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Learn and Practice
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Try it.
Part A
Home Base
Home Base
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In your body
First. sit comfortably in a quiet and private place where you won't be interrupted with your back straight. It's best set a timer for a minimum of 30-minutes to start. Close the eyes and don't move or shift position. Relax as if you had just slipped into hot tub or your bed to rest. Direct your awareness to your whole body and soften your posture a few times until you feel relaxed. Release control. Let go of any tightness or discomfort in the head, neck, and shoulders. |
In your mind
Next, direct your awareness to a pleasant feeling that is loving and kind. To prompt the feeling, make simple wish for yourself to experience kindness and friendliness. Make the wish sincere. Example: "May I be kind", or "may I be happy" or "may I be grateful. Feel it in your chest. Rest your attention on the feeling of love and kindness in the chest. It may be strong or faint. Rest attention in the feeling of kindness and friendliness as long as possible. |
Another way to prompt a pleasant feeling of loving-kindness is to recall a time when you genuinely loving and kind. Perhaps recall a time when you were holding a baby or pet and the joy in your heart. Or the feeling of slipping into a hot tube at sunset and letting go of the world. Enjoy being joyful and lighthearted. It's warm feeling in the heart. Let the feeling of flow inwardly and outwardly in your mind and body. Relax into the feeling. Place your awareness upon the feeling without grasping to it or thinking about it. It will change in intensity from very strong to barely noticeable. This is normal. Do not try to control the feeling. Simply be aware of the loving and kind feeling as long as possible.
Part B
Dealing with Distractions
Dealing with Distractions
Distractions pull or push the attention away from the feeling of loving-Kindness. The mind gets caught in through loops or hooked into an emotional reactions When this happens, use the "Six Rs" The Six Rs is a systematic set of actions that reset and rebalance conscious awareness. It works like an ani-virus software used in computers. It dissolves the habitual root causes and conditions that trigger unhappiness and suffering.
Using the Six R's
At some point, awareness drifts away from home-base to a feeling, thought or mood. Once you relaize it, use the steps in "Right Effort" (sammā vāyā). Using the Six Rs gradually de-conditions habitual distractions and freedom from compulsion, aversions, and self centeredness. The mind is reset in a state of wholesome conscious awareness embrued with tranquilly. Repeatedly using Six R's fully develops seven enlightenment factors leading to nibbāna and awakening.
Recognize that your awareness has become distracted away from homebase
Release and abandon whatever the mind is doing.
Relax and soften the entire body from head to toe—especially any tightness in the head, neck, shoulders, and jaw.
Re-Smile with your lips, your eyes, your heart,
Return your awareness to the feeling of loving-kindness in your heart.
Repeat every time your attention has been completely distracted away from homebase.
Practice doing the Six Rs in a flow using just the right effort.
Release and abandon whatever the mind is doing.
Relax and soften the entire body from head to toe—especially any tightness in the head, neck, shoulders, and jaw.
Re-Smile with your lips, your eyes, your heart,
Return your awareness to the feeling of loving-kindness in your heart.
Repeat every time your attention has been completely distracted away from homebase.
Practice doing the Six Rs in a flow using just the right effort.
Part C
How it works
How it works
The actions performed using the Six Rs gradually dissolve habitual distractions. Using the Six Rs de-conditions the root causes and conditions of craving (tanhā). Cravings are urges. They manifest both consciously and unconsciously as stress in the body and constriction or tightness in the mind. It may manifest as pulling or pushing, or aching in the head, neck and shoulders are common.
Stress reactions trigger aversions and compulsions that produce anxiety leading to habitual behaviors that get acted out in thought, speech or action that may result in unhappy unintended consequences. Such consequences are compelling reason for seeking meditation.
Using the Six Rs does not control or suppress distractions but rather is a gradual dis-entrainment from the root causes that trigger distractions. With modest practice, contentment, joy (piti) and happiness (sukha) naturally arise in the stages of meditative understanding (jhāna). These experiences are accompanied by equanimity (upekkha) and collectedness of mind (samādhi).
Practice results in mental clarity, and emotional resilience for balanced and happy mind.
Stress reactions trigger aversions and compulsions that produce anxiety leading to habitual behaviors that get acted out in thought, speech or action that may result in unhappy unintended consequences. Such consequences are compelling reason for seeking meditation.
Using the Six Rs does not control or suppress distractions but rather is a gradual dis-entrainment from the root causes that trigger distractions. With modest practice, contentment, joy (piti) and happiness (sukha) naturally arise in the stages of meditative understanding (jhāna). These experiences are accompanied by equanimity (upekkha) and collectedness of mind (samādhi).
Practice results in mental clarity, and emotional resilience for balanced and happy mind.
Part D
Practice
Practice
Guided loving kindness meditations with the Six Rs
—Venerable Bhante Vimalarmsi |
Brief beginning metta meditation Instructions
— David Johnson |
Learn the Beginning Instructions directly from Bhante Vimalaramsi using this mp3 audio download.
| intro_to_meditation_bhante_2-28-09.mp3 |