Tag: loving-kindness

A Pathway to Peace

Peace. The word appears everywhere this time of year. National leaders hold it up as a goal as they plan and conduct their wars. Newspapers shout it in advertisements and headlines. Shops hang it on their walls.

People post it online as their Christmas wish for all and send cards to each other with it floating above a snowy rural scene or beneath a shining star.

Peace. It holds the longings of the human heart. And yet it seems so elusive, a vague far-off dream, a state of being we can barely imagine, even when we’re wishing it only for our own lives.

And yet, there are those who walk in its light. And moments come to us all where we sink into its ocean of clarity and grace.

To touch peace, to hear its whisper in your own mind, your own heart, is a beautiful thing. It’s one of those golden moments that make all the rest of them worth it.

A spaciousness opens inside you. Brittleness disappears; walls of resistance fade away. And all that remains is this clear, flowing now, and this swell of gratitude from the center of your heart.

A wonderful thing about these golden moments, these precious little islands of peace, is that you can create them. On purpose. Hundreds of methods exist, from meditation to prayer to martial arts. Shop around and you’ll come across one that feels right for you. I’ll share one that I personally like in a minute. It’s a variation of loving-kindness meditation.

But first, here’s another thing that’s beautiful about moments of peace. When you’re sitting there in the middle of your peace island, you’re radiating little electromagnetic ripples of peace out into the atmosphere, into the consciousness we all share.

Touch a friend or loved one with your thoughts from the center of your moment of peace and they’ll feel it. It’s a measurable phenomenon. Thoughts are measurable things.

I have a quote on my bulletin board that says, “Be the ripple that turns the tide.” What would happen, do you imagine, if enough of us sent ripples of peace out into the world every day? Maybe it’s my duty, I think sometimes. But certainly it’s my privilege and joy.

So I do this practice I’ve come to treasure. I especially like that it wraps me in such a shimmering, spacious peace, and then lets me send ripples of peace to you, and you, to all of you precious, irreplaceable human beings.

It’s simple and easy and you can adapt it as you please. It’s a luscious way to start your day. It’s a fine way to spend some of your lunch break, too, or to do as you wind down your day. Pick one, or do all three.

Begin by sitting comfortably. Then relax your body as you breathe to a count of 5-in, 5-out for a full minute or two. Let your awareness go to your heart and focus on it as you send wishes for loving-kindness to yourself. Feel the warmth and love of them as you repeat them:

May I now be filled with loving kindness.
May I now be safe and protected.
May I now be resilient in mind and body.
May I now live with ease and joy.

Repeat it a few times if you like.

Then let your attention drift to people close to you. Family. Friends. And send them the same thoughts:

May you now be filled with loving kindness.
May you now be safe and protected.
May you now be resilient in mind and body.
May you now live with ease and joy.

Finally, let your attention flow outward to a wider and wider sphere of people until it encircles the whole globe, and then returns to you.

Feel the peace.
Feel the joy of knowing that you’re passing it on.

Happy Holidays, dear friends. May they be better than the best you can imagine.

Warmly,
Susan

Image by KANHA TOR from Pixabay

Links in the Peace Chain

One day this week when I was thinking about all the misery and conflict that ceaselessly rains down on us, suddenly a memory popped into my mind that made me explode with a huge laugh. I pictured the scene clear as day. I was with a group of friends and one of them asked Henry what he would say to people if he was king of the world.

He thought for a moment, got a ferocious look on his face, puffed himself up, took in a giant breath, and bellowed at the top of his lungs, “STOP IT!”

I think we could use a King Henry today! We’ve all had about enough of this fear-filled, monotonous, rancorous routine.

Later, I ran across a much softer and more gentle piece of advice for affording ourselves relief from the oppressiveness of the times. It was an article on practicing loving-kindness meditation.

As I contemplated it, I thought about the idea that our realities, both personal and universal, rise from our thoughts. How we think about ourselves, the people in our lives and all the others in the world determines how we’ll behave toward them, how we’ll see them, how we’ll react to what they do. Collectively, our thoughts shape the world.

Mark Twain thought about this, too. Once he wondered, “What would happen if all the people in the world laughed at the same time?” Think about a time when laughter spread in sudden contagion through a room you were in. Nobody knew what so funny, but they couldn’t help but laugh because, well, it was just so hilarious to see everybody unable to stop.

I thought about the hundred monkeys story, where one day a monkey on an island starting washing his food in the sea before he ate it. The other monkeys copied him, and when the hundredth monkey joined it, the practice suddenly erupted on a far-away island, too.

What if practicing loving-kindness meditation worked like that? What if, by taking 10 or so minutes a day to send loving wishes to ourselves and each other, we became a link in a chain of loving-kindness that spread peace and joy all over the world?

It’s easy enough to do. I’ll show you in a minute. But first, here’s what loving-kindness means. It comes from a Pali word metta. Its meaning embraces the concepts of friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, inoffensiveness and non-violence as well. In an article titled, “Metta: The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love,” Acharya Buddharakkhita says, “True metta is devoid of self-interest. It evokes within a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship, sympathy and love, which grows boundless with practice and overcomes all social, religious, racial, political and economic barriers. Metta is indeed a universal, unselfish and all-embracing love.”

Sounds pretty powerful doesn’t it?

The process itself is simple. As with any meditation, you begin by relaxing in a comfortable position, with eyes closed, in a place where you can be undisturbed. Then, putting a gentle smile on your face, let go of any negative thought or feeling. Begin by saying to yourself,

May I be safe from danger; 
May I be healthy;
May I be happy;
May I live with ease.

Just breathe for awhile and sincerely wish yourself these blessings, repeating them until you feel satisfied.

Next practice sending your wishes for safety, health, happiness and ease to your circle of loved ones, imagining each of them one at a time and speaking your wishes to him or her directly in your mind.

The next stage is to move on to those people whom you know casually—neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, members of your community.

And finally, you send your well-wishes to everyone, everywhere, as sincerely as you can.

In the article I read this week, the author suggested writing the words instead of silently repeating them. Writing, she said, can can instill them in our subconscious in a way that seems more effective than simply reading, hearing, or speaking them does.

Try whatever way appeals more to you.

Personally, I find the practice very soothing. It’s a way to stop the world’s madness from infiltrating your thoughts for a while. And with continued practice you’ll find your world truly does become a more peaceful, happier, friendlier place.

And who know what might happen if enough of us send wishes for well-being to ourselves and each other?

Certainly, it’s worth a try.

Warmly,
Susan