The Buddha taught the Way to God. Part Two
PART TWO of TWO
Heart Meditations
Meditation on Love/Friendship/Kindness
Meditation on Compassion
Meditation on Appreciative Joy
Meditation on Equanimity
1. LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, KINDNESS
Take in relaxed, comfortable and upright position. Close the eyes and access a warm, caring, loving heartfulness towards life.
Be aware of the absence of ill will, and any desire to hurt or hate in the heart. Experience an authentic kindness and compassion towards one and all.
Generate this warmth to those who are in the immediate vicinity and those who are far away.
Cultivate this meditation so that the kindness of the heart becomes firm and steady in you, despite the many vicissitudes of existence.
Remember you can write your own kindness meditations, prayers and chants. Here is one example that you may wish to use.
A Loving Kindness Meditation
May my teachers, community, loved ones, friends, and contacts be free from suffering and pain
May my mother and father be free from suffering and pain
May my brothers, sisters and relatives be free from suffering and pain
May my children and grandchildren be free from suffering and pain
May people appreciate their interdependence on each other and the environment
May animals and creatures in the earth, on the ground, in the air, and under water live in safety and security
May I abide with a warm heart, clear mind, and be free from pain
May my daily activities through body, speech, heart, and mind contribute to the contentment, healing, and insight of others
May I find the resources for the welfare of others, and may I be willing to take risks for their well-being
May all beings know happiness
May all beings know love
May all beings be wisely supported
May all beings be free
May all beings experience awakening.
Remember to practise these meditations regularly for all three kinds of people. For those who are dear to us, those who are foreign to us and those with who we experience difficulties. At times, you will need to concentrate on one of them due to circumstances. When you say the lines of to each kind of person remember to accompany the words with the respective feeling of the hear.
It can be worthwhile memorising the lines or similar lines to enable a loving presence in the heart under all circumstances.
Meditation on Love, Friendship Kindness towards Three Kinds of People
TO YOUR LOVED ONES
May I always acknowledge and understand your intentions
May I always be supportive for you in time of need
May I never place demands and pressure on you
May you be well and happy
May your life know contentment and joy
May you be peaceful and steady from one day to the next
May our love and friendship for each other remain steady.
TO STRANGERS
May I not rush to judgement on meeting you
May I show friendship and presence for you
May I communicate clearly and wisely in your presence
May your day be rich and worthwhile
May you act mindfully and consciously in all things
May everybody treat you with respect
May you show kindness to everybody that you meet
May your day be free from fear and worry
May you sleep well and peacefully tonight.
TO THE UNFRIENDLY
May your anger and resentment subside quickly
May you understand the pain you cause yourself and others
May you explore fresh ways to explore differences
May you see into the fear behind the anger
May you develop equanimity when things do not go your way
May others stop being angry towards you
May you realise that anger does not cease with anger
May others listen to you and you listen to others.
2. COMPASSION
Compassion (karuna) refers any action to relieve or dissolve suffering. Karuna resonates with the suffering of another and experiences a call to action.
Compassionate action arises naturally for those who see suffering, know primary causes and conditions for it, see the resolution and the way to resolve. There is no reference in the discourses of the Buddha to self-compassion or the confinement of compassion to meditation. The benefit of meditations on compassion only shows in the subsequent action.
We confirm compassion through actions of body (doing), speech and intentions of the mind. Compassion distinguishes itself from metta. Compassion refers specifically to working with levels of suffering, great or small, found among people, animals or the environment.
Compassion reveals itself in the action we take with the intention to change any harmful behaviour, beliefs or attitude of individuals, groups or institutions. ?
Compassion expresses itself through wisdom, namely the application of the four noble truths. We might feel sorry for the plight of others during our meditation but that does not confirm compassion. Pity is the short-lived feeling of concern without any action. Compassion leads to skilful action. The ego has a reluctance to make a claim such as “I am a very compassionate person.” Listeners will have their doubt and sense the egotism of such a view.
Meditation on compassion can help to ensure we don’t get lost in self-interest, self-compassion and narcissistic viewpoints, which reduces our concern about anything which takes place outside of ourselves.
Meditation on Compassion
May these meditation practices give support to the welfare of others
May I go deep to listen to the voice of compassion in the heart
May I reflect on the suffering of others and on the initiatives to support others
May I extend compassion to animals and the environment
May I find time for calmness and renewal to sustain support for others
May I reflect on lifestyle to support life on Earth and our vulnerable eco-system
May I have the capacity to respond in a similar way
May I act out of compassion for others, like the Buddha suggested
May I see which actions will be beneficial and worthwhile during my day
APPRECIATIVE JOY
Appreciative Joy refers to the heart’s capacity to know happiness in a variety of experiences, secular, religious and spiritual. We have the potential to experience a deep happiness for the countless blessings in our life, the lives of others, humans and Gods. Gods refer to those beings with an elevated consciousness, who inspire us and show us ways to transcend mundane situations.
A deep joy can arise from the outcome of events, the variety of precious experiences that arise for others and oneself, often emerging from inter-action.
Mindfulness, meditation, reflection, receptivity of the senses and the capacity to listen to the heart prepare our being for the depth of the Divine. Appreciative joy nourishes heart and mind.
?The Buddha did not offer any methods or techniques to experience the Divine. God comes to us, so to speak, when obstructions and hindrances lose their grip over consciousness. S beautiful dye can change the colour of a stainless clothe like a purified heart/mind can abide in the Divine.
We find renewal through the depths of appreciative joy in countless ways. This joy in life through senses, insights, blessings and realisations also enables us to support others. We can then stay largely free from stress.
Meditation on Appreciative Joy
What do I deeply appreciate in this period?
Do I allow my heart to rest on a subject matter – a person, activity or place etc.?
What touches me?
Do I remain mindful and receptive to what I see, hear, smell, taste and touch?
Do I experience appreciative joy for events in the past, present and future?
Do I allow time for the heart to open and stay open?
Do I spend time in nature, silent retreats, arts and closeness with another or others?
Does happiness flow regularly through my whole being?
Do I welcome the joy of others?
Do I feel an authentic gladness for what others have accomplished?
Am I able to respond with happiness to a situation?
Can I learn to feel happiness more deeply and on more frequent occasions?
EQUANIMITY
Equanimity refers to the capacity to stay steady in challenging situations.
We may feel attracted towards a situation, object, story or stream of thoughts in our mind.
Equanimity means not to grab onto that attraction or impulse, when we know it will leader sooner or later lead to suffering.
We may feel aversion in a situation, object, story or stream of thoughts. Our mood may darken. Fear, resentment and blame may start filling up the heart and affecting perceptions.
Equanimity means not to grab onto such aversion in order to prevent suffering to expand further.
It is not easy to be as steady as mountain in a hurricane. In the depth of love, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity, we experience a divine abiding with a clear and expanded heart.
The Buddha took the view that the Gods abide with God. Such a divine abiding has a power and depth to it.
Some give a rather superficial interpretation to the four inter-connected divine realms. A short-lived feeling of kindness, act of compassion, appreciative joy or equanimity bears no relationship to abiding with God.
There is a depth and lasting power in abiding in the Divine. A divine equanimity is not easily knocked off balance. The Gods have little ego. The Gods express a remarkable clarity, integrity and heartful presence with very little few demands or reactivity.
Meditation on Equanimity
?May I stay steady in the face of the pull towards unhealthy habits and addictions
May I stay stead in the face of fears and blame
May I stay steady in the times of living with the unknown
May I find another (s) in whom I trust to share my experiences
May I remember to reflect on what I can learn from events
May I remember to breath in and out, long and deep, to dissolve reactivity
May I see clearly how equanimity supports clarity and integrity
May I recognise that equanimity allows me to be a stable figure for others in need of support
May I abide with presence and steadfastness
May all beings live with insight and wisdom.
The Buddha of Love
Published 2015
Christopher Titmuss
ISBN 978-1-326-14689-4
230 pages £9.95
Available on Kindle. £4.95.