" Life only unfolds in moments.
The healing power of mindfulness lies in living each one as fully as we can."
The healing power of mindfulness lies in living each one as fully as we can."
Hello All,
In this moment, and the remaining sitting time before Sunday, we invite you to try a bit of Metta practice. 'Metta', a pali referring to the mind state of loving-kindness is also a particular practice in meditation to develop this attitude toward ourselves and all beings.
May I Be Safe
May I Be Happy
May I Be Healthy
May I Live with Ease/Ease of Heart
It is the practice of offering these wishes of safety, happiness, health and ease as a way to nurture ourselves and others and engender a sense unselfish interest in our own and others' welfare. We begin planting these seeds by internally repeating the above phrases first for ourselves. Often it is uncomfortable to truly offer these thoughts, wishes to oneself; in order to genuinely act from a state of loving kindness we must first work with ourselves. Be persistent, as with the breath, returning again and again to the phrases, noticing what is arising with a willingness to feel and accept.
The full Metta Practice offers these wishes in this order to
1. Ourselves, May I be...
2. A benefactor, someone important to us who has had a resounding impact
3. Some person or being who is Beloved, spouse, child, friend
4. A neutral person or being for whom you hold no judgment nor know in any particular way
5. A person or being with whom you are in Conflict, or harbor ill will towards
6 All beings
Try it out for a sit or part of your sitting time. As with all of the tools we've explored and the meditation of mindfulness in general, Metta can be quite powerful when you stick with it.
We meet again on Sunday December 5 at 630pm...sitting, walking, sitting with breath in awareness!
Much Metta,
Jenn
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