See us on Twitter See us on Facebook

Guided Visulations

COMPASSION

(Adapted from Meditations for Life by Martine Batchelor)

This Sublimity: Pathways to Peace meditation is designed to help you develop compassion for yourself and the wider community.

Begin by taking three deep breaths in and holding each for five seconds and then exhaling:  breath in, hold it, and breath out; breath in, hold it, and breath out; and one more deep breath in, hold it and release.  Relax every part of your body starting with your feet, working your way up to your head, notice if your shoulders are arched or tense, and relax them. Put aside the cares of the day.

Now open your heart and place your awareness on yourself.  Look beyond what you think you are like.  Reach out to the human being who can feel pain and suffering, and wish yourself well, steadily repeating this phrase: may I be free from pain; may I be free from sorrow; may I be free from danger.  Repeat this to yourself a few times, slowly.

Now open out your empathy to people you like.  Look beyond what you like about them and reach out to the human being who is breathing and can be in pain.  Wish them well, repeating the phrase: may each be free from pain; may each be free from sorrow; may each be free from danger.  Repeat this to yourself a few times, slowly.

Now expand your awareness to the people you feel neutral towards for instance: a clerk, a bus driver, a waitress, a neighbour, a nurse, a janitor.  They too have a history that is very real to them.  They too love and suffer.  Wish them well repeating the phrase of compassion: may each be free from pain; may each be free from sorrow; may each be free from danger.  Repeat this to yourself a few times, slowly.

Now bring your compassion to people you have difficulties with.  Look beyond what you dislike about them and reach out to the human being who, like yourself, suffers when in pain.  Wish them well, inwardly repeating the phrase: may each be free from pain; may each be free from sorrow; may each be free from danger.  Repeat this to yourself a few times, slowly.

Now expand your compassion to everything that is alive - plants, trees, insects, animals, people and so forth.  Like you, they too do not want to suffer.  Open your heart and wish them well, repeating to yourself:  may all beings be free from pain; may all beings be free from sorrow; may all beings be free from danger.  Repeat this to yourself a few times, slowly.