Ross- my Skillful Intentions
METTA RETREAT, my notes
IMS, Metta Practice
* “May” 1 st insight Understanding this is setting the intention, the unconditional wish for myself. It is very important to develop this intention, not to empty of meaning or willful forceful before going further
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“I” Making felt contact with myself (earth element, image, felt sense of hugging myself). “I” is the connection with my true self, “may Ross” or “may we, true friend”, this has to be felt in the being or body (ground element in the hips / spine) before going further.
* “May I be safe, from inner and outer harm”; accept w/o judgment any feelings that arise in the body (fear etc.)
* “May I be happy and peaceful” is the strongest phrase.
* Energy development:
Posture
Mindfulness of the mood,
Emotions felt in the body, i.e. fear of the day
Breathe Shorter
Speed up the words
Touch and go, the sensations of the various body contact points
Slow the phrase down,
Aim- at the start of the breath with the word
Contact- follow the breath to its end
See the words, May---i, be---happy, and---peaceful
Change the phrase, i.e. may we, true friend be happy and peaceful
Posture, straight, relaxed and balanced
Breathe Longer
Body awareness that are associated with the words
Benefactor or friend “May Chandrani”, “may Fred”, “may Randy”
* “be happy” (1 st & 2 nd jhana) in/out breath, bring the awareness to the chest, feel the happiness of looking at the tree in Sri Lanka or walking in the country at IMS
* “and peaceful” (3rd & 4 th jhana)in/out breath, bring the awareness to the eyes and lips
* Dhamma will then guide the intention of the mind
* Watch only the thoughts perceptions, concepts, opinions formed by the mind with I / my clinging
* Watch only the thoughts formed by my intentions or investigation of the Dhamma also living and working.
Michael & Steve Smith: Metta Practice
Gentle Determination
“May I be safe from inner and outer harm”
“May I be happy of heart and peaceful of mind”
“May my body be healthy and strong”
“May I take care of myself easily”
Loving kindness (self acceptance) “May I be safe”,
Compassion (love w/o clinging) “I care about your pain”,
Appreciative joy (w/o aversion) ”may you continue to be successful”
Equanimity (w/o struggle) “things are as they are”
Other “let I go” feel and be with the body. Be able to sense the earth, water, air, and heat element in the body.
Sitting , Sense of being present with the earth element of the body in the sitting posture. Follow the flow of the in and out breath, from the hips, spine to the head and then back down the spine to the anus.
Walking metta walking is different the mindfulness walking. Speed does not matter, just the connection to myself and understanding and feeling the meanings of the phrases. Feel the metta feeling in the spine. If the phrase becomes heavy in the mind stop, relax, and release. Then restart, do not have a wide field of vision or distracting sights and sounds, just the same distance and repetition with the interest in connect with the self and understanding the phases.
Sat pm DT 2-02-02, Expect no results just work with the phrases. The gentle tender wish for ourselves, not attached to the results. The image of the cow and her calf, we can be both to ourselves.
Safe – (from delusion, greed & hatred.
Happy – deepest happiness / love.
Healthy – A pure wish which has no attachment to the out come or aversion.
Take care– OK to reframe the lines if there is attachment or aversion in the present situation with the phrase or person
Use the person and phrase that is easiest to work with first. (Living ) Chandrani, Fred, Randy, Aunt Dorothy Connecting is what matters, not who or what, toy etc. Look for the best in the other person, like a flower or diamond viewed from the best angle. We become the benefactor or friend to our selves.
Keep the phrases going with an open mind.
When the concentration & energy are low, shift to a friend or a benefactor, or use a deferent phrase, or mindfulness practice of mind states and body feelings, or walking metta.
Loving-kindness is a purification:
Lack of attention/concentration/energy 1 st aim and rubbing, stick with it, 2 nd switch to another phrase and or person, 3 rd mindfulness of body feelings and mental formations, 4 th breathing awareness or faster / slower, 6 th sleep! Send the judge or critic metta.
Steps,
1- Say a phase to the myself
2- Understand the phrase.
3- Connect the phrase with feeling
4- Experience the metta
Be patience, it may take awhile.
Sat DT, June 02, tape ; Michele Smith, does metta work
The pure wish of metta, and being aware of making firm ideal or concepts.
Gentle tender new born heart
Well wishing w/o much attachment
Purity is the lack of concern for the results
Relationship with one of the phrases
Be both parent and child, shift back and forth
What is a pure wish? What is the deeper understanding of the phrase?
We have enough! It is already here, inside us!
You can work with all 4
Washing the heart with soapy water, the dirt will come out as the heart is cleansed. If overwhelm or a weakening is the concentration energy starts switch to an easier object or phrase, if required go back to the body scan, breath or posture to regain the concentration energy. You are not weak this happens to all meditators.
Basic/core phrases of self-acceptance i.e. ‘may I be happy just as I am’, w/o guilt or resentment.
Sometimes the perceive message was that we did not deserve love and acceptance.
‘may I be peaceful with what ever is happening’ not about fixing rather accepting myself just as I am.
Mentor/benefactor: usually an older person or use a dear friend, reflect on their good qualities. Some one who we felt a strong connection with, a sense of unconditional acceptance. Who often could really see us w/o a lot of judgement
Auditioning, see the different person’s face. It is the connecting with what/who that counts.
Practice is not an end point. Be patient, with myself and others.
Touch and go, difficult emotions or people. Stay with the object of meditation, when negative experiences arise shift to an easier object. We look for the best in the object of meditation.
We slowly move toward being our own best friend vs. our own worst enemy.
Surrender to the practice w/o expectation and keep it going.
Sun am, June 3/01 THE METTA WISH/BLESSING
The metta feeling may be none, quiet, warm or changing. Note the feeling that arises inside myself from my understanding of the phrase.
Work with the easiest phrase first.
It is ok if it feels like a robot.
The phrase can be shorten or slowed down or varied or changed for a different one.
The energy/concentration will vary through the am/pm of the day and from day to day.
The intention of wanting to do it is enough.
Concentration- Metta setting, move if there is physical pain unlike vipassana where we sit with it and watch the pain.
Investigate the emotion in the texture/mood form in the mind and the sensations in the body.
If thoughts and emotions are not coming up around the phrase or person that is fine.
Clear, sincere, reaction of full metta phrases adds new and larger pathway in the
PATIENCE, Sun pm
Can be a cultivated practice and developed like metta.
Love supports patience, takes and interest in it, acceptance with an open heart w/o fighting or resistance.
Forbearance- restraint to be with our own irritation, not giving in to wanting or becoming.
Rather be present to ‘what is this’ or stop, relax and release.
With practice the phrases are not as important as the felt quality of there meaning.
Seeds first grow under ground,
1 st cultivate the ground with gathering the energy, by the awareness of the posture, the breath and the body scan.
2 nd sow the seeds of concentration, slowly say the phrases with the rhythm of the breath, see the words.
3 rd grow the experience of the wisdom in the personalized and understood meaning of the phrase by drawing on the details of pasted memories.
4 th cultivate and share the harvest
Rebecca- image, phrase, meaning, Ross- relax and open
DULLNESS, Mon am
Worked through with metta to benefactor ‘may I be happy and peaceful’
Metta feeling id the essence of the experience happy and peaceful are the object. Stay with the lifting experience.
Allow the jhanas to develop and stay with ‘be happy and peaceful.
Trauma- sit walk, sit walk, space, sit walk
Compassion and equanimity practice , have compassion for my pain.
Acknowledge that the pain is there.
‘I care about the pain’ [emotional and physical], ‘I care about the sadness / fear’
The wrong message we often got is that ‘we were not good enough’, ‘we must be different’.
We want unconditional love, wisdom is the deeper understanding and acceptance is love.
Love and wisdom come together, the mindfulness develops wisdom, and it drops out if the interest is lost.
The mindfulness of metta. Put the light on the doubt.
There is more then one dark night of the soul.
The model of up/down 90’ and out is not the way it is.
We do not like the purification; we like purity, death not dying.
Transfer the fleet of fright, to mindful acceptance.
Words, phrases, connecting to someone, some thing
"TRY NOT TO EXPECT ANYTHING IN THIS WAY EVERTHING WILL OPEN UP TO YOU."
JHANAS, Mon pm
Purpose of metta is the development and strengthening of friendliness or unconditional love to myself.
The phrases them selves are not what are important – self-friendliness is.
When we fill up one area or space within i.e. peace and happiness, spills over into another area i.e. healthy and strong, safe from harm, or taking care of self.
1 st connect and sustain the attention on the object of concentration, delight, rapture, contentment, one pointed concentration.
The main enemy- attached/ conditioned love.
Metta is not to disappear pain, but to experience and heal it, to love and to feel we belong.
Walking, ‘may I be well’, ‘may you be well’, ‘may we be well’
Bedtime, ‘may I be happy, may you be happy, may we be happy’
Tue am June 5-01
Do not move forward fast; work with the benefactor or myself first. Find the beautiful angle of self or other. Image of self / bring a picture / toy.
‘may I be happy just as I am’; ‘may I love myself completely’.
Connect with the feeling / experience the swirling light
If it is difficult to connect with the I, use may ross, may I, true friend, may I, trusted friend, or remove the self- safe, happy healthy.
We tent to not look la attachment [desire of metta]
Moment of purity, non-contracting mind- this allows defilements to arise
With interest and equanimity [let it be] we just watch the desire the desire arise.
The outcome of the practice is to reduce delusion, attachment and aversion.
Dream connect with the feeling and the details, do not conceptualize it
Interview, Tue am
Purpose: cultivate a deeper sense of friendliness and acceptance of myself by using the metta phrases, when a rock is found us vipassana to experience it, to understand it
‘may I be happy and peaceful of heart, ‘may I be healthy and strong of body’ “may I live a simple life w/o too much attachment or aversion” “may I experience all of my feelings”, ‘may I accept all of my negative and positive characteristics more equally’
COMPASSION, Tue pm [Rebecca]
‘may I care about my pain’ ‘may I care about your pain’
When I first wake up in the morning reestablish the connection with myself, work with the metta phrases. Accept all mental/physical formations/objects of experience
Steve, Wed am , [spiritual work not linear, spiritual work is up and down]
Metta causes a sense of space and expansion, like the ocean when we begin to ride the waves of metta
1 st Feel the connecting within myself
2 nd Then investigate the phrases of compassion, joy for others, equanimity
3 rd Allow other phrases to start with metta
4 th Then apply to suffering compassion, joyful connection with others
In the day always do yourself first, ‘may I be safe’, compassion- ‘I care about you/your suffering, joy for others- ‘may you continue to meet with success/happy and peaceful
With difficult aspects of self and others, we go deeper into myself- 5 aggregates- contact, feeling, concept, response
First- ‘may I’ experience the grounding in the hips, spine, legs
Second- ‘be happy’ experience the openness of the heat and chest
Third- ‘be peaceful’ experience the releasing of the mind
The practice is being a beginner, beginner, be open and accept my neediness, be patience, relax and go back to experiencing connecting with my whole self,
Group Interview with Steve, Wed am
Retreat are about change/growth not pleasure
Metta walking meditation : guard the view of vision, the visual field, 10 laps- affect visual & phrases, stop look around with metta feeling of connectedness, let the seeing come to you. Go at any speed for concentration, contact & feeling. Walking metta: experience the connection with your whole self & feeling metta, repaet and experience the phrases.
Vipassana walking meditation : [feel the sensations] The whole body first and then lower the experience to the feet, with time and change the speed often. The Dhamma chose what to work with and when to work with it.
Hold one’s self as a third person i.e. ross, we, child, body cell level
Metta Body Scan lightly feel the general body form and internal organs and send them metta and compassion.
Equanimity: we as best we can the suffering & compassion. ‘I am to be loved again and again’
The teaching content and the style is of greater importance than the teacher, respond from the bone marrow.
Exercises: ‘accepting things as they are’, ‘may I take things lightly’, ‘things are as they are
DO NOT PRETEND EVERYTHING IS OK, BE REAL! JUDGMENT IS NEUTRALIZED BY GRATITUDE, Wed pm
4 th Jhana ‘may we true friend, be mindful, someday we will desolved back from where we came’.
Each day if we practice forgiveness and loving kindness to our selves we will grow spiritually.
"IF WE DO NOT CONNECT WITH LOVING KINDNESS THE EGO GROWS"
EQANIMITY- Michele, Thu am
Equanimity- the reaction to the injustices or indifferences, ‘things are as they are’ this Bharama Vihara require the most understanding
Foregiveness- start with a neutral person, then to others, the to self, -+ experiences
Energy & Concentration brings meaning to the phrases, but it is still helpful to keep the phrases going when it seems dry. Change is still happening also helpful to experience the dryness in the practice at that time.
CAUSE AND EFFECT, Viradhammo Retreat: (Investigating how the mind works)
Interest, Causes Mindfulness and Concentration
Awareness 1 st, Allowing 2 nd, Knowing 3 rd Understanding? Before there can be letting go. The sense of being is due to material (physical) and immaterial (consciousness). 6 Senses i.e. The eye (material) + the object (material) + the consciousness (immaterial) causes seeing contact.
Contact can cause or arise from contact:
* Non-interest (ignorance),
* Clinging (desire) to pleasant (greed),
* Clinging (desire) to unpleasant (hatred).
Which can produce unwholesome intentions in the form of thoughts, words, and actions.
At the retreat investigate: How we are always becoming? How do the feelings come into existence? Where does the desire come from?
“Try not to expect anything, in this way everything will open up to you”
Let go of clinging to anything and use metta to first access the jhanas 1 to 4. In the 4 th jhana set the intention for the mind and do the investigation into cause and effect (watch the mind).
Walking Meditation: Disinterest in the breath, Body Scan, 10 to 20 steps.
Normal Speed , 5-10 min Left, Right, Feel the entire body and the movement of the legs. The main thing is the feeling of the movement.
Medium Speed , feel the sensations of Lifting, Placing. Take shorter steps with disinterest in hearing and seeing. If noting is used make it very light and soft.
Slow Speed , feel the sensations of: Lifting, Moving, Placing
Finish on the foot completely, before shifting the weight and interest to the other foot
CHANDRANI, METTA PRACTICE
* Repeat one line at a time with the rhyme of the breath for myself first, i.e. “May I be w/o anger and desire”
* Feel the compassion (love w/o desire), within me (breath may not be strong so let it go) focus on / look for and strengthen the experience / feeling inside.
* Wait for but do not expect the jhana / sign, if it is weak relax and go back to the gentle intention to the mind, i.e. “May I be w/o anger and desire”.
* If the jhana / sign is strong as each object of experience arises, thoughts, images, emotional feelings, physical feelings, sights, sounds, smells, tastes.
* Check if the object of experience disturbs the mind / breaking the meditation or if the compassion consciousness is still strong.
* When I have full compassion for all of the objects of experience that arise from the six senses feeding the 5 aggregates of contact, feeling, perceptional / conceptual thought, habitual / volitional response, consciousness / cognition, then I send it to others as I hold the in my mind &heart.
* Next repeat steps 1 to 7 with each of the others:
* Experience fully, “loving kindness” for self then others, i.e. a poor, dirty sick person I would help (good energy & colors come).
* Experience fully, “joy for self” then others, i.e. worst enemy wins a $1,000,000 I would be glad for them, as I would be for myself.
* Experience fully, “equanimity”, Balanced state of mind for my self an then send it to others (one or all)
* Mics: Bring compassion (love w/o desire i.e. Buddha vs. Brigitte) to the six senses which feed the thought, feelings, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting.
* The four pillar of protection around me: Qualities of Buddha, Metta, 32 Body parts, Death contemplation.
Stop, breath in long and out long! Relax the body! Release, dullness, clinging, fear from the mind! |
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Investigation of the breath + posture, Relax the body |
Posture (settling in) Find the joy in the spine |
1 st Inquiry of the Bodies(rupa) Body Contact |
Find the breath, the spine, and the 3 defilements |
Earth – hardness, firmness, solid, straightness |
Vitality in the spine & allowing the body to relax |
Air – lightness, movement, Water (see below) |
Experience the solid sensation of the spine |
Water – flow, cohesiveness |
Gratitude & Interest |
Heat – varying degrees of cold, cool, warm, hot |
6 Senses (awareness) |
Internal: eye, ear, nose, tongue body mind External: shape, sound, odor, flavor, sensation, think |
Is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting by the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body being known? |
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Is dullness, attachment, or aversion in the mind? |
2 nd Inquiry, of Feeling / Sensation (vedana) |
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Feeling tone : unpleasant, pleasant, neither |
Body (the impermanent nature)Focus on this |
Air blowing on the body, pleasant do I cling to it wanting more? What is this? It is changing, non-self, unsatisfactory |
This body is of the nature to be injured, get sick, age, diseased, die Some day this body will be a corpse |
Easy! Just watch all feelings rise and fall |
Meanings and other similar words
Well wishing