Week 4 Loving- Kindness to someone with whom you have a difficulty
“Difficult people are a gift in disguise because they allow us to practice forgiveness and compassion.”
—Unknown
Now our Metta practice digs deeper this fourth week. Hopefully you have been completing the practice for the past three weeks. Even if you are just turning to this now, read through the past few weeks, and understand that this practice begins with the individual, you. Before we can begin to include others, we must begin with compassion for ourselves.
Start by saying these words to yourself:
May I be safe
May I be healthy
May I be happy
May I be at ease
May I be filled with loving-kindness
May I be peaceful
Sit for 30 seconds and feel the power of the words, let them fill your heart.
Moving on with the practice, recall a person that you have had a disagreement with, or feel slighted you, or even disappointed you. Not the most difficult person in your life but someone that has left you with feelings of anger, or sadness. The key here is to recognize that just like you they have feelings and needs, and just like you they want to feel safe and loved. Now try to picture them in your mind’s eye and say these words to them:
May you be safe
May you be healthy
May you be at ease
May you be filled with loving-kindness
May you be peaceful
Sit quietly again, even 30 seconds, just notice how you feel.
This time it may not elicit feelings of warmth and love in you to say these words to them. As we build this practice, in time it becomes more instinctive. Changing the way we think takes time, patience, and commitment.
Three times a day, a small step to creating a more compassionate world.