Generating Metta (Lovingkindness) for a Benefactor [AUDIO]

In this meditation we focus on generating lovingkindness (Metta) for a 'benefactor' - someone who we feel deep gratitude towards.

When we do the full Metta Bhavana (Cultivation of Lovingkindness) practice we usually just use four specific people to practice with:

• Our self
• A friend
• A 'neutral' person
• An 'enemy', or difficult person

We have covered these all in detail in previous posts. However, traditionally there was an extra person introduced. This person was the 'benefactor' - someone who you had a deep feeling of gratitude towards. When the meditation was originally taught it was within a monastic tradition, and the monks would have taken a brave step of depending on the kindness of others to live. Thus the importance of the benefactor.

For us we still have many people who we owe gratitude towards. Whether it be our parents who gave us life, our teachers along the path or even those who did things to us we disliked but we learned from. Whoever they are, we introduce them in this meditation and practice both gratitude and deep, unconditional love.

The full audio, including a 30 minute guided meditation is below.



If the embedded audio player above doesn't work for you, please click here.

Generating Lovingkindness for an Enemy [AUDIO]

In this meditation we focus on generating lovingkindness (Metta) for an 'Enemy' or difficult person.

As you may have seen from my previous post, I was unable to use the audio from our meditation session in the studio, so instead I chose to re-record the introduction based on my notes. So this isn't exactly what I said in class, but it is close!

The full audio, including a 30 minute guided meditation is below.



If the embedded audio player above doesn't work for you, please click here.

Yangsi: Movie Recommendation

I today watched the beautiful documentary "Yangsi", and would like to recommend it to all of you who are interested in other meditation cultures. It is a 'fly on the wall' movie about the life of Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, a young boy who at the age of four was recognized as the rebirth of the great teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. The film follows him from the age of four through to his first teaching at seventeen.

For me I found this at first fascinating, and then incredibly moving as you saw him blossom into his life as a teacher. The film is very honest about his humanity, and I came away with a profound feeling of devotion to the young master.

If (like me) you enjoyed the movie "Boyhood," which showed an ordinary boy in America growing up you won't fail to find interesting parallels in this movie about a very different boyhood.

Tibetan beliefs and rituals can seem very foreign to us in the West, and it is fascinating when the movie covers his first teaching tour of the US. The cultural difference is palpable, and yet at the same time you can see how we are all seeking the same happiness.

This is a short documentary of about 80 minutes, and I highly recommend it if you would like a glimpse into the inner workings of Tibetan practices.

You can read more about the movie here. The movie is available on Netflix or on DVD or streaming from Amazon.

The Audio Experiment So Far...

Unfortunately there won't be audio from last week's meditation, where we covered "Generating Metta for an Enemy." There were technical problems - long story short the microphone wasn't plugged in correctly. My apologies.

Anyway, this is a good opportunity to ask how you feel the experiment in recording the sessions has been. Do you have any suggestions or comments? Thanks to those of you who have already reached out, your encouragement has been much appreciated.

Feel free to comment below, or send a message to me directly. Thanks!

Generating Metta for the 'Neutral' Person [AUDIO]

In this meditation we look a little deeper at cultivating Metta for a neutral person. There is very little written or discussed about this step in the traditional Metta Bhavana (Cultivation of Lovingkindness) practice, and yet for me this is in many ways the critical step. If you can truly say that your deep feelings of love for a person would not change if you learned more about them, then that indicates that your love is unconditional.

The full audio, including a 30 minute guided meditation is below.



If the embedded audio player above doesn't work for you, please click here.