From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ixmba3jAEEk

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

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 may I be

happy may 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

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

fifty times during the sitting and fifty

times you see that you read let it go

you relax you come back to your

meditation object that is a good sitting

a bad sitting 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 call 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 it to 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 okay because it's there

time you try to fight with the truth

anytime you try to control the truth

anytime 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 okay 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

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 may I be

happy may 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

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

fifty times during the sitting and fifty

times you see that you read let it go

you relax you come back to your

meditation object that is a good sitting

a bad sitting 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 call 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 it to 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 okay because it's there

time you try to fight with the truth

anytime you try to control the truth

anytime 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 okay 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