Saturday, July 4, 2009

Loving Kindness Meditation


I'm saying it for you first - slowly, peacefully....

May you be well, peaceful, and free of suffering.
May no harm come to you.
May no difficulties come to you.
May no problems come to you.
May you always find success.
And may you also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination, to meet and overcome, the inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.

Now you can say it.  First, for yourself.  Then for me or anyone else.  You can say it again and again, moving from the most personal (family members, friends) to those you do not know, to those toward whom you feel neutral, even for enemies or those with whom you are in conflict, and finally for all beings.

This Loving Kindness Meditation comes to me via Kusala Bikshu, a Buddhist monk, whom I met at a conference a few years back.  Different versions of this meditation are used by many Buddhists to cultivate compassion and to transform suffering.  (I hope you took time to click his name and watch the video of Kusala.  Once you meet this man, you never forget him!)

I have found it particularly helpful to say this meditation for someone with whom I am having a conflict.  Somehow, if you repeat this - again and again - for such a person, you will find yourself feeling differently toward them.  And your meditation, your compassion and beneficence toward them, may allow the conflict to loosen up and dissolve.

Namaste.

6 comments:

barefooted said...

Touching, healing ... ourselves and each other. Perhaps we can understand along the way, perhaps we can only become the means to understanding.

TheraP said...

You are full of such wisdom, dear barefooted...

What more can I possibly add?

~flowerchild~ said...

It is not always easy to include the thorny among us, but, rest assured, I do include them in my daily meditations and musings.

The piece of writing that soothes me always is The Desiderata. I'm sure you have run across it many times in your personal quests. Reading it calms me when I am in conflict with something or some one.

(Slow dial-up internet connection puts a real damper on watching video, but, when it transpires that my connection improves, I will watch the monk.)

TheraP said...

New picture, flower! Interesting... I like it!

I've read that before. I just looked it up. But I had not known its title. So thank you for that. I've bookmarked it.

Flower, use the last link. It's not a video. It has books and articles you can download. (for free!) I did downloaded a couple via dial-up a few years back. (It's rare to get a book for free.)

The "thorny" among us. Good way of describing it. And all of us can fit there at times... (next time my thorns are showing... I'll know I'm in your heart - very comforting)

~flowerchild~ said...

Okey doke. I will download the written version onto a thumb drive and maybe I will actually get the chance to read it this month while on a trip to visit kid #1. I reckon they will let me use one of their computers.

Although after talking to him today, my time there has pretty much been planned out for me already. I will be seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time and meeting with some Hopi Elders. This is an important trip for me. :o)

The new picture is a medicine wheel. Of course, it has a whole bunch of symbolism and stuff packed into it, which is amazing considering its simple design. Condensed and compacted down, it symbolizes the 4 directions, seasons, phases of day and life and the 4 sacred medicines. I wear one around my neck like a Christian would wear a cross.

TheraP said...

There's always time in the future to watch a monk. They tend to stay put. The video has 2 parts and I've actually given them in reverse order - as I think the second part grabs your attention and then you want to see the first part!

Now you'll have me pondering the many meanings of the medicine wheel. (We went to the top of a mountain in Wyoming where there is a sacred Medicine Wheel site. It was very moving to be there.)

Grand Canyon. Awesome place. It is so awesome that you alternate between complete awe and almost a kind of numbness - because it's simply impossible to feel awe for hours and hours and hours - which is what you would feel if you could. Combined with meeting the Hopi elders, it should be a wonderful trip.

I hope you have time enough to really see and be - with nature and people on your trip.

Lots of stuff to read at that last link. It would keep you busy for a very long time. Pick and choose.

So much to learn, isn't there? I appreciate all you've taught me.

Megwich!