Philosophy

Loving Kindness Meditation for Stress Reduction

There are many people suffering from stress(including myself… yes, I admit it!) which in turn creates both physical and emotional pain such as panic attacks and uncontrollable anger. Meditation has been used in the East as a stress reduction technique for over 2500 years. However, it has received wide publicity after several independent comprehensive studies found too many negative side effects of synthetic chemical based Western medicine. Today most unbiased scientists and doctors recommend the Eastern meditations for patients over pharmaceuticals. Even in extremely biased sectors of the society have integrated Eastern meditations in to their practice. The best example of this would be this so called “Western meditation” promoted by special interest groups in the USA without crediting the Eastern philosophers like Buddha. Most, if not all, meditation methods that can significantly alter the state of mind were originated from the Eastern philosophy/religion known as Buddhism. No matter how you spin the principles of Buddhist mediation to cover it up with fancy names like “stress reduction through re-invented meditations“(ref), the core of any effective meditation methods remains intact.

It is an irony that most people in Canada are willing to pay for therapy that is pretty much sugar coated Buddhist meditations offered FREE of charge by most temples across the county. For those of you seeking free advice on stress in this busy chaotic world, Internet may be the best solution out there. This guide is written to simplify the steps involving in loving kindness meditation(metta). This mediation has been proven to help relive stress in several studies.

Close your eyes and repeat the following for as many times as possible. Do not put pressure on your mind. Try to be natural rather than artificial. Do not spell the word loud. Repeat the sentences in your mind, which makes you, yourself is the only one can hear the sound.

  • I be be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain.
    happy and peaceful.
  • May all the living beings in the world be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain.
    happy and peaceful.

Extended

Some scholars will teach you this meditation in extended form. This is a traditional method to elongate the time period spent on meditating. Often well trained practitioner can meditate for hours straight. Another goal is to include everyone you know so that next time you interact with them, it will be a pleasant one.

  • May I be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain.
    happy and peaceful.
  • May all the living beings in the world be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain
    happy and peaceful.
  • May my parents be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain
    happy and peaceful.
  • May my relatives/family be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain
    happy and peaceful.
  • May my teachers be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain
    happy and peaceful.
  • May my friends be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain
    happy and peaceful.
  • May my (fill in whoever you want, etc, etc) be,
    free from all kinds of suffering.
    free form all kinds of physical and mental pain
    happy and peaceful.

Think about you were thinking! In other words, don’t just repeat the above words like a parrot. But understand what it means and concentrate on positive effects. Often people who are new to meditation, just repeat the words just like a song or something. This will hinder the effectiveness of loving kindness mediation.

Read more detailed information at: BuddhaNet

Benefits

  • This is the number one/best meditation for social interaction improvements. If you are no good with people who if you are having issues deal with difficult people, this should help you out.
  • Proven to be a very strong method of controlling stress under unpleasant conditions(police offices in a crime scene, trauma doctor, etc) without disconnecting from natural feelings of compassion.
  • Researchers found this meditation enhances the recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia, ADHD and other disorders.(ref)
  • Compared to other types of advanced meditations, this is a fairly simple, but yet an effective one.
  • Anyone can practice this including children and people with other religious beliefs.
  • Once master the techniques, you do not have to close your eyes or “get ready” to perform this mediation.
  • If you are a person who is confrontational, have issues with anger management and/or relationship problems, this may help you out as well.
  • You will be able to manage your thoughts during difficult situations such as family conflicts, death of a relative, writing exams(although breathing meditation is better for exams), etc, etc.

If you would like to do more research on meditations, you can try searching for Samatha meditation and Vipassana meditation.

Note: If you are suffering from severe stress, please consult a professional. While they may even direct you to meditation, it is better to get a proper assessment on your health. The types of meditations on this article can be effectively used by students during exam seasons.