Just a Little Loving Kindness

As of late, I am definitely feeling discouraged with society a bit. The amount of racism, sexism, and general douchbaggery I see, read and hear on a daily basis is flabergasting. The province I just moved from held a referendum on separating from Canada, and although that motion failed, some of the extremely racist questions still got approval. The rhetoric coming from the states is always alarming and it seems even more so right now.

I am studying the yamas and niyamas again and we just finished ahimsa, or non-violence. And I am going to frame ahimsa as compassion. If we can not see ourselves in others, than we fail to miss our common humanity, which an only do harm. If we fail to see our interconnection with the other life on our planet, and the planet and stars themselves, we forget our place and no longer take care of our precious goldilocks world.

So it is a call to action to be better to each other. Do good. Be kind. Sharon Salzberg reminds us to do the good in front of us even if it is small. She calls us back to the Buddhist practice of metta meditation where we hold a place for all beings to be happy and free. And that is this months mantra.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Clearly I stole this meme, but it works.

May all beings be happy and free. You can hear me chant it here 108 times. In mediation this month we will be focusing on this practice too. We will hold space for others and gentelness for ourselves. We will practice forgiveness and uncodtional love. It is simple but can provide the foundation for a life long practice.

Metta meditation often takes the form of starting with your self. May I be safe, happy and free. I feel like in the western popularized practice it seems to end here. As I looked for images and ideas they were all self focused. Odd to me. The next level is holding a space for those you love and your friends. Then people you don't know well or at all, and then lastly, for beings with whom you disagree or dislike. Your "enemies". I actually think this is where the most work in western society needs to be done. Can we wish peace and hapiness to those who are different and believe in different things. Who have more or less money, who have different cultural practices.

So that is the call is to put more of loving kindness out in the world. We starte with ourselves and move outward. We do the good infront of us even if it is small. I see connection between myself and the other (another gift of my stroke, for both my husband and I. The hospital shows our comonality around every corner.)