Metta Meditation: Practices to Transform Fear
Metta or Lovingkindness Practice comes to us from the Buddhist tradition. It is a simple and in my opinion, profound practice, that can help us to access a greater quality of inner strength and compassion, for ourselves and for others.
Metta is a practice I have been using for years and it has never failed to calm and settle me, even in the midst of great fear or grief. I invite you to try it out for yourself and if you want some more incentive the Buddha taught that there were 11 benefits one would receive from this practice and I think the list is worth sharing.
The 11 benefits of Metta practice according to the Buddha are –
- You will sleep easily.
- You will wake easily.
- You will have pleasant dreams.
- People will love you.
- Devas (divine beings) and animals will love you.
- Devas will protect you.
- External dangers will not harm you.
- Your face will be radiant.
- Your mind will be serene.
- You will die unconfused.
- You will be reborn in happy realms
On a personal level, I can say that the practice of Metta is one that I return to again and again because I have found it to be such an immediate antidote to fear and anxiety. Because I believe in this practice so much I have put together some resources for your own practice below. These include a short dharma talk and introduction to the practice itself, followed by a guided practice. Please feel free to share these with anyone you think might benefit.
