As practitioners, we must make choices about how we will engage with the world. Some will choose to withdraw. Others will recognize suffering and leverage their skills to help people. Only you can tell where you are on that spectrum of practice.
Right now, the people of Ukraine are fighting for their lives and their country. They are not alone in their struggle. There are many people facing conflict across the world. The images we see coming from Ukraine represent not just what is happening for Ukrainians. There is also suffering that we don't see.
As a starting place for how to be present and how to cultivate peace during all sorts of crises, I take up the practice of Loving-Kindness (Metta) meditation. I want to put it out there for anyone trying to find some direction about how to find peace and how to help.
Why bother meditating?
Suggesting to meditate at a time like this might seem hollow. I view this practice as a starting point for how to address suffering within ourselves and others. As Rex pointed out to me in our weekly meeting, “This is a practice, not an antidote.”
I'll put instructions for Loving-Kindness meditation in bold italics so you can try them. An explanation of each section follows. If you'd prefer to follow along with me in video format, check out the latest Mindful Minutes on Union Yoga's Instagram.
Find a comfortable meditation position. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Take a few conscious breaths and notice how you are feeling.
Compassion for yourself
Envision something that brings you joy. It may be a puppy or a laughing child. Notice how your body feels when you encounter this thing you love. Take a few breaths to allow that feeling to grow.
Say to yourself, "May I be happy. May I be well. May I be free from suffering." Spend a few cycles of breath allowing a sense of well-being to develop and grow.
It’s never a waste of time to cultivate peace within yourself. If we act out of anger or fear, our actions will contain the seeds of fear and anger. It is hard to move in the direction of peace like that.
Loving-Kindness meditation enables us to see our capacity to generate compassionate energy within ourselves. We also practice receiving feelings of loving-kindness. Just like athletes have aid teams that disburse water and energy packets during marathon events, so too we must also have ways to receive nourishment for our own well-being during this marathon of life.
Compassion for your loved ones
After allowing loving-kindness for yourself to grow, imagine it extending to someone you love and who loves you. Say to them in your mind, "May you be happy. May you be well. May you be free from suffering."
Allow a few breaths for loving-kindness to grow between you. You send out these compassionate thoughts, but you may also receive them.
When we have peace within ourselves, we can impact those around us. Likewise, we can receive the unconditional love of our dear ones, and this can be a great comfort during difficult circumstances.
Compassion for people we don’t know well
Envision an acquaintance or someone you interacted with for a short time. This could include someone you saw on the news or heard about in a story. Send compassion to the person, understanding that the individual may represent themselves, or they may stand for a group.
"May you be happy. May you be well. May you be free from suffering." Sit with the feelings that arise. Give life to this part of the meditation with your breath.
Here we move outside of our bubble. We can see that human beings - even those we don’t know well - have a desire for and a right to live peaceful lives. Some teachers and disciplines will say, “You are them.”
Compassion for people we find challenging
Bring to mind a person you find difficult. It could be a relative or that guy that jams the copy machine and leaves it. On a global scale, the person/ people you address may be someone causing immense suffering.
Notice the feelings that arise for you when this happens. If and when you are ready, you may send a wish for compassion to this person/ group as well. "May you be happy. May you be well. May you be free from suffering."
This part trips people up, so I’ve got to be clear. If someone is hurting you or hurting other people, then that is wrong. We are not excusing their actions when we include such a person in our loving-kindness meditation. Please do not mistake compassion for giving someone a pass.
Including difficult people challenges our practice. We may feel angry at this person. Do your best not to feed or bury your anger. Notice it. You may have to keep coming back to this person in later meditations if it is really difficult for you. You might have to pick someone who does not provoke such strong feelings while you are working on your loving-kindness skills.
There's also the idea that people can become consumed by their wrong perceptions. They might believe they’re doing the right thing. They might believe it so hard that they spread their wrong perceptions to others. In our meditation, we wish for them to become free of their wrong perceptions so that they will stop causing suffering.
Compassion for all beings everywhere
Imagine the light of loving-kindness enveloping the entire world. Every person, plant, and animal will be touched by this compassion.
"May all beings everywhere be happy. May all beings everywhere be well. May all beings everywhere be free from suffering."
Sit for a few breaths allowing this powerful intention to build and for this vision to come into focus.
This is a nod to our interconnectedness and a recognition that everyone should be able to live well and with ease. They should be able to be free and feel joy. It’s a beautiful vision and something worth trying for.
Set a powerful intention
After meditation, you may have a greater sense of clarity about what you can do to help the world around you. You might choose to support humanitarian efforts or use your special skills to reduce suffering. Maybe you realize that there's something you can do within your own home or neighborhood that would increase conditions for peace. We still need that too.
Perhaps, you do not have the financial or emotional means at the moment or you aren’t sure how to use your skills right now. That's okay too. Know that if you are creating a condition of peace within yourself, you are already moving things in the right direction.
Be safe, my friends. Take care.