Metta Bhavana: Fifth Stage of Loving Kindness

Metta Bhavana: The Fifth & Final Stage of Loving Kindness

We have experienced a journey. A journey of looking within as well as offering our metta, our unconditional love, acceptance, and compassion to those around us.

We have done this by first sharing our metta with ourselves by wishing ourselves well, happiness, and freedom from suffering.

This is truly a gift. How many of us take the time to nurture our inner most being and who we are? In this stage we learn to accept ourselves and to love ourselves unconditionally.

The next stage we share our metta with someone whom we love and hold dear to our hearts. For this, to many, seems quite easy. It seems easy to offer love and compassion to someone we love.

Observe…notice the difference if any, of the love we offer ourselves and of that we offer to those we love.

In the third stage we offer our metta to an acquaintance. Someone who is a more neutral person in our lives. Someone whom we may not know personally, however may see on occasion.

For sure this person, just as any deserves to experience of our well-wishing. Notice any shift with our well-wishing to the neutral person? It’s quite interesting. If we come from a place within, without judgement, maybe we can learn to share our metta all the same to whomever.

This in a sense may prepare us for the fourth stage. At this time as we breathe and observe, we extend our well-wishing to someone whom we have difficulties or challenges with.

Observe. What do you notice within yourself (without judgment of course). Here in this moment, some may experience resistance.

So we breathe, return to our heart center, reminding ourselves that all beings all want the same thing…to be well, happy, and free from suffering.

What we know is that each person has their own personal experience. Each person makes decisions and behaves in their way. Each person has their path. It is not for us to judge.

With this understanding, we refocus on us. Go within to our own authentic self. For we are only responsible for our actions, thoughts, and behaviors.

Each moment is a new moment. How are you filling this moment?

That moment has past. Where are your thoughts now, in this moment?

With each breathe and each moment we have the ability to share our well-wishing. For when we do so, we benefit as much as the other person. And it creates a ripple effect.

So, putting aside any resistance and focusing on the love and compassion within we wish ourselves, someone we love, a neutral person, and someone whom we have difficulties with by wishing them well, happiness, and freedom of suffering.

Our Journey Continues into the Final Stage

In our fifth and final stage of the Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness) meditation…

we have ourselves. We have put to one side someone we love. To the other side we have a neutral person. And we complete a circle with adding the person whom we have difficulties.

As we continue to breathe, noticing any resistance lifting and our compassion balancing to be able to share equally.

You may sense a quality of peace, goodness, and possibly bliss.

So once again we will share our well-wishing.

Imagine each person in a circle and we begin to offer our metta to all five people; ourselves, our loved-one, the neutral person, and to the person whom we have difficulties.