This post is part of our weekly series of peacemaking practices during the Season of Nonviolence.
When I consider the pain and suffering in our world, I feel overwhelmed, afraid, helpless, frustrated, lost, and in grief and disbelief. I need the madness to stop. But I, myself, can’t make it stop. Still, I need something I can do. I need simple, compassionate, and doable strategies—many small ways in which I can bring peace into my life and perhaps into the life of others. Kindness is one answer. And one way to practice kindness is with the Metta Meditation.
Metta is a Pali word that means lovingkindness. The Metta Meditation is a heartfelt wish or prayer to offer lovingkindness to ourselves and all beings.
Here is one example:
May I be filled with kindness for my heart.
May I be healed.
May I find what I need.
May I be happy, peaceful, and free.
The Metta helps us wake up—to remember—that we are already connected to everything and everyone. Its beauty lies in how it’s said. It’s repeated five times. Once for ourselves, once for someone we love, once for someone in our community, once for someone with whom we struggle, and once for all beings.
Many people struggle to say the Metta for themselves. If this is true for you, try saying it for someone you love first. Picture them in your mind and heart while you say the words. Then imagine that they say these same words to you.
Others find it difficult to say the Metta for someone with whom they struggle. To be honest, I found this difficult myself. But the value in this part is in seeing that person as a person and not as a difficulty; to realize that they want peace as much as I do. I may not agree with their strategies, but I understand what it’s like to want peace.
It turns out that kindness is the home of a simple kind of peace. It brings a spacious, comforting, and cozy feeling that assures us we are doing something, and are making a difference.
