LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION
Purification of the heart
Loving-Kindness, or metta in Pali, is one of the four “divine abodes” or “sublime attitudes” that Buddhists seek to develop. In this practice, you generate the feelings of love and benevolence and wish happiness and well-being to yourself and others.
KEY FACTS
Essence Kindling and growing the feeling of Loving-Kindness for yourself and others through memory, visualization, and affirmations
Sensory channel Heart
Skill Concentration
Tradition Buddhism
Similar practices Visualization, Kirtan
WHY CHOOSE THIS PRACTICE?
Loving-Kindness Meditation helps you to cultivate positive emotions and to let go of negative emotions such as anger, hatred, indifference, selfishness, ill-will, and sadness (see also here). Once kindled, you focus on the feeling of Loving-Kindness as the object of your concentration, which makes it grow even more. When that happens, you’ll have feelings of joy, openness, and bliss in your heart.
01 Sit in a meditation posture and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths through your nose. Feel your body relax more with every exhale.
02 Try to remember a time when you felt deeply accepted, loved, and appreciated for who you are. If it’s helpful, remember who made you feel that way and the events around it. If you can’t think of a specific example, imagine how it would feel. Create an image in your mind, as if it’s a movie, and experience those feelings.
03 Once you have kindled the feeling, move your focus to it. Leave behind the details of the memory or image and just become aware of the feeling. How does it feel in your body, mind, and heart? Take it as the object of your concentration. Keep feeding it, reproducing it, and increasing it. If thoughts distract you, recognize that, and return to the feeling.
04 When the feeling is stable, project it toward yourself, toward another person, or toward the whole planet. It can be helpful to visualize the person you are projecting it to (even if it is yourself). Then, with feeling and intention, repeat internally:
“... May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be at peace!”
05 Bring your attention back to your breathing. Observe it for a moment or two. Then become aware of your whole body and its contact with the floor or chair. When you are ready, slowly move your fingers, open your eyes, and conclude the practice.
“When visualizing another person, it is helpful to try to put yourself in their shoes. Imagine that you are them.”
