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A Buddhist Maitri Meditation
January 2008
by Jacquelyn Strickland, LPC, HSP
- Find a meditation time - at least 30 minutes, or longer, if possible. You know the criteria - quiet, uninterrupted time and space, preferably your own special area that may have candles or a sacred feeling for you.
- Sit or lie down in a very comfortable position. (I prefer lying, with a cozy blanket to keep me warm - or outside in nature, leaning against a tree with the sun warming me.)
- Begin deep breathing, focusing on blowing all your breath out - as if blowing out a candle. Count to ten while breathing out. Breathe in deeply, through your nose, to a count of 8 or 10. Hold for a count of four. Breathe out, again as if blowing out a candle, count to ten. You want to create a very deep cleansing breath.
- Notice: You might begin yawning, or drifting off to sleep. Go with whatever feels best for you. There is no 'doing it wrong' here. Just keep practicing until eventually you can complete the whole meditation.
Next, we begin the practice of Buddhist Maitri - the unconditional acceptance, compassion and friendship with yourself and all your experiences. The following terms are important to know:
Awareness
Allowing
Embracing
Acknowledging
Gratitude
Lessons Learned
Lessons to be Learned
Release to Love
Awareness
Bring to your awareness the issue, circumstance or experience you wish to focus on during this meditation. It could be a person, situation, a relationship, an issue at work. Remember to use this meditation for relishing in your most wonderful experiences as well. We often forget to celebrate the positive aspects of our lives and it's important to honor them as well.
Allowing
After bringing your awareness to an experience, you begin to allow the entire essence of that experience into your conscious meditating mind. This includes all the emotions, thoughts and body sensations associated with the experience. Once you have the entire image in place, allow yourself to just embrace the experience in its entirety.
Embracing
Embracing the experience is similar to desiring it ... Just allow yourself to be in total acceptance, compassion and friendship with all that comes to mind. There is no censuring here. It is much like giving (silent) full self-expression to all that is within your conscious mind regarding the issue, emotion, or image that appears to you.
Acknowledging
Acknowledging all that is perhaps flooding your meditation is important ... it's like giving yourself the gift of being heard and validated.
Gratitude
Let this sense of acknowledgment grow and change into a feeling of gratitude. For some this might be difficult, especially if the experience is a painful one. But know that in order to be whole, spiritual beings (something crucially important to us HSPs) we cannot excise any part of ourselves or our experiences. And also know that all our experiences have something to teach us.
Lessons Learned
From gratitude you can begin to ask and become aware of the lessons this experience has taught you. Be patient for these lessons to become clear and be open to whatever comes to mind. Remember to be gentle with yourself.
Lessons to be Learned
Oftentimes when becoming aware of lessons learned, there is an awareness of lingering questions or confusion. Ask yourself what lessons you would still like to learn. Become gently aware of any remaining questions. Know that you can repeat the Buddhist maitri meditation again. The idea is not so much to get "answers" as it is to be in total acceptance of yourself and your experiences.
Release to Love
This is the final part of the meditation, and one of the most freeing. Note there is a distinct difference in the idea of "releasing with love" and the idea of releasing to love. Releasing TO love indicates the experience is now out of our hands .... it's comforting to imagine it floating on an ocean of love, or joining with a higher power much great than your own resources.
After releasing TO love, there is often a feeling of calmness, acceptance and serenity in having accepted, allowed and embraced the experience you may have once tried to keep at bay because it was upsetting or confusing.
Again, remember to do this with joyous events and experiences as well. It can only help to create positive neuro networks in the brain!
Ending the Meditation
When all stages of the Buddhist maitri meditation are complete, slowly begin to bring yourself out of your relaxed state. Sometimes it might be helpful to set a soft alarm of some sort if you need help with timing. After a while, it all just sort of comes naturally.
You might want to have your journal handy to record any lessons learned or lessons you still want to learn.
And finally, do repeat this process as many times as needed, maybe daily if necessary.
Wishing you a new year filled with Buddhist maitri - the exquisite acceptance, compassion and friendship with yourself! Love, Jacquelyn
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