The Metta Prayer

            I think often about how difficult it can be to be kind to others, especially those people we don’t like.  And I also realize how difficult it is to be kind to ourselves.  We try to assign blame; we experience hurt and disappointment, try to put others down, and distance ourselves—all of which inflicts hurt and suffering.  To give voice to these circumstances, our meditation group has been reciting the metta prayer at the end of each meeting—

May you be filled with lovingkindness

May you be well

May you be peaceful and at ease

May you be happy

I’ve decided over the next six newsletters (including this introduction and a summary at the end) to discuss my own relationship to these lines, and how we can all relate to them and benefit not only ourselves, but the whole world.  In this issue, I’m going to share my reasons for working with these sentiments.

What is Metta?

            “Metta” is a Pali word that has multiple meanings—it means “. . . lovingkindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. . . “true metta is devoid of self-interest.”  So when we think of metta, and try to see ourselves practicing it, we may immediately get stuck.  Do I have to practice metta with everyone?  What if they don’t deserve it?  What if I don’t deserve it?!  The very idea of metta raises all kinds of issues around self-protection and picking and choosing how we practice.  Rather than reject the meaning of metta out-of-hand, we can explore our reaction to it—why we choose to discount metta, why we won’t even offer it to ourselves, and why we are reluctant to offer it to others.  Looking into our relationship with metta, rather than questioning whether it is realistic, appropriate and meaningful, is a very deep practice.  It reminds us that although we are flawed beings, we are also, in one sense, whole and complete.  And when we begin to considering our wholeness and the wholeness of others, we can open to the possibility of love for all.

Why Pray Metta?

            It’s easy for some of us to get stuck on the word “prayer,” because we may immediately assume we are praying to someone or something; if you don’t believe in a greater being or universal energy, you may already feel resistance to prayer.  But to me, as I’ve struggled with the meaning of prayer, I’ve begun to see prayer as an offering of energy—healing energy.  In the mornings before I meditate, I do a Buddhist service, and I pray for the health and wellbeing of people who are directly in my life, as well as people all over the world.  In doing so, I’m really praying for them to receive whatever they need.  And I know that what I want them to have and what they really need may not be the same.  When I offer up these prayers, and if I am fully conscious when I do it, I believe that I am connecting with them energetically and spiritually.  It is a way, however briefly, to hold them in my heart.  I believe that prayer in general feeds us, and those we pray for, in a very special way.

Creating Consciousness

            So through prayer and in particular the Metta Prayer, we offer up our hopes and our hearts to those around us with whom we share this ever-shrinking world.  Over the next few months we’ll explore how the Metta Prayer can bring us together, one line at a time, within our own circles and beyond, as we begin to recognize our own wholeness in the midst of our limitations, and offer our helpful, loving intentions to all.