or select a track on your music player that corresponds to the length of time
you have chosen for the first phase.
Step 4.
To prepare yourself for the meditation, bring your awareness into the present.
For a few seconds, focus your gaze on something pleasant, like a plant, statue of the Buddha,
or pretty vase, to ground yourself in the present.
Step 5.
Close your eyes and scan your body to become fully aware of it.
Begin with your toes and move slowly along your feet and up your legs, back, and pelvis,
through your hands and arms, and finally up to your neck and head.
Step 6.
Reflect on what you want to achieve from this meditation.
Maybe you want to reconcile yourself with a particular person.
Then commit yourself to practicing conscientiously.
Step 7.
Keeping your eyes gently closed throughout the practice, begin to cultivate the feeling
of loving kindness.
There are many ways to do this.
You might recall previous times when the feeling arose, repeat a phrase that expresses loving
kindness (like “may I, you, or they be happy”), or imagine someone else communicating loving
kindness to you.
Step 8.
For the first phase of meditation, cultivate loving kindness towards yourself.
The way we feel about ourselves affects the way we treat others.
Step 9.
Many people find it difficult to feel loving kindness towards themselves.
Try imagining someone who loves you expressing their love, and be completely open to this
love.
Step 10.
For the second phase, cultivate loving kindness towards someone for whom you already have
positive feelings—a social acquaintance, an admired colleague, a respected teacher,
or a close friend.
Reflect on that person’s good qualities, or visualize him or her radiating joy.
Especially at first, it can be best to focus on someone who is just a friend, rather than
a parent, child, or partner, because family relationships and sexual attraction can complicate
your feelings.
Step 11.
For the third phase, cultivate loving kindness towards a neutral person who triggers neither
like nor dislike.
This should be somebody you know or see regularly, for example a neighbor you nod hello to but
about whom you have no feelings one way or the other.
Step 12.
For the fourth phase, cultivate loving kindness toward a hostile person, someone with whom
you currently have difficulties.
Many people find that when they practice metta bhavana for a hostile person, they find their
relationship with that person improved.
Step 13.
For the fifth phase, cultivate loving kindness toward yourself, your friend, and your enemy
at the same time.
Step 14.
Extend your loving kindness outward until it reaches all living things.
To do this, think of people in different locations across the globe going about their lives in
various ways.
Step 15.
When you have completed the fifth phase, sit quietly for a few seconds and reflect on your
experience of meditation.
Step 16.
Return gently to your life in the outside world.
Remember that loving kindness is not only practiced in meditation but also in life.
Did you know Metta, or loving kindness, is one of the four brahma-viharas, or sublime
states of mind.