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Loving Kindness
 "When angry the first reaction is to pick-up a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at your enemy in hopes of causing as much harm as they caused you, yet the only person who is harmed is you by the hot coal and burns on your hands". Positive emotions such as compassion and loving-kindness can be trained with special meditation techniques, a study of 16 Tibetan monks by researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison found. Published recently in the journal PLoS One, brain imaging using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan the brains of the monks who all had at least 10,000 hours of meditation practice. The scans revealed that the limbic system of the brain responsible for emotions such as compassion showed significantly more activity among the Buddhist monks with many years of meditation practice. The monks were compared with a second group of 32 people, who two weeks earlier had been instructed for the first time in meditation techniques. In the instruction session, the novices were asked to think about someone they cared for such as their parents, siblings or a beloved person and to let the 'mind be invaded by a feeling of altruistic love'. In the resting or non-meditative state, the subjects were asked to remain relaxed with neither pleasant nor unpleasant feelings. The scans revealed significant activity in the brain's limbic system that supports functions such as emotions and behavior. The brain activity was, however, stronger among the meditating monks than in the control group, the researchers revealed. Within your own heart is a limitless source of supreme energy - the energy of love. No other force in the universe compares to it. The world's great spiritual traditions, both past and present, agree on this simple principle. Can love be harnessed and applied to others - used as a "tool" for changing lives? Lovingkindness Meditation teaches a traditional practice for cultivating love, and applying it as a life-changing force. Dating back 6,000 years, this practice is a timeless method for unlocking your heart's immense healing resources. Heal your own heart. Heal your relationships. Heal the world. Lovingkindness is something that all beings have, However, the degree to which we have obstructions within ourselves varies. Lovingkindness is not the same as love. Love has some self interest in it. Love has attachment in it. Often our love is conditional. We love people if they love us back. We are nice to them as long as they are nice to us. Lovingkindness has no conditions. Imagine for a moment that there is someone, anyone, who will love you no matter what your faults, no matter what your mistakes, who will not criticize you, who will not advise you about what you should or shouldn't do, but will accept you as you are? Wouldn't that be heavenly? Why is it that we can't show that unconditional acceptance and kindness to others? Why is it that we feel we have such an interest in whether or not people behave one way or another? It's none of our business, after all. Even our children have a right to decide for themselves how to live their lives. But for some reason, we feel it reflects upon us when they choose something different than what we would choose. Take your expectations of others out of the picture. Just love and accept people as they are. Their life lessons are just that: THEIRS. They will learn them without your help, but they will learn them better with your loving support. If you truly have lovingkindness toward yourself, you then can have it for others. Sadly, most of us don't truly love ourselves for who we are. We just believe about ourselves the things others believe. Get in a comfortable, relaxed position. Close your eyes. Calm yourself. Then repeat the following four phrases over and over again to yourself quietly, ten times, a hundred times, however long it takes for you to really feel that they are a part of you. "May I be safe from inner and outer harm." Keep repeating it over and over. I am serious, keep repeating it for as many times as necessary until you can say to yourself, "This really means something to me." Believe in your heart, feel it in your heart. Yes, I want to do this for myself. If you feel you don't want it or there is some obstruction, just recite and keep going, don't let your mind stop. Do not go on to the next line until you really feel this one in your heart. This should be a long-term practice. Just keep repeating it. You might start to feel bored, but this doesn't matter. Keep doing it anyway. You can also use other lines like "May I be happy and peaceful." or "May I be healthy and strong." or "May I be able to take care of myself joyfully." When it is time for you to eat your meal, say, "May all beings that suffered to bring this food be free of their suffering. May they be filled with lovingkindness." If you meet another being as you go throughout your day, say, "May you be safe from inner and outer harm. May we all be filled with lovingkindness. May all beings live in peace and harmony." No matter what spiritual tradition you embrace, you can benefit from the meditative practice of lovingkindness. It will enrich your inner and outer life without measure.  |
Jodiefloss |
Latest page update: made by Jodiefloss
, Sep 6 2009, 12:52 PM EDT
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