Extending loving kindness meditation from the primary practice of ourselves and a chosen easiest being, we can open at times to include any dear friend whom also easily come to mind. At this stage of practice we are inclining out mettā practice to rest where mettā is easiest. This would be any beings for whom it is easy to see the good in them, and we easily feel warmth.
What is special about a 9-day Loving Kindness retreat? The form of Buddhist practice helps cultivate positive qualities of friendliness and kindness, it helps purify old habits of defensiveness and hostility, and it help cultivate samadhi (concentration).
In this 2 part guided meditation, we begin with recieving the loving care from someone who loves us in an uncomplicated way. Which could, include our pets, a spiritual figure, a teacher, etc. The 2nd part is offering love and care to ourselves including what we find difficult in ourselves.
In this talk from the first night of a weeklong silent retreat, Oren Jay Sofer explores mettā (lovingkindness) as both refuge and strength. Framing the Buddhist path as a practice of wise relationship, he offers several ways to cultivate mettā, inviting us to consider what it means to relate to life with warmth, steadiness, and care—even in a world of change and uncertainty.
