From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GQnyTr_BlS8

Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.

you

when you practice loving-kindness

meditation you first start by sending

loving and kind thoughts to yourself you

remember times when you were happy when

that happy feeling arises it's a warm

glowing feeling in the center of your

chest it's kind of a radiating feeling

as soon as that feeling arises then you

make a wish for your own happiness may I

be happy may my mind be peaceful and

calm may I be filled with joy may I be

cheerful whatever wish you make for

yourself feel that wish you know what it

feels like to be peaceful and calm bring

that feeling of peace and calm put it

into your heart radiate that feeling to

yourself you know what it feels like to

be happy bring that feeling into your

heart and radiate that feeling to

yourself whatever wish you make for

yourself you want to feel that wish you

can make the same wish over and over

again as long as it has meaning for you

or you can change the wish occasionally

but you don't make the wish like this

you don't say may I be happy me I be

happy me I be happy may I be happy may I

be happy

when you do a wish like that it turns

into like trying to memorize something

and you start thinking about other

things you want to feel the wish make

the wish feel that peace and calm if

that's what your wishes keep that

feeling in your heart when that feeling

starts to fade then you make another

wish while you're sitting like this your

mind is going to wander you will begin

to think about other things as soon as

you notice that your mind is thinking

about other things then simply let go of

those thoughts don't continue thinking

them even if you're in mid-sentence let

it go relax the tension and tightness

caused by those thoughts in your head in

your mind in your body and gently come

back to the feeling of loving kindness

and making a wish for your own happiness

it doesn't matter if your mind wanders

50 times during the sitting and 50 times

you see that let it go you relax you

come back to your meditation object that

is a good sitting a bad

would be noticing that you're thinking

about something and to continue thinking

not letting it go when you're sitting

you want to sit with your back

reasonably straight please don't move

your body at all don't wiggle your toes

don't wiggle your fingers don't scratch

don't rub don't change your posture

don't rock back and forth sit very still

while you're sitting like this there can

be some sensations that arise in your

body want to cough an itch heat

vibration a painful feeling as soon as

that arises your mind will be drawn to

it and then you start thinking about

that sensation I wish it would stop I

really don't like this feeling when it

happens I wish it would just go away

every thought like that makes the

feeling become bigger and more intense

so the first thing you do is let go of

the thought about the sensation and then

relax the tension or tightness in your

head in your mind next you will notice

that there is a tight mental fist

wrapped around that sensation you really

don't like that sensation there you

really want

go away the truth is when a sensation

arises it's there that's the truth it's

okay for that sensation to be there it

has to be ok because it's there any time

you try to fight with the truth any time

you try to control the truth any time

you try to make the truth be anything

other than it is it's the cause of

suffering allow that sensation to be

there make it ok for it to be there

relax gently come back to the feeling of

being happy making a wish for your own

happiness while you're doing this

meditation this is a smiling meditation

you want to put a smile in your mind a

little smile in your eyes even though

your eyes are closed a smile on your

lips a little one and the smile in your

heart whenever you notice that you're

not smiling then start again after

about 10 minutes then you start sending

loving and kind thoughts to a spiritual

friend a spiritual friend is someone of

the same sex and they are alive a

spiritual friend is someone that when

you think of them and their good

qualities you really like them and you

sincerely do wish them happiness you

make a wish for their happiness may they

be free from suffering may their minds

be uplifted their minds be peaceful and

calm may their minds be open and

accepting filled with happiness filled

with joy whatever wish you want to make

for your spiritual friend feel that wish

take your spiritual friend and put them

right in the middle of your heart and

give them a great big heart hug wish

your friend well feel that wish

take a real interest in your friend

really like them

you