Metta for All Beings

Transcript

[0:01] Let's practice.

[0:22] Taking our seats just as we are. With all aspects of ourselves included. All the pieces, the ones we like, the ones we don't like. Everything is included. Everything is workable. Taking our seat and arranging our body. Into natural upliftedness. Awake and upright. But without any aggression, any forcing, rigidity.

[1:56] Feeling into the environment. Opening our sense perceptions. Feelings.

[2:34] Findings. Feelings.

[2:59] Our open heart.

[3:23] And allow our heart to really feel a sense of loving-kindness for ourselves. And this being here, in the midst of COVID, lockdowns, in the midst of racial injustice, injustice against women, LGBT, all sorts of minorities, in the midst of the political situations in many places in the world, in the midst of wildfires, many difficult, challenging situations, holding ourselves in loving-kindness, opening our heart, flooding ourselves with love and kindness for ourselves. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be free from suffering. May I be free from the root of suffering. Holding ourselves in the cradle of loving-kindness.

[6:04] Can you feel this love and kindness? In your heart and allow it to spill out through your whole body. And really appreciate yourself. And all this wish, this strong intention. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I thrive. May I feel joy. May I be free from suffering and from the root, the cause of suffering. And we could bring into our mind a close loved one, another sentient being. And we could see them in front of us and feel them. And we could feel their situation. They too, maybe going through challenging times. And can we feel and extend this loving-kindness towards them, this loved one, a partner, a friend, a pet. They too, maybe going through the world. And we could wish for them. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be joyful and thrive. May you be free from suffering and the root of all suffering. Feeling your loving-kindness. Extending from your heart and from every cell in your body. Appreciateing them. And holding the sincere intention for them, may they be happy, healthy, free from suffering and the root of suffering.

[9:49] And we could extend to people that we don't particularly know, people in our neighborhood, in our town or city. People working in the stores, in hair salons, in small businesses. They too are going through challenging times, much confusion, not knowing the right thing to do. You may pass them on the street. See them in parks. If you can hold them, feel them, and really generate from within you, in your heart, this loving-kindness that could extend to include them, people around you. May they be happy. May they be healthy. May they thrive joyfully. May they be free from suffering and the root of suffering.

[12:00] We could extend a little further out from our town to include a larger area in your state or country. So many people we don't know, but we know that they too are challenged. So many things leading to confusion, COVID, wildfires, Black Lives Matter, political elections. We could know also that they wish to be happy and healthy. So for all these people we don't know, we could hold this in our hearts, really extend our hearts, push ourselves to hold them too. And the cradle of loving-kindness. Extend this warm light of kindness. May they be happy. May they be healthy. May they be free from suffering and from the root of suffering.

[14:02] I know we could bring to mind people that we just don't understand. We have conflict with, we have strong judgment about. It could be politicians, people in charge, who are handling these confusing and dangerous situations. Allow ourselves to, and challenge ourselves to feel their humanity. And to generate this wish for them that they also could be happy. And we wish for them to be healthy. And we wish for them to be free from suffering and the root of suffering. Not because we are right and they are wrong. We are releasing our aggression toward them. Instead of generating this love and kindness toward them. We may not understand them. We may hate them. But here in this woman, extending our heart. Feeling that just like me, they wish to be happy. They wish to be healthy. To be free from suffering and the root of suffering. And just like me, they experience confusion.

[16:55] And can we really work and push our heart reaching further, opening further. And we are not. People who oppose Black Lives Matter. People on the other side of the many debates around coronavirus. Political leaders that do things that we cannot understand. May they be happy. May they be healthy. May they be free from suffering and from the root of suffering.

[18:18] And extending again our heart and we go larger, including all beings. Being suffering in all places with wildfires. Being suffering in all places with many impacts of coronavirus and COVID. All diseases. And many animals impacted by the wildfires throughout so much of the Western US. People impacted by wars. So many people impacted by suffering of various kinds. Holding ourselves, our loved ones, and all beings, including those that we have conflict with. May we all be happy. May we be healthy. May we be free from suffering. May we be free from the cause and the root of suffering.