Deep Ecology Practice: Loving Kindness
Metta meditation for the ecological self and the Earth
--
How might people grow their concept and experience of self to include more of the living world? Doing so increases the joy and meaning in our lives, and can improve interactions with other humans and with the more-than-human world, creating ripples of change.
An attitude of kindness supports expansion of the self. Kindness recognises the reality of other living beings and their desire for happiness. It guides us to a recognition of our interconnection.
Thoughts and emotions follow habitual tracks. For example, an anxious person’s thoughts turn habitually towards worry, and their worry muscles grow strong. It is possible to train in positive emotions, such as curiosity or courage. Metta meditation, or loving-kindness meditation, is a Buddhist training in feeling warm towards others. You begin by thinking of a person you love and wishing them well, then gradually bringing more and more people into that well-wishing, including yourself. Just making these wishes does not make someone a saint or a buddha. It does not cast a spell. What it does is strengthen deliberate emotion: kindness towards ourselves and towards others.
It is possible to recognise that we exist in intertwined ecosystems without really feeling it to be true. Even if we know it is true, it may have no impact on how we live our lives. Practicing Metta is one way to take theoretical knowledge of interbeing and begin to invest it with feeling, helping us to experience it in everyday life. From there it turns into meaningful action: in other words, actually being kind towards other beings.
Kindness strengthens the environmental movement. Metta meditation feels good, and reminds us that kindness also feels good; it feels expansive, integrated and positive. When you think with loving-kindness, do you notice warmth, a smile, expansion, a form of happiness? Perhaps this is guiding us to our true being. When people to act in more caring ways, those actions strengthen further the feeling of loving-kindness, effortlessly, without a sense of sacrifice or deprivation. Putting aside fear, judgement and anger, let’s recognise that acting from love for the world can feel good in this expansive, generous way.
Metta is a story. Under neo-liberalism other stories dominate. We learn from the mainstream media that people are drawn to conflict and selfish, and that success demands aggressive, competitive individualism. But humans are also co-operative and compassionate, traits we share with many other animals. Most of us humans are here because our mother or another care-giver practised a deeply empathetic way of being for at least a while, often for many years.
Practicing Metta can be an antidote to feeling isolated, separate from others and surrounded by conflict. It’s incredibly simple. It’s free. It is not competitive. Your performance will not be judged. And through loving-kindness we enter into a happier relation with the world and ourselves.
Practice: Metta
Find a comfortable seated or lying position. Breathe and allow your body to rest. Bring to mind a person you love and naturally feel kind towards. This might be a loved one, such as a child. It could even be a pet, or someone you haven’t met but feel love for. Choose a simple, uncomplicated relationship, so that the emotion flows easily. Picture this person, and feel the warmth they bring you. Wish them well. You could repeat these words mentally:
May you be happy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you experience joy.
May you feel loving-kindness.
May you awaken and be free.
You are free to find any words that feel right for you. You might notice a smile at your lips and warmth in your heart as you meditate. This is the feeling of loving-kindness.
Imagine that the person turns to you and wishes you well. You can imagine them speaking to you:
May you be happy.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be healthy and strong.
May you experience joy.
May you feel loving-kindness.
May you awaken and be free.
Try repeating the loving-kindness to yourself, wishing yourself well:
May I be happy.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I experience joy.
May I feel loving-kindness.
May I awaken and be free.
Can you let yourself feel loving-kindness for yourself?
Bring to mind more people you love and wish well. Send them loving-kindness, just as before. Feel your heart expand.
Now include people you don’t know so well, colleagues and neighbours, the people who live in your town or city. Perhaps think of people who you feel ambivalent about, or have difficulties with.
You can expand your well-wishing as far as feels right to you. You can choose to include non-human animals, and the whole living earth:
May we all be happy.
May we all be safe and protected.
May we all be healthy and strong.
May we all experience joy.
May we all feel loving-kindness.
May we all awaken and be free.
Rest in the feeling of expansive loving-kindness as long as you wish.
*
More deep ecology practices are listed at the end of this article. Follow me on Medium for updates.
