This is Post 30 in the ‘Meditation Guidance’ series.
The ultimate source of the attitude that the Buddhist tradition calls mettā, or Loving Kindness, is unconditioned. Being unconditioned, it is inherent in Consciousness, and always available to us, but cannot be cultivated by an effort of the egoic will. This is a difficult but very important distinction to understand.
The Buddhist tradition came to an understanding of this distinction by distinguishing two levels of mettā: firstly, the universal, or archetypal source of mettā, which was called mahamettā, or ‘great’ mettā; and secondly, the embodied reflection of that in our relationships and communication, and in the energetic fields of the body. It is essential to be aware of these two levels, because mettā is ‘cultivated’ by a paradoxical process of acknowledging its already existing presence in our experience, as an aspect of Consciousness.
The Power of Consciousness to Heal the Emotional Body
Mettā, in essence, is the attitude, already inherent in Consciousness, of being unconditionally present with Feeling. It is therefore best understood as a process – a process by which our Emotional Body and our capacity for relationship is progressively healed by the power of Consciousness. Continue reading