The Practice of Peace While Living in a Divided World
When we talk about love, most of us think of affection, loving a person, a pet, or even a good meal. But metta, the Pali word for loving-kindness, points to something deeper. It isn’t the warmth we feel when life pleases us; it’s the deliberate cultivation of goodwill toward all beings, without condition or preference.
Metta is a heart practice, not a sentiment. It asks us to open the circle of care to include ourselves, those we love, and even those we find difficult. It is love as intention rather than emotion, a wish that all beings may be safe, happy, and at peace.
The Practice
A traditional metta meditation begins simply:
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
From there, the circle widens:
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
Then, we extend this same wish to loved ones, strangers, and finally to those we struggle to love.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings live with ease.
When It’s Hard
Extending loving-kindness to someone who has hurt us does not mean we excuse or forget harm. It means we choose not to carry hatred in our own hearts. Metta doesn’t condone; it liberates. It frees us from the heaviness of resentment and helps us remember that all beings, even the difficult ones, act from the same wish: to be safe, to be free from suffering, to feel at home in their own lives.
A Gentle Invitation
If you’d like to begin, take a few quiet breaths and start small. Begin with yourself. Let the words land slowly, even if they don’t feel true right away. Over time, they will.
Metta teaches that love is not something we
find. It is something we practice, one breath and one being at a time.
May you be safe, happy, healthy and living with ease,
Jan
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