Had the pleasure of making it down to the Tibet House last night to see Sharon Salzberg, a truly inspirational figure in the world of Eastern Philosophy. She led guided meditations on Metta, the pali word for loving kindness, and also guided the beginners through basic vipassana meditation. Sitting with a wonderful teacher after a long drought was just what I needed.
Mindfulness meditation involves resting the mind, loosening the grip of emotions, fear, misconceptions, and preconceptions on an experience; discovering the quality of awareness in the present moment, not thinking about the past and what could have been, or the future and what might or might not happen. I have studied under different lineages of Buddhism, both Tibetan and Zen; this is a universal truth of both; the most basic essence of this practice; training the mind.
Here is a copy of the Metta Sutra, or teaching, courtesy of the big man himself, The Buddha.
Metta Sutra
The Buddha’s Words on Lovingkindness
This is what should be done
By those who are skilled in goodness,
And who know the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways,
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: in gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born—
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world,
Spreading upward to the skies,
And downward to the depths;
Outward and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down,
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.
Another interesting fact, the Swahili word for journey is Safari. I assumed it was a word made up by American travel agents to capture the mood of spending lots of money.
