Opening the Heart Exercises

A wonderful technique for opening the heart is the Tibetan custom of Metta.

The word Metta is from Pali, the language of the earliest Buddhist texts, and means "love," "friendliness," or "loving-kindness."

The practice of Metta helps us to…

• cultivate harmony within our relationships,
• experience less conflict,
• resolve existing difficulties,
• deepen our connections with other,
• be more empathetic,
• be more considerate, kind, and forgiving,
• be more appreciative of others.

Since we also extend Metta towards ourselves, its use can help us to experience less internal conflict, and learn to appreciate ourselves more.

Metta Meditation is a practice in which you repeat intentions of good will toward yourself, others and the world at large. Its power comes from repetition. .

The intentions are repeated as phrases to….

1. Yourself

2. A benefactor

3. A dear friend

4. A neutral person

5. A difficult person

6. All living beings

Examples of phrases are:

May I have an open heart?

May I be free of suffering?

May I have peace of mind?

May I be healed and whole?

 

Practicing Metta to reinforce forgiveness:

Begin by closing your eyes and bringing an image of yourself into your heart. Then repeat the following phrases to yourself:

May I have an open heart?

May I be free of suffering?

May I have peace of mind?

May I be healed and whole?

Then, bring an image of the person you are forgiving into your heart and then repeat the following phrases to yourself:

May you have an open heart?

May you be free of suffering?

May you have peace of mind?

May you be healed and whole?

If this exercise is done daily – it can greatly enhance your commitment to the process of forgiveness and can help you to achieve peace of mind.