Insight Timer / Help With Metta Practice

[Seishin]

Warren glad to have brought some focus on the subject. Think Alex is mostly likely right on the gender aspect of the issue but I am sure there are also woman who experience the same eh lack of eh? Experience if that's not too zenny.Certainly Shingen's suggestion are a positive way forward. However we're fairly isolated and as my wife suffers from a heart condition much we don't socialise much. To counter act that I decided to not only to thank those sitting with me on Insight (both Treeleaf members and those sitting "nearby") but to also wish each one happiness peace and love, before pushing that button. Seems like a positive step.

Kindo many thanks for that link, I'll have a look at those listed. I actually tried one of the ones on Insight yesterday evening and think they may help. May take a while to find one I'm happy with but it was a good experience.

Like everything in life it just takes practice.What's that old e expression about learning to love yourself? Need to start somewhere.

[Mp]

I encourage clients to see compassion as a quality of strength and courage. It contains both the willingness to face suffering directly and the intention to stay with it, not turn away. As Geika says, this makes us vulnerable. The paradox is that to allow ourselves to be vulnerable in this context is an act of strength.

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Enjaku]

Hi Toby.
You're absolutely right of course. Any person of any gender can find it difficult to experience compassion, particularly when that person may not have received much compassion from others.
I'm sorry to hear you can be isolated sometimes but I'm also very grateful for your presence on Insight Timer. It's enormously helpful for me to know that others are sitting, particularly on tough days.
Gassho,
Alex
Sat

[Seishin]

Alex

Thanks. BTW I'm not knocking the isolation, its just the way it is. Nearest neighbors are about 1/2 mile away and same distance to the very small village. Its the quiet country life we wanted when I retired and minimal stress for my wife and her ticker! I can walk the dog though the neighbors hamlet twice a day and not see a soul all week but hey that's country life for you and I would not change it for the world - Brexit and continued healthcare allowing. I go out as little as possible because I love working around the 1.5 acres we have and there's always loads to do (lots of samu!) and shopping to me is a necessity that should be avoided where possible but my wife doesn't drive . But it is what it is

[Kyonin]

Hi guys,

Thought I'd share how I view this practice.

Metta practice is something that has to grow on you and of course it's tough! We grow up in this culture where we center everything in the self and rarely think about others unless they affect us directly.

My way of doing some things is: fake it till you make it. When I started metta practice it was pretty hard to do. How on earth will I send love to someone I don't even know her name?

The thing is I realized about compassion. Metta is compassion in the sense that I can see that the people I am practicing metta for may suffer as any other living creature. I suffer, they suffer too. We are the same, even if I don't know them.

So I simply begun letting the ego rest for a bit. Sure, it was hard, but the practice grows on you. The more you practice metta, the more it starts to make sense and the more you feel it.

After a couple of months I realized I could develop an honest loving kindness feeling for a lot of beings.

Took time, but I kept at it.

And about Insight Timer... using recorded meditations with nice voices and nature sounds sure are relaxing, but I think nothing compares to the power of our own silence.

But that's just me.

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Seishin]

Kyonin

Gassho for sharing your experience. Fake 'till you make? Yes I guess I'm doing that a lot at the moment but hey its very early days for me in all aspects of practice. Certainly Shingen's suggestion is helping and I felt less self conscious wishing peace happiness and love to those sitting with me on Insight this morning - yesterday it felt plain weird.

And on the subject of those guided meditations, you're right they are no way a substitute for my morning Shikantaza, no matter how noisy the clouds are as I sit in silence. The jury is out on the guided Metta recordings I've tried so far. First was helpful, yesterday evenings was.......I'll just say lacking in guidance MHO. But there are some others to try which may help but I know this is something which will take time. Moment by precious moment.