Goofaholix wrote:The idea is to generate a feeling of lovingkindness, this is your primary object, just focus on the feeling and use that feeling to create more of a sense of lovingkindness.
tiltbillings wrote:The simplest thing to do is write your own practice.
I agree. The Suttas say what the result is:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .amar.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings; Radiating kindness over the entire world: Spreading upwards to the skies, And downwards to the depths; Outwards and unbounded,
It's up to the practitioner to figure out how to cultivate that boundless heart radiating kindness. The point is the boundless heart. Whether this is better developed by initially expressing loving kindness towards yourself , then moving to others (as in the commentaries) or visualising a kitten (as recommended by some modern teachers) to bring up the feeling is a matter of experimentation. As Goof says, in the end it's the feeling one generates that is important, not some particular wording, which, in my experience, can be dropped once one brings up the feeling.
I once attended a coupe of sessions with Bhante Aggacitta
http://www.bodhikusuma.com/metta/bhante_aggacitta.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; who guided us through several of the popular approaches, then asked us all to comment on what we found most helpful. It was fascinating to hear how different participants found different approaches more helpful.
Mike