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How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice?

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 10:08 am
by Kabouterke
So, I have a question for those who do both vipassana and metta bhavana. How do you incorporate metta bhavana in your practice?

Do you do a few minutes at the end of each vipassana session?
Do you do metta in the morning, vipassana in the evening?
Do you alternate?
What do you do?!

:group:

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 10:17 am
by Ben
Morning and evening:
60 minutes vipassana
5 minutes metta bhavana

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 10:57 am
by Coyote
I do about 5 mins metta at the start of each of my meditation sessions (twice daily). Ordinarily that is 5 min metta + 25 min anapanasati/buddho + 15 min walking.
I have done a whole session practicing metta in the morning, followed by anapanasati later in the day. I find that quite a challenge so I only do it occasionally.

It's there to remind me of the purpose of the practice and settle the mind down.

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:32 am
by daverupa
I practice satipatthana throughout the day, and metta forms a common element of right intention in terms of action to do with other people. For example, speaking anything when mindfulness is present can be preceded by aligning the act with goodwill as part of the motive. In some cases this has even prevented certain speech acts. In any event, formal sitting practice with radiation of metta builds on this and feels to me somewhat akin to airing out a stuffy attic.

Just now in the States it's coming up on the 4th of July, a celebratory period with fireworks late into the night for a week or so in many places. (I live in Utah, which will see this happen again around the 24th of July.)

Where once these bursts of noise would have been distracting, interfering with sitting practice and sleep alike, with mindfulness the sounds now arise already colored with goodwill, such that the people enjoying the spectacles they're creating override 'the spectacle'; it becomes mere context for their joy rather than noise in and of itself.

(If the noise becomes shrill, as certain fireworks and children are bound to become, it's a matter of patient endurance where once whole narratives about "those disrespectful folk/my night" would have congealed. I have noticed, here, that anapanasati has prepared the ground a bit, making it easier to let go of what isn't happening right now in this breath, which has in turn made it easier to return to metta from such spikes of patience, as well as from heedlessness in general.)

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:43 am
by Ben
Nice post, Dave.

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:48 pm
by mettashade
At times, in the morning, as soon as I wake up, I try to incline my minds towards thoughts of metta, i.e, do some reflections to connect the heart to metta (instead of feeding the grumpy mind that is lazy to get up...). I relax the body, being aware of the body still lying in bed :):):) - pleasant feeling...

Then, I try to recollect, remember how is the mind when there is metta (when I did experience it previously): the mind is open, spacious. There is a quality of giving - offering sincere thoughts of loving-kindness, in an unconditional way. Wishing myself and others to be happy freely, without any condition, grasping or holding. Just offering thoughts of tender care and love... no matter what... So I try to direct the mind towards those thoughts and aspirations and nourish the intentions : may whatever I think, say and do today be motivated by metta, the expression of metta.

In the morning sitting, I used to do a few minutes metta before vipassana as one of the 4 guardian meditations. But at times, whenever needed, metta meditation could last more, 15, 30 minutes or even more. Presently, the metta practice comes naturally after the vipassana. After vipassana, the mind is clearer, purer. When there are fewer hindrances in the mind, there is more room for metta to flow naturally and freely.

When I did metta before as a guardian meditation, I would also shift to vipassana while practising metta if the mind finds out that there are hindrances. For example, once I was radiating metta to an 'ennemy'. As her face propped up in my mind and I was trying to send her metta (may she be well and happy...), feeling of aversion arose. So I noted them. They disappear, and thoughts became clearer. And there was feeling of fear. So I let myself be aware of the thoughts and observe the feeling of fear. After a while, it disappeared. I came back to the metta practise.

Then throughout the day, I try to send metta whenever I remember to do it : while queuing at the market (I see all the people who have the good kamma to be able to buy all these things, and wish they can buy whatever they need, that they may be well and happy ---- instead of nourishing thoughts like 'oh my gosh, exhausted by all this crowd!!!)

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 4:37 am
by kmath
Ajahn Amaro always says that you can practice metta while doing anapanasati. That is, by being less judgmental, more patient with yourself and more open to your experience! :heart:

Re: How do you incorporate metta in your meditation practice

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:45 am
by PimonratC
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This topic is a great guide for meditation. Thank you so much.

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