Lovingkindness Meditation

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." ~ Dalai Lama XIV

Spirituality is a very individual journey – there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. I opt for practices that are simple, portable, and leave me feeling loved and loving.

Lovingkindness Meditation does that for me. While it’s labeled “meditation”, it can easily be taken into the world and practiced in any moment.

It’s a simple series of phrases you repeat silently or aloud. Typically, there are several rounds - yourself, a loved one, an acquaintance, a “difficult” person, and all beings. I learned this version years ago from Roberta Hughes.

May I be free of fear and harm.

May I be happy as I am.

May I be at peace with whatever comes.

1. Offer the phrases first to yourself (you might imagine yourself as a child or visualize yourself in the mirror). Then hold the following in your mind and heart, and offer the phrases to each:
2. Someone you love dearly.  
3. A casual acquaintance (store clerk, someone you passed on the street, etc.).
4. Someone with whom you have a strained or challenging relationship.
5. All beings everywhere.

Change the phrasing to “work” in each instance, e.g., “May John be...”, “May the waitress be…”, May Susie be…”, “May all beings everywhere be…”.

You can’t mess it up – just offer lovingkindness wherever you’re called. It can be an “on-the-spot” offering, the list above, or a more expanded version. Alter the phrases until they feel “right” to you. Searching “Lovingkindess mantra” on the internet will yield many possibilties.

May we be free of fear and harm. May we be happy as we are. May we be at peace with whatever comes.