I want to share with you a very simple loving-kindness meditation which the Dalai Lama teaches:
As you breathe in – cherish yourself.
As you breathe out – cherish all beings
If you find it difficult to cherish yourself, lay a hand gently on your heart as you do this meditation.
This is my back-pocket meditation. It’s the one I pull out at odd moments during the day. When my alarm clock goes off in the morning, or when I’m waiting for the water to run hot in the shower; when I stand at the window looking out at the rain, or walk under tall trees. Breathing in, I cherish myself; breathing out, I cherish all beings.
It’s simple. But it can transform life.
This meditation will make you happier, especially if you make it a daily practice. As your heart’s capacity for love and kindness grows, you’ll find a great fullness of being, and discover a warm kinship with all beings.
Mary Jaksch is a Zen Master and writer. Read more on her blog Goodlifezen.com
