After doing this meditation, listen to “The Universe is a Gift Economy” Talk.
In this loving-kindness meditation we relax and open our heart in an effort to see the good in everything and appreciate everything. Appreciation helps to grow our love, compassion, and care for all life. Appreciation helps to remove the delusions of greed, hatred, and self-view in the mind.
The meditation starts with appreciating things that are hopefully easy to appreciate, such as spiritual forces like love, peace, inspiration, energy, and joy. It ultimately moves toward appreciating more challenging situations such as disease, injuries, and death. This helps us see how these things also belong in a benevolent and loving universe. Because the ego may resist and be reactive to your intentions to be appreciative, it is wise to be flexible in the style of meditation you use during this meditation, depending on what is arising for you.
When to Use Which Style of Meditation
That is why this meditation also provides guidance on how to skillfully move between loving-kindness meditation, breath meditation and insight meditation. If during this meditation, your mind becomes unbalanced or distracted, gently switch to doing breath meditation until you regain your composure. Once your mind again feels balanced, calm, and steady, then return to following the instructions of this meditation as given.
If during this meditation, something arises that you need to investigate, calmly switch to mindfulness meditation and investigate it. You may find resistance, greed, self-view, impatience, or other delusional disturbance arising. You may feel a contraction or closing of the heart. If any disturbance arises, lovingly switch to insight meditation by anchoring your attention on the felt bodily sensations. Ignore the words of the meditation, and peacefully notice any arising thoughts, emotions, and sensations that are arising. Gently observe how they interact and relate to one another. Calmly note the feeling tone of each thought, emotion, and sensation.
By doing this, you will experience many benefits. The mediation will unleash a deeper wisdom, and a deeper courage to feel any and all energies in a relaxed, calm, and mindful manner. Doing this will help you release any negative energies that are currently arising, as well as help you release any negative trapped energies of the past that were triggered. By releasing these energies, you will purify your mind and heart so you are less reactive, more present, and more wise.
Once the disturbance has been processed and released and your body and mind has returned to a fully calm, peaceful, and balanced place, feel free to return to following the instructions of the loving-kindness meditation.
After doing this meditation, listen to “The Universe is a Gift Economy” Talk.
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