Metta Prayers

In response to one of my last posts, a reader named Jan Lundy sent the following nice comment:

“I so appreciate this post and the heart and candor you put into your writing. I also appreciate the prayer you’ve shared by Rabbi Rami. Yes, may we pray for all those who are suffer through the loss of a loved one. For all those who suffer. Whatever beads we use, prayer forms we use (I do metta), may our hearts be inclined toward the One within the all. May you be blessed…”

I had never heard of “metta” – at least not by that name. So I emailed Jan back and asked for an explanation and how it might be prayer bead friendly. I got such a great and informative response, I asked Jan’s permission to share with you. Here is some of what she said:

“Metta is a form of loving-kindness prayer/meditation rooted in the Buddhist tradition. It is very powerful and transformative. Because so many of the beloved Buddhist teachers today use and teach metta in an inter-spiritual way, the practice is finding its way into many hearts.”

The she provided this link for a description of metta. Then she continues:

“I wrote about my ‘discovery’ of this prayer practice in my book, Your Truest Self. If you are open to those of other traditions, you may find it quite lovely. It would work well with prayer beads…

“As for myself, I was raised in the Christian tradition, but today consider myself a truly inter-spiritual person with definite Eastern leanings. I am an Interfaith Spiritual Director trained through the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, MI,  a blessedly, open and hospitable learning environment. I often teach “metta” in my classes there and even offer it on retreats for Christian women—if they are open to it.”

Jan included her website, her blog, and sent me this wonderful excerpt of the book:

Exerpt from Your Truest Self

©2008, Janice Lynne Lundy

On metta…..

As I am learning from Mari, openheartedness to others can only happen in proportion to how openhearted we are to ourselves. She speaks to me of gentleness, kindness, self-compassion. There is a pattern here, a strong and sturdy thread of truth that weaves through all our languaging and traditions. No matter whether we call ourselves Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Sufi —or “nothing in particular, and at the same time everything,”as Mari does—it is all the same. Our journey into thesacred begins with our relationship with ourselves and ripples out from there. What other practices can we do to keep our hearts open to others? None, until our own hearts are open to what lies within them.

Metta, from the Buddhist tradition, is one such practice for the purpose of cultivating lovingkindness for ourselves and others. We begin by directing metta—lovingkindness—to ourselves first. Sitting quietly, we can mentally repeat, slowly and steadily, the following or similar phrases: “May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.”1

Lovingkindness meditation consists primarily of connecting to the intention of wishing ourselves and others happiness. After a period of directing lovingkindness toward ourselves, we then bring to mind a dear one, someone in our life for whom we care deeply. We slowly repeat phrases of lovingkindness toward them:

“May you be happy.

May you be well.

May you be safe.

May you be peaceful and at ease.”

In time, we will find ourselves able to send our lovingkindness to others— friends, neutral others, difficult others, even enemies.

Finally, we direct lovingkindness to every single human being on earth. Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg tells us that this practice proceeds in a very structured way. Through repetition, with time and grace, “We open up our limits and extend our capacity for benevolence,” she says. “Through the power of this practice, we cultivate an equality of loving feeling toward ourselves and all beings.”2

I love this idea – that we have to direct the loving-kindness (the prayer) to ourselves before we can send it to another and then out to the whole world. I am going to try these prayers (“May I/you be happy,” etc) with my prayer beads. Give it a try and let me and Jan know what you think.

Thank you, Jan, for this wonderful exercise!