Ajahn Sujato opened his talk by sharing about a trending “We Are the 99%” movement in USA. While in Buddhism, it is “We Are the 100%”. It is “may ALL beings be happy,” not “may MOST being be happy.”
Buddhism has the ideal of “may all beings be happy”, but in everyday life, it may seem unattainable. That’s why it is important to practice, little by little, and start where we are.
Some points on metta meditation
- Get a feeling of our body. Start where we are.
- Have a sense of patience. It is not something you can push. In meditation sometimes the slower, the better it is. It is about to experience now rather than wanting to experience the next.
- Recognize the emotion that you are feeling. Whatever it is you are feeling, just notice it. It is not about working out where this feeling comes from. Simply feel…what does anxiety feel like? What does happiness feel like? It is not favoring or opposing, but just watch the emotions.
Metta, loving kindness, is a real feeling. We can catch that feeling and hold it like holding a little bird in our hands. Do not hold it too tight; do not hold it too loose.
When you practice metta meditation, the feeling becomes part of who you are and it will stay with you. The more we practice, the more we know how the mind works.
Guided metta meditation session. First, by feeling the body, then feeling metta inside your body towards:
- yourself (may I be happy)
- loved person (sometimes it is better not to use family members because you tend to have mixed emotions when it comes to family members) (may loved person be happy)
- neutral person (may neutral person be happy)
- disliked person (may disliked person be happy)
(If you want a copy of the guided metta meditation by Ajahn Sujato, you can download it here)
May this note be beneficial to you all.
May all beings be happy!
Learn and Grow!
Inge Santoso, B. Com
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