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  • How to Practice Buddhist Loving-Kindness Meditation. Metta bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation,

  • is one of the two simplest meditations in Buddhism. It helps develop positive feelings

  • towards all other living creatures. You will need Understanding and acceptance of what

  • you are going to do A place where you will not be interrupted A cushion A blanket A timer,

  • a meditation track on a music player, or a watch or clock and something pleasant to gaze

  • upon. Step 1. Find a position in which you can sit comfortably for the meditation. You

  • can kneel using a meditation bench, sit cross-legged on the floor, or sit upright on a chair. Use

  • a cushion to support your back if necessary, and wrap yourself in a blanket if you’d

  • like extra warmth. Step 2. Decide how long each of the five phases of the meditation

  • will be. Five minutes is a good length of time for beginners. Step 3. Set the timer

  • or select a track on your music player that corresponds to the length of time you have

  • chosen for the first phase. Step 4. To prepare yourself for the meditation, bring your awareness

  • into the present. For a few seconds, focus your gaze on something pleasant, like a plant,

  • statue of the Buddha, or pretty vase, to ground yourself in the present. Step 5. Close your

  • eyes and scan your body to become fully aware of it. Begin with your toes and move slowly

  • along your feet and up your legs, back, and pelvis, through your hands and arms, and finally

  • up to your neck and head. Step 6. Reflect on what you want to achieve from this meditation.

  • Maybe you want to reconcile yourself with a particular person. Then commit yourself

  • to practicing conscientiously. Step 7. Keeping your eyes gently closed throughout the practice,

  • begin to cultivate the feeling of loving kindness. There are many ways to do this. You might

  • recall previous times when the feeling arose, repeat a phrase that expresses loving kindness

  • (likemay I, you, or they be happy”), or imagine someone else communicating loving

  • kindness to you. Step 8. For the first phase of meditation, cultivate loving kindness towards

  • yourself. The way we feel about ourselves affects the way we treat others. Step 9. Many

  • people find it difficult to feel loving kindness towards themselves. Try imagining someone

  • who loves you expressing their love, and be completely open to this love. Step 10. For

  • the second phase, cultivate loving kindness towards someone for whom you already have

  • positive feelings—a social acquaintance, an admired colleague, a respected teacher,

  • or a close friend. Reflect on that person’s good qualities, or visualize him or her radiating

  • joy. Especially at first, it can be best to focus on someone who is just a friend, rather

  • than a parent, child, or partner, because family relationships and sexual attraction

  • can complicate your feelings. Step 11. For the third phase, cultivate loving kindness

  • towards a neutral person who triggers neither like nor dislike. This should be somebody

  • you know or see regularly, for example a neighbor you nod hello to but about whom you have no

  • feelings one way or the other. Step 12. For the fourth phase, cultivate loving kindness

  • toward a hostile person, someone with whom you currently have difficulties. Many people

  • find that when they practice metta bhavana for a hostile person, they find their relationship

  • with that person improved. Step 13. For the fifth phase, cultivate loving kindness toward

  • yourself, your friend, and your enemy at the same time. Step 14. Extend your loving kindness

  • outward until it reaches all living things. To do this, think of people in different locations

  • across the globe going about their lives in various ways. Step 15. When you have completed

  • the fifth phase, sit quietly for a few seconds and reflect on your experience of meditation.

  • Step 16. Return gently to your life in the outside world. Remember that loving kindness

  • is not only practiced in meditation but also in life. Did you know Metta, or loving kindness,

  • is one of the four brahma-viharas, or sublime states of mind.

How to Practice Buddhist Loving-Kindness Meditation. Metta bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation,

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