Compassion Meditation

This is a simple loving-kindness meditation. You don't need any pre-requisites or training to do it. Just give it a try.

Just Sitting.

Sit as comfortably as you can either on the floor or upright on a chair. If seated on the floor, you may sit cross-legged and slightly elevated on a pillow, with your right leg resting in front of your left one. Sit with a straight back so that your upper body rests naturally on your lower body. Notice if you are slouching, bending forward, or leaning backward and adjust your spine, so your upper body is balanced and aligned on your lower body.

Your right hand can rest upright on your left palm so that your thumbs are lightly touching, or you can also rest your hands on your knees. Draw your chin in slightly and gaze down on your nose focusing one arms-length into space in front of you.

Calming

First, calm the mind. Breathe in and out through your nose.
Don't force your breath. Don't manipulate your breath. Don’t hold your breath.

Naturally, observe your breath as a formless stream of air coming and going at the tip of your nose. Let thoughts, sounds, and feelings pass without following or judging them.

You can count your breath internally. Breathe out. Breathe in. Count one. Breathe out. Breathe in. Count two. Continue until you reach 7 breaths and then start over. If you want to expand, count to 21 breaths. After that, take a short break and repeat the breath count or move on with the meditation.

If thoughts carry you away, naturally bring your attention back to the breath without judging them as good or bad. If you lose your count, just start over. Train your focus and concentration this way. By doing this, your mind will naturally calm down.

Motivation

Now, see your mind as a rough diamond and this meditation as a tool to polish it. Practice this meditation to unfold mind’s inherent clarity, joy, and compassion and gain distance from any negative emotions. Working with your mind in this way will make it a strong, valuable resource for helping yourself and others.

Expansion

At the heart-level in the center of your chest, a small, transparent, white light the size of a golf ball appears. The light represents all timeless, positive qualities such as clarity, kindness, joy, happiness, equanimity, and fearlessness.

Gradually it expands through your body filling your entire upper body, your legs and arms, and your head. The light is very strong and powerful and dissolves all physical challenges and mental difficulties, like warm water melting ice. You hold this light and experience how it completely fills you with positive qualities.

When you continue to stay with this awareness, your body shines like the full moon in the autumn sky and streams light in all directions, filling the entire world and universe. The light dissolves all difficulties and obstacles of people and other beings everywhere and the world now appears with great meaning, happiness, and limitless possibilities.

You radiate this light for as long as it feels natural.

Pause

When you end this meditation, the light returns and absorbs the outer world into open space. It shines into your body, which also dissolves. Now there is only awareness without form, center, or limit.

Stay with this experience for a moment.

View

Then, again the world and yourself appear. Everything has been transformed; the world vibrates with meaning, and you understand that all people and beings are of the same essence as you are. Your body and speech are tools and resources to be useful to yourself and others.

Give it away

Finally, you wish that the good that just appeared may become limitless and stream out to everybody. That it will remove their difficulties and bring them the only lasting joy, the recognition of the nature of mind.

If you want to dive in deeper check out my other post 'Is Compassion Cool?'.

Also, check out the Mindworks Meditation App. The app offers a complete meditation journey where you can learn the basics and get guidance from qualified meditation teachers along the way.

*This meditation was taught to me by one of my meditation teachers. I did not invent this, this is a ancient, traditional meditation that is presented here in a very simplified form. The meditation has been used in different variations within various schools of Buddhism.