Metta is the Pali term for friendship or lovingkindness. In this retreat we will develop metta as a meditation practice which cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart, along with the practices of compassion, joy and equanimity. Metta practice leads to greater acceptance of ourselves and others, revealing our fundamental connectedness to all life.
Intensive metta practice can be challenging on many levels - body, heart and mind. One of the most supportive things we can do to deepen the intention of love and kindness is to consciously and deliberately relax; truly relax in mind and body.
Metta (loving kindness) practice leads us into the exploration of all of the heart's responses to life. Especially good grounds for understanding are in the experience of loving kindness, its near enemy of affection with attachment, and its far enemy of ill will.
Although metta practice can seem dualistic (me sending love to others) it is really an anatta practice that reveals the selfless nature of reality. The love that connects us isn't owned by anyone.
This talk includes two guided meditations: 1) metta towards self and 2) seeing ourselves as part of a lineage of benefactors-the love and caring we receive from others passing through us to those we care about and support.
