Metta meditation, or loving kindness meditation, is the practice concerned with the cultivation of benevolence or kindness.  The practice consists of silent repetitions of phrases like “may you be happy” or “may you be free from suffering”.  These feelings are directed initially towards oneself, then a loved one, a neutral person and finally a difficult person.

This particular meditation is directed towards freeing the person doing the meditating from the negative thoughts associated with holding grudges or ill-will against another being.  Holding a grudge against someone, or being angry with someone is a lot like “drinking poison and hoping the other person dies”.  The only person being harmed is the person holding the negative emotion.  The other person may be totally oblivious to your feelings about them.

To start, come to a comfortable sitting position with the spine erect.  Take a nice deep inhale followed by a couple of long slow exhale.  Do this a few times until you no longer feel any power behind the letting go of the breath.  Imagine the love and light of Divine Consciousness (your idea of God or the wisdom of your own heart) pouring over you and washing through you, revealing the purity of your own heart.  Feel yourself totally safe, loved and enclosed in this radiant light.  Repeat these lovingkindness blessings to yourself:

May I be at peace, May my heart remain open
May I awaken to the light of my own true nature,
May I be healed, May I be a source of healing for all beings.

The second step of Metta extends blessing to our loved ones.  Bring a loved one to mind.  See them in as much detail as possible.  Imagine the light of Divine Consciousness pouring over them and revealing the purity of their own heart.  Imagine them totally safe, loved and enclosed in this radiant light.  Then bless them:

 May you be at peace, May your heart remain open
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature,
May you be healed, May you be a source of healing for all beings.

The third step of Metta extends blessings to a neutral person.  Someone you may come into contact with in your day, but you don’t really know; like the cashier at the grocery store.  Bring this person to mind.  See them in as much detail as possible.  Imagine the light of Divine Consciousness pouring over them and revealing the purity of their own heart.  Imagine them totally safe, loved and enclosed in this radiant light.  Then bless them: 

May you be at peace, May your heart remain open
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature,
May you be healed, May you be a source of healing for all beings.

A fourth step of Metta extends blessings to someone who may be a little bit or a lot hard to love.  Start with someone who is just a little hard to love.  It is quite an advanced practice to send Lovingkindness to someone with whom you have great difficulty.  But remember, this practice is as much for yourself as it is for someone else!  Bring this person to mind.  See them in as much detail as possible.  Imagine the light of Divine Consciousness pouring over them and revealing the purity of their own heart.  Try to remember that they are just trying to do the best they can with where they are on the path.   Imagine them totally safe, loved and enclosed in this radiant light.  Imagine this light washing away all of their negativity and illusion.  Then bless them:

May you be at peace, May your heart remain open
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature,
May you be healed, May you be a source of healing for all beings.

Notice how these practices affect your own heart.  Do you feel more open?  Do you feel more of a sense of lovingkindness?  If judgmental thoughts about others occur during the day, take a moment to send lovingkindness blessings first to yourself and then to them.

The chant that I have been doing in class is a lovingkindness chant.  Use it to help ground you in a sense of compassion and lovingkindness:

Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Listen to Russil Paul's version of this chant here.

Which is poetically translated as:

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings never be parted from freedom’s true joy.
May all beings rest in equanimity free from attachment and aversion.

Metta meditation - May all beings be happy and free.  Not just me and the people I love, but all beings, even the ones I may have difficulty with!  (gulp!)