Loving kindness metta is a buddhist practice to develop impartial and unconditional love. Initially taught by the buddha, it exists in most ancient spiritual disciplines. Lovingkindness meditation become comfortable in your chair or cushion, sitting with a relaxed but straight, posture, with your shoulders relaxed. Were devoted to helping you live mindfully, sleep better and breathe deeper.
Metta is one of the more important of the teachings of the buddha. Wishing you better sleep, peaceful meditations before sleep and inspired living. Sometimes im asleep before offering metta to someone whos bothering me. This practice comes from the buddhist traditions, especially theravada and tibetan lineages. Learn how to practice lovingkindness meditation by sharon. Feelings of loving kindness arise from visualization and affirmations which are projected onto others.
Two years ago, i knew nothing about lovingkindness meditation. A metta, or lovingkindness meditation for ourselves, our loved ones and strangers far and near. Take these to be signs that your heart is softening, revealing what is held there. In the practice, one starts with oneself and then gradually expands love and kindness out toward all sentient beings. Lovingkindness meditation practice greater good in action. A meditation on lovingkindness this meditation uses words, images, and feelings to evoke a lovingkindness and friendliness toward oneself and others. Unwind your mind before sleep meditation spoken with music a guided meditation insomnia sleeping duration. Im fairly certain being sick and sleeping 16 hours the previous night and day may have made it hard for my physical body to release and having returned from an emotionally difficult trip out west to visit my ailing father made it even more so for my mind and heart to release. Those who regularly practice loving kindness meditation are able to increase their capacity for forgiveness, connection to others, selfacceptance, and more. This metta, loving kindness meditation will guide you to direct love.
Metta means love in a nonromantic sense, friendliness, or kindness. It is an emotion, something you feel in your heart. Loving kindness meditation script, howto, benefits 2020. Jason stephenson sleep meditation music 3,057,974 views.
A few places where you can purchase thg meditations. It involves mentally sending goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards others by silently repeating a series of mantras. Loving kindness before sleep guided meditation spoken. This can be very useful for those with a busy mind. Guided metta loving kindness meditation 30 minutes by. Metta meditation lovingkindness practice metta is the pali term for unconditional friendliness or lovingkindness, and is a form of blessingmeditation practice. Also, there is a contemporary scientific field, compassion meditation, that demonstrates the efficacy of metta and other meditative practices. Lovingkindness meditation, or lkm for short, is about opening up the heart and cultivating love and compassion for ourselves and others. With each recitation of the phrases, we are expressing an intention, planting the seeds of loving wishes over and over in our heart.
This form of meditation aids us in developing an attitude of kindness and compassion, especially for the people we are on bad terms with. Guided meditations are offered freely by tara brach, ph. Rather than taking the breath or a kasina as an object the meditator takes the feeling of love, warmth and caring as the. Sometimes during loving kindness meditation, seemingly opposite feelings such as anger, grief, or sadness may arise. Calm is useful for patients with insomnia or chronic sleep disorders. Loving kindness meditation uses simple phrases to evoke feelings of care and friendliness. Because the classic meditation is fairly elaborate, it is usually undertaken during periods of intensive metta practice on retreat. We visualize together who we are directing the metta towards, and at first i say something may you be happy and the kids repeat it after me. The practice of lovingkindness, or mettamaitri palisanskrit for love or kindness, meditation is a meditation practice which has been passed down since the time of the buddha over 2500 years ago. Transcript for the lovingkindness meditation author. Founded by frank ostaseski, metta institute is a catalyst for individual and cultural change. For the best sleep ever download your free meditation.
This meditation comes from the buddhist practice of loving kindness which is to focus positive thoughts towards others. It is sourced in buddhist tradition, yet versions of it are found in many spiritual traditions, including judaism and celtic christianity. I created these guided meditations to introduce you to lkm in ways that dovetail with emerging science. New age journal reading salzbergs book produces the sense of having been gifted abundantly. The revolutionary art of happiness shambhala classics.
Metta and cultivating lovingkindness hello everyone, about 2 months ago i began a regular practice of concentrative meditation. Metta meditation universal loving kindness youtube. Im usually asleep before offering metta to all sentient beings. Metta means directing good will and love toward all sentient beings. Metta bhavana lovingkindness meditation o f first of all, im surprised so many people can come here on a friday and it is nice to see so many people. Do this challenge with a loved one and encourage one another. Its foundation and message is linked to the buddhist tradition, who has always a huge focus on these topics and its all about lovingkindness feelings, practices and actions.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading lovingkindness. Lovingkindness, listed ninth in the traditional list of the 10 perfections of the heart also known as the paramitas is described as the heart fully awake in friendliness, compassion, and empathic joy. The metta bhavana is the foundation practice for this series of meditations. Today we practice metta meditation for loving kindness towards the self, our loved ones and those whom we dont know. Loving kindness meditation to develop mindfulness and. Lovingkindness meditation is a simple repetition of these phrases, but directing them at different people. This entry was posted in video and tagged gregory kramer, guided meditation, loving kindness, metta. Salzberg exposes the warm beating heart at the center of buddhism. It dissipates when supplanted with thoughts of love and compassion. The buddhas teachings on lovingkindness the metta sutta translation of the metta sutta from ayya khema. This specific version is great for beginners and for those who seek out to feel good and relax a bit.
Diligent loving kindness practice brings easy sleep, pleasant dreams, protection from danger, a radiant face, a serene mind, and an unconfused death. Lovingkindness meditation sometimes called metta meditation is a great way to cultivate our propensity for kindness. How a 31day lovingkindness meditation challenge transformed my relationships and reduced my anxiety. Even rarer for me to be kept up at night by my monkey mind. Being within the flow of this unconditional love will bring peace and healing. Metta lovingkindness meditation, script and teachings.
It is particularly helpful if you tend to have negative thoughts or reactions to others. This is very different in some ways from how i teach lovingkindness meditation now, but a lot of people still seem to find this helpful. Download the calm app to develop your meditation superpowers. Lovingkindness meditation the center for contemplative. Take some time to visualize loving kindness towards yourself think about all the people in your life that keep showing up, the people who support you the people who make a sweet little gesture of love choose one person that makes you feel safe that make you feel loved and special for who you are.
The dhammapada says, hatred cannot coexist with love and kindness. Sometimes during lovingkindness meditation, seemingly opposite feelings such as anger, grief, or sadness may arise. Loving kindness meditation lkm is a popular selfcare technique that can be used to boost wellbeing and reduce stress. Free guided metta meditation script pdf file included. Loving kindness meditation is proven to relieve anxiety and stress and to increase. Metta meditation metta is the word in the pali language that means lovingkindness.
Guided meditations ucla mindful awareness research center. Manifest loving kindness with music a guided meditation for loving kindness and sleep, self love duration. Mark your calendar with a heart or star each day you complete this exercise. This metta, loving kindness meditation will guide you to direct love toward yourself and also to send it to others. Specific words and phrases may be recited to help generate. Meditations that free the heart guided meditation loving kindness 22. The practice, leading as it does to the realization of compassion, is central to buddhism, to the extent that the dalai lama has said my religion is kindness. Lovingkindness meditation or metta meditation is an ultimate form of generous. Inspired by buddhist tradition, they offer educational programs integrating the spiritual dimensions of living, dying and transformation. Having uncovered considerable evidence for the longterm benefits of starting a practice of lovingkindness meditation, or lkm, i get countless inquiries about how to begin. The term metta comes to us from buddhist teachings. Metta bhavana, known also as lovingkindness meditation, is a meditation technique all about compassion, respect and acknowledging those around us. It is very noticeable though, that there are only three men two men and a monk out of the twenty.
Lovingkindness meditation is a practice tied in with selflove, empathy, understanding and kindness. This is an example of a guided metta loving kindness meditation. How to practice lovingkindness meditation buddhaimonia. A lovingkindness metta meditation from guided meditations for calmness, awareness, and love. It has been used in many forms, including organizations that have chosen it as their trademark.
For example, the metta institute, a program for those nearing the end of their lives, chose the word because metta is an ancient pali buddhist term meaning lovingkindness, friendliness, benevolence and nonviolence. Also, please check out my other meditations on insight timer. Meditative practice for college students this meditation will guide you to a deeper appreciation for self and the world around you. Developing lovingkindness bodhipaksa, insight timer. How to practice metta meditations for mindfulness dummies. The buddhist loving kindness meditation script metta meditation script is a prayer or simply words that we use for developing kindness and compassion. Lovingkindness meditation metta challenges us to send love and compassion to the difficult people in our lives, including ourselves.
It comes from the buddhist tradition, but it can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. The pali word metta is a multisignificant term meaning lovingkindness, friendliness, goodwill. Sylvia boorstein, turning wheel sharon salzbergs book illuminates the heart of lovingkindness like a lamp in the darkness, like the clearing of the fog, like a sunrise on a beautiful morningit brings light so that all those. Metta meditation, also known as loving kindness meditation, is a concentration meditation in which the meditator cultivates of a loving state of mind. Body scan meditation during this meditation you scan your body from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes and relax each part. Lovingkindness meditation or metta meditation is an ultimate form of generous and selfless love. It is one of the most important buddhist meditations for beginners the technical, buddhist name for this meditation technique is metta bhavana, metta meaning compassion and bhavana meaning cultivating.
Just write or repeat the blessing meditation 5 times. If you dont have the time or the patience to do all the stages, do as many as you feel comfortable with. Gregory kramer offers a guided metta loving kindness meditation. Metta bhavana, or lovingkindness meditation, is a method of developing compassion. The buddhist monk acharya buddharakkhita beautifully talks on the meaning of the word metta. Formal loving kindness practice sometimes referred to as metta taps into the power of intention, the ability of the mind to set itself moving in a particular direction. Lovingkindness meditation is also known as metta meditation. Loving kindness meditation subliminal messages binaural. Sleep meditation resources and the best guided sleep. The original name of this practice is metta bhavana, which comes from the pali language. Loving kindnessembracing ourselves and all beings with a full and tender loving presence. Free download at loving kindness, or metta bhavana, is a meditation practice of developing compassion and the mindset of unconditional love for the self and the. Loving kindness meditation metta meditation this is a meditation that helps to develop a compassionate mind and heart.