Universal Loving-Kindness Meditation

Universal Loving-Kindness Meditation

1.      Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise

Close your eyes for a minute or two and rest into the natural ease of your mind and body, and repeat the following phase for 10 minutes.

May all individuals gain freedom from suffering?

May all individuals find sustained health, happiness and wholeness?

May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering?

May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness and wholeness?

Elliott Dacher, 2006 Integral Health

2.      Complete the Integral Assessment.

First part of this assessment is focusing on healing:

Close your eyes and rest into the ease and stillness of your mind and body, releasing all mental activity. When quiet, ask “What aspect of my life –psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal or worldly –is the source of difficulty and suffering? [Focus on this one area]. What line of development is most essential for me at this time? What is my current level of development and what can I aim for?

Second part of this assessment is to focus on promoting integral development:

Return and re-center in stillness, ask “What area of my life is ready for growth and development? Is it the same area that also needs healing or is it another area? What would the next level of development look like?

Elliott Dacher, 2006 Integral Health

3.      Describe the exercise and assessment process.

The meditation exercise helps to open one’s mind and heart to loving-kindness moving from self to universal love.

The integral assessment is for healing and integral growth and development in psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal and worldly.

·         What did you discover about yourself?

I discovered I need a whole lot of work…I do believe throughout this class when I experience moments of anger at the people who left our property with one day notice forcing me to come to Tennessee from Texas in the middle of 18 hours of college credits. I find myself thinking of the positive aspects of what they did while living here on our 27 acre farm. It is hard because what they did was not really beneficial to our property such as remove an Atlanta Homesteader coal/wood burning heat that would heat the full 1500 square feet house and replaced it with a logwood (just for looks). They removed curtains with insulated backing to keep the cold out plus removed all the hardware (rods, draw string attachments, etc) and replaced with pretty curtains on cheap rods that sag on the long span rods. Instead of storing the curtains properly, they were thrown in the garage on a work bench or strung over rafters still hooked to the rods.

By the time I arrived at our farm, the Atlanta homesteader coal/wood burner, a commercial grade water pump, our craftsman heavy duty tiller and weed-eater was missing out of the garage they left unlocked. We left items for them to use for gardening however they had no regard for our personal items.

I have to keep reminding myself it could have been what we found nine months before they arrived which was a lot worse, $6,500 plus in damage. My point is “awareness of my anger” and replacing it with thankfulness and gratefulness and focusing on the good.

·         What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development?

Forgiveness is the focus of my growth and development; I do not want to have ill feelings toward anyone or anything. Matter of fact I would like to be grateful and thankful. We have a beautiful farm and while showing the property to potential buyers seeing all of nature at its best makes me thankful and grateful we own such a beautiful place. Our creeks border two sides of our property are crystal clear running over the black, gold and red rocks as well as all of the wildlife, birds sing and owl hooting in the night, we have a piece of heaven (peace in heaven) with a very peaceful environment. At one of the creeks there is a perfect place to sit quietly or meditate. A huge rock sit just at the water’s edge and the sound of running water, bird singing in the back ground it is one of my favorite spots on our property and has been ever since we have owned this place (7 years).

·         Why?

Anger will make you sick as this negative emotion in my opinion manifests many other negative impacts on spiritual healing, health, happiness or wholeness.

·         What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

Practicing the loving-kindness exercise and letting go of self-concern. Developing acceptance, compassion, respect, fairness and so forth for any and all individuals. I do not want to breed anger. Acceptance is one of the main areas I will focus on in the beginning of my loving-kindness exercise. Realizing that all individuals’ are different and have different perspectives on spirituality and different pain and suffering within their own hearts. Forgiving myself, forgiving others and forgiving those who have hurt or harmed me is the first part of my forgiveness exercise. I choose to have love and kindness in my heart for all individuals to attract loving-kindness; “we get back what we give” (Dacher, 2006).

See below a forgiveness meditation by Jack Kornfield, I will use this meditation

Jack Kornfield’s Forgiveness Meditation Practice:

Forgiveness of others and forgiveness of myself:

To practice forgiveness meditation, let yourself sit comfortably, allowing your eyes to close and your breath to be natural and easy. Let your body and mind relax. Breathing gently into the area of your heart, let yourself feel all the barriers you have erected and the emotions that you have carried because you have not forgiven - not forgiven yourself, not forgiven others. Let yourself feel the pain of keeping your heart closed. Then, breathing softly, begin asking and extending forgiveness, reciting the following words, letting the images and feelings that come up grow deeper as you repeat them.

Forgiveness of others: There are many ways that I have hurt and harmed others, have betrayed or abandoned them, cause them suffering, knowingly or unknowingly, out of my pain, fear, anger and confusion. Let yourself remember and visualize the ways you have hurt others. See and feel the pain you have caused out of your own fear and confusion. Feel your own sorrow and regret. Sense that finally you can release this burden and ask for forgiveness. Picture each memory that still burdens your heart. And then to each person in your mind repeat: I ask for your forgiveness, I ask for your forgiveness.

Forgiveness of yourself: There are many ways that I have hurt and harmed myself. I have betrayed or abandoned myself many times through thought, word, or deed, knowingly or unknowingly. Feel your own precious body and life. Let yourself see the ways you have hurt or harmed yourself. Picture them, remember them. Feel the sorrow you have carried from this and sense that you can release these burdens. Extend forgiveness for each of them, one by one. Repeat to yourself: For the ways I have hurt myself through action or inaction, out of fear, pain and confusion, I now extend a full and heartfelt forgiveness. I forgive myself, I forgive myself.

Forgiveness for those who have hurt or harmed you: There are many ways that I have been harmed by others, abused or abandoned, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought, word or deed. Let yourself picture and remember these many ways. Feel the sorrow you have carried from this past and sense that you can release this burden of pain by extending forgiveness when your heart is ready. Now say to yourself: I now remember the many ways others have hurt or harmed me, wounded me, out of fear, pain, confusion and anger. I have carried this pain in my heart too long. To the extent that I am ready, I offer them forgiveness. To those who have caused me harm, I offer my forgiveness, I forgive you.

Let yourself gently repeat these three directions for forgiveness until you feel a release in your heart. For some great pains you may not feel a release but only the burden and the anguish or anger you have held. Touch this softly. Be forgiving of yourself for not being ready to let go and move on. Forgiveness cannot be forced; it cannot be artificial. Simply continue the practice and let the words and images work gradually in their own way. In time you can make the forgiveness meditation a regular part of your life, letting go of the past and opening your heart to each new moment with a wise loving kindness.

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Kornfield, J. (2008). Forgiveness meditation. Retrieved on February 9, 2012 from http://www.jackkornfield.org/meditations/forgivenessMeditation.php