It's said the Buddha taught metta practice as
an antidote to fear, so if we tend to make our home
in
fear and we do this practice, we will start to make
our home in lovingkindness, in a sense of connection
and care.
As the story goes, the Buddha first taught the metta
meditation as a way of surmounting terrible fear when
it arises.
The inner meaning
of the story is that a mind filled with fear can
still
be penetrated
by the quality of lovingkindness. Moreover, a mind
that is saturated by lovingkindness cannot be overcome
by fear; even if fear should arise, it will not
overpower such a mind.
Reflect on your fears — what
you fear, when fears arise. Then
consider how the quality of lovingkindness
might
affect those fears.
Do you see and recognize
others in the way you yourself wish
to be seen, in the ways you appreciate
being recognized? If not, why?
Not a “feeling”
Although
we will often slip into using the word “feeling” it’s
important to understand that metta is something very
different than that. Metta is something very different
than a feeling that can be categorized or quantified
and measured. As long as we think of it as a feeling,
we are liable to judge ourselves—perhaps mercilessly—for
not feeling the right thing. Metta is something much
deeper and much more subtle. It has to do with the
power of vision, view, how we see ourselves, how we
see life
and it has to do with the power of intention in the
mind.
