Compassion meditation.

Bodhgaya

Namaste.
I recently read something about the Dalai Lama, saying to 'focus on compassion meditation,' and I was wondering how I should start and what to do over time.

I usually just do breath watching, and that's hard in my home. My family all come home around the same time and it gets noisy, so I only have about four hours in the afternoon.

Any other types of meditation would be greatly appreciated. :P

Live well.

Rmurray1985

Mmm... Recitation of the mantra "om mani peme hung" with an earnest understanding of Chenrezig is the foundation for cultivating loving-kindness towards all sentient beings...

But... another "technique" you can try is to first imagine a person in your life to whom you love dearly, such as your mother. Feel all the feelings of love and compassion you have towards that person and hold it in heart. Next, imagine a person to whom is a good friend of yours. Feel all the feelings you get from that person and hold it in heart. Then, imagine a person to whom you have no feelings towards one way or another, someone you've never met and have never seen before; just a stranger. Hold it in heart... Then imagine someone with whom you have a deep aversion towards. Someone that you simply do not like, your worst enemy. Experience those feelings and hold it in heart.

After experiencing the feelings of these 4 people start with your mother (or beloved) and experience the feelings of loving-kindness you have towards them. Then, imagine your good friend and try to adopt the same loving kindness you have towards your beloved towards your good friend. Then the stranger, then the enemy. Keep doing this until there is no difference... Until you have no friends or enemies... Only fellow sentient beings with whom you harbor feelings of loving-kindness towards.

There's undoubtedly more detailed instructions on this type of meditation... The name of it I don't remember.. But that's the basic premise of developing Bodhicitta, or loving-kindness.

Vangelis

You can try Venerable Mahinda's guided metta meditation: http://www.justbegood.net/Downloads/Other talks/Metta Meditation.mp3

Bodhgaya

Thank you, Rmurray and Vangelis.

StudentAndMaster

Being a Creature of Love simply put is that we are mere conduits of the Greater Love in the Universe. The techniques described above are a good point, and the end result is truly being Free.

In a Hawaiian Practice, the Spirit of Love is evoked when you repeat over and over "I Love you, I'm Sorry" as you concentrate on a particular Person, either Sick or Brusque or Loved, and can create a Love in that person both healing and reparative.

DhammaDhatu

dear friend

compassion is the wish to prevent or end suffering

so compassion meditation is cultivating the aspiration to not cause harm to oneself and/or others

compassion meditation is also cultivating the aspiration to relieve suffering in others

best wishes

DD

Bodhgaya

Thanks

nuageux

There's undoubtedly more detailed instructions on this type of meditation... The name of it I don't remember.. But that's the basic premise of developing Bodhicitta, or loving-kindness.

It sounds like a variation of Metta Bhavana meditation to me. In the variation I was taught, I was told to start with developing feelings of compassion (or loving kindness) to myself, and then to move on to the other people. But this isn't always easy. I haven't done this meditaion myself for a long time - I have the same issues as many of us have with family members and noise - but when I have managed to do it, I've found it subtly powerful.

Bodhgaya, if you decide to try this type of meditation, you may wish to start with breath awareness. I find it easier to start this way personally.

Bodhgaya

Thank you.

My hardest with compassion is towards those who commit violent crimes, i.e. rape, murder, torture.

nuageux

My hardest with compassion is towards those who commit violent crimes, i.e. rape, murder, torture.

I agree, that's not easy, but you don't have to include individuals who've done these kind of things in your meditation, at least not at first. It would probably be easier to start off with someone you don't like for more trivial reasons, and then over time work up to including these people who've inflicted such serious pain and suffering on others.

Bodhgaya

That's right.

I progress usually pretty well. That's generally the only sort of thing I have a problem with, compassion-wise.