USING VARIETY TO “FRESHEN UP” OUR MEDITATION – METTA INCLUDES COMPASSION

USING VARIETY TO “FRESHEN UP” OUR MEDITATION

METTA INCLUDES COMPASSION

Loving-kindness includes compassion, so you can use compassion to generate Metta. You look at that imaginary being and focus on its suffering, real or potential. You see the fact that it is subject to pain — not just physical pain but also the mental pain of loneliness and rejection. You see how very vulnerable it is. When I do this with my little imaginary kitten I always think that there’s no one else in the whole world to look after that small being. If I don’t look after it, if I don’t take it in, I just imagine what sort of death that little being is going to have — cold, rejected, hungry, thirsty and sick. When I start to see the suffering (the dukkha), in that being and how it is so vulnerable to pain, then straight away it encourages compassion in me towards it. I want to protect and care for it.

As soon as that compassion, that sense of looking after the little being comes up, it’s very easy at the same time to have loving-kindness, (which is basically goodwill). Compassion is goodwill towards someone who’s suffering. In this instance it’s goodwill to ease the suffering of that imaginary being, and if its not suffering, to make its happiness even more delightful. I deliberately generate feelings of goodwill, of kindness, of compassion and of care.

All of these words are centering in on this concept of “loving-kindness”, and I enter into a commentary with myself at this time, just imagining what might happen to that being, imagining looking after it, saying words of kindness, of protection. I do imaginary exercises like getting eye contact with that little being. When you can actually contact the imaginary being’s eyes it becomes very emotional. Then I just keep on developing those images. I continue that commentary until such time that the loving-kindness towards that imaginary being is really, really strong.

You will find — at least I find anyway — that it’s so much easier to light a fire of loving-kindness on such easy kindling. First of all, my imaginary kitten is a lovely furry animal. It’s imaginary, so I can make it whatever I want. It’s young. If it were actually real even little kittens can sometimes be pests. But if it’s imaginary you’ve got full control over it to make it as furry, or as soft as you like. It purrs at the right time, and it doesn’t poo on your lap. So you can do everything you want, just to make it a very nice little being. It’s imaginary. You’ve got control over it.