Shri Jagat Singh Bisht
(Master Teacher: Happiness & Well-Being, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Author, Blogger, Educator, and Speaker.)
☆ Meditate Like The Buddha #5: Cultivate Loving Kindness ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆
Lesson 4
Cultivate Loving Kindness
You have learned and practised sitting in a stable posture for meditation, watching your breath, and experiencing and relaxing your body as you breathe in and out. Once your body is relaxed and your mind calm, the next step is to devote time to cultivating feelings of loving kindness and compassion for all living beings.
Towards the end of your meditation, set aside five to ten minutes to wish happiness and peace for everyone. Make this an integral part of your daily practice before rising from meditation.
Understanding Loving Kindness
Loving kindness is the heartfelt desire for the welfare and happiness of all beings. The practice of loving kindness meditation, known as metta bhavana, nurtures feelings of friendliness, goodwill, and non-violence in your heart, while dispelling anger, hatred, and negativity.
With a pure heart, free from ill-will and hatred, recite these wishes:
- “May all creatures, all living things, all beings one and all, experience good fortune only. May they not fall into harm.”
Cultivate goodwill and friendliness towards all beings, whether big or small, strong or weak—birds, animals, insects, and human beings alike. Pray for the welfare of all:
- May all be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.
- Let there be no pain, misery, or suffering in the universe.
- May all be free from disease.
The Transformative Power of Loving Kindness
As you develop feelings of love, kindness, altruism, and compassion, negative emotions like hatred, animosity, and ill-will gradually fade. Your heart fills with warmth and generosity. This practice fosters peace and tranquillity within and creates positive energy around you.
Make loving kindness a regular feature of your meditation routine. When you wish others well, you cultivate serenity in your own mind.
Sending out vibrations of loving kindness and compassion completes and enriches your meditation practice. It’s a simple yet profound act: with a still mind, wish happiness, peace, and the end of suffering for all sentient beings.
The Four Divine Abodes
Loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity are known as the four divine abodes. These sublime and noble qualities provide a foundation for how we interact with all living beings and offer answers to the challenges we face in life.
- These are the great removers of tension, the great peacemakers in social conflicts, and the great healers of the wounds borne in life’s struggles.
- They purify the heart and transform undesirable qualities such as delusion, greed, and negativity into states of positivity and balance.
- They help heal anger, hatred, loneliness, sorrow, and unhealthy attachments.
Closing the Practice
Conclude your session by wishing:
- May all be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.
Gently open your eyes and emerge from meditation, carrying forward the feelings of loving kindness and compassion into your daily life.
© Jagat Singh Bisht
(Master Teacher: Happiness & Well-Being, Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Author, Blogger, Educator, and Speaker.)
Founder: 
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≈ Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈
Simply written but deeply meant !
Thank you very much,
Saswati.
I am grateful.