chapter 7: metta loving kindness

Chapter 7: Soothing the Body, Mind, & Heart

Gee. I'm tired of being sick so coming back to this blogging series right about now is surely a good thing. Chapter 7 starts, "Metta, Loving-Kindness, is the act of well-wishing toward yourself and others. You settle on a set of phrases and then recite them silently over and over." I think my "I am healthy, wealthy, and wise" is in the path of metta practice, but perhaps I should word it as, "May I be healthy, May I be wealthy, May I be wise." "Ease of well-being" is a beautiful, peaceful phrase in this chapter. "May I have ease of well-being as I awaken for the day and discover what my body has for me." "May I have ease of well-being upon awakening." "May I have ease of well-being." Waking up has been a tough time for me lately; did you notice?
Her metta practice as a forgiveness practice also sounds like something i do, though something I learned from her. "Thank you, body, for being brave and waking up on today," or her example, "Be peaceful, sweet body, working so hard to support me." I think of them as gratitude statements, instead of forgiveness, but I do suppose it is speaking kindness when it would be natural to be angry at our bodies for the ways in which it is disappointing us.

With metta kindness practice, you start with yourself then work out to someone with whom you are not pleased:
1. Self
2. Someone to whom you feel gratitude
3.Someone you're conflicted about
4. Someone for whom u feel nothing or have neutral feelings (nothing) e.g., store cashier
5. Someone that causes anger or other negative emotions when you think about them


Okay. Let's practice.

May I have good health
May my Spirit sustain
May my body be strong
May my wisdom grow
May I have ease of well-being
And be free


2. Someone to whom you feel gratitude- Co-worker
3.Someone you're conflicted about- Friend that I miss
4. Someone for whom u feel nothing or have neutral feelings (nothing) e.g., store cashier- Cashier at Scott's BBQ
5. Someone that causes anger or other negative emotions when you think about them- Distant Co-worker

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Okay, done. Praying for co-worker felt really good. Try it. Friend that I miss didn't work as well. I'm not conflicted about her. I'm only conflicted about our (lack of a) relationship and what I should do about that (if anything. I figure she just doesn't want to be friends. I miss her.) And yes, #5 was the hardest but in it (stmt 2), I had a little empathy. This metta thing is working the magic it's supposed to work. Love. Agape.