Kate Lila Wheeler talks about Kindness for All Beings. She asks us to extend our love in all directions and to all living beings, with whom we share this planet Earth with.
[ai_playlist id=”201185″]
Kindness For All Beings by Kate Lila Wheeler:
You may like to start by sensing your body or physical posture. Remembering the invitation to be somewhat comfortable in body and mind. So, there’ something you’d like to adjust or relax. And settling the mind as best as you can, and comfort. Letting go of the past, the future, everything that isn’t the – of – has said. Let’s just, for this period, our intention collectively is to work with opening our hearts and mind with kindness. So, there’s a kind of devotion and dedication to the practice that we can establish, respecting our wish to grow in this way. So, letting yourself feel the goodness of that, intention of that, collective energy.
It might be worth recalling all the effort that you’ve made over these past days. All the energies of this group and all those who have benefited us and supported us, making it possible for us to be here in this peaceful place.
And let yourself see which person would be the one that is easiest for you in this session to offer your good wishes to. Just trusting whatever appears in your mind as this is where you’d like to start. You can be begin by offering the phrases to this being whether its yourself or the benefactor. The dear being, that wonderful, neutral being. Maybe it’s even your dearest enemy, your challenging person who for some reason seems easiest for you today.
See if you can recognize the goodness in the heart of this being as if you’re speaking heart to heart with them, trusting the goodness in yourself, the goodness in this practice, and the goodness or potential goodness in them. Gathering your attention on to whatever your chosen phrases might be, wishing well to this being. It’ll be quiet now for some time while you practice, or we all practice, and then speak about adding some other beings. Just see if you can trust your wish of love and happiness for yourself, for this other being, more than you trust whatever sense of separation that comes in.
(long pause)
So as you’re on practice, you know how to work with the feelings that come, whether it’s returning to wishing love and kindness for yourself, or receiving a little more (excuse me) radiance of the benefactor. If you would like to switch beings at this point, from whoever was easiest to a different category—trusting your intention and wish, to include more and more beings in your well wishing, you could do it now. You don’t have to banish being number one. You can be around as you bring another character into the foreground of your practice. Gathering your attention on each phrase, offering it to them freely with an open heart. Trusting the goodness in yourself in that other being and in the practice.
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
(long pause)
Now, on this period in the retreat yesterday, ___ offer the opening to groups. So, you’d like to include everyone in the retreat, everyone in this room now in your practice. Letting your attention open and sensing the space in the room around you. The beings in front of you, and behind you. All of us, practicing loving kindness together. Offer your phrases to all of us, including yourself. Almost like a form of – on. And you can have a sense that the intention is shared and empowered by all of us doing it together. So, may we be safe, happy, healthy, live with ease. Gently allowing your own mind to configure this wishes in its own way.
Including all the beings inside Meditation Society and the other rooms inside this building. Maybe if you – small forms that are – in the basements, or sleeping under the snow. Offering your wish of kindness and love.
Anytime you need to, or wish to, you can come back to yourself, or to one of the, any of these faces of this practice, or you could allow the scope of your well wishing or let’s say, our collective well wishing to increase… so one of the teachers here said, it’s like taking the curtain off your heart. Letting this loving wish extend in all directions. To all living beings, say for now all of who share the planet earth, all of us may we be safe, may our hearts and mind be happier, at peace, may we be healthy, may we live with ease.
You can see yourself among the beings, you can see your dear ones and benefactors’ sense of dearness and the benefactors of all of us. And also distant beings and beings in different faces of their lives, those born and to be born. Those who were near the end. May all beings be safe.
—
If you liked this recording and would like to make a direct financial contribution to this teacher, please contact them here: http://katewheeler.com/index.php?page=contact
—
Material on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
Find more mindfulness exercises related to loving kindness, compassion, and heart practices here.
Find more exercises about mindfulness meditation techniques here.
