Autometta

[convivium]

What does 'sending metta to yourself' mean to you? What does it look like in its application?

[Dan74]

I guess we can feel good about ourselves and we can also feel quite negative. When we practice, we can be gentle and patient or irritable and frustrated.

In dedicated mettabhavana practice, I wish that I am well, that i am free of suffering and delusion, that I attain peace and liberation. I may also want to forgive myself for all that I've done wrong and resolve to do better in the future. Etc etc...

Is this what you were looking for or have I misread the question?

[convivium]

Yes, thank you! So it is an attitude with regard to "practice." How far does practice extend into daily life? Do you take it as an additional meditation object/contemplation? Or is it a continuous attitude that you apply while attending to your primary meditation object? Does it help keep the precepts and your daily practice?

[Dan74]

Yes, thank you! So it is an attitude with regard to "practice." How far does practice extend into daily life? Do you take it as an additional meditation object/contemplation? Or is it a continuous attitude that you apply while attending to your primary meditation object? Does it help keep the precepts and your daily practice?

I take it more as an attitude to what arises.

I tense up, I notice and take a nice slow breath. Release.

When metta is the default attitude, annoyance and anger arise less or not at all.

When they do arise I notice that I suffer. I remind myself gently that it is impermanent and mind-made and gently release the grip on the emotion. Gently release the grip on the sufferer.

Finally metta without the recipient of metta - just metta!

It's a very powerful practice and I am still a beginner at it.

[convivium]

Could you say more about how it works? You seem to be saying that metta either allows you to relax into each experience, or that it is the act of relaxing into each experience. If it is the former, then could you descibe in more detail what it is or what it looks like (the act or perception of metta) that results in relaxing into each experience? Or if it's just relaxing into each experience, then how is it different then, for example, equanimity or patience? Then there's the idea of directing metta towards some recipient as against the experience of metta qua metta. How is this experience of metta qua metta different then, for example, attending to the blissful aspects of breathing?

[cooran]

Hello convivium, all,

These links may be of assistance:

Suttas and articles about Metta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/index-subject.html#metta

A practical step by step way to metta meditation - Ajahn Sujato
http://my.thanhsiang.org/av/english/ssangha.html

with metta
Chris

[Dan74]

Could you say more about how it works? You seem to be saying that metta either allows you to relax into each experience, or that it is the act of relaxing into each experience. If it is the former, then could you descibe in more detail what it is or what it looks like (the act or perception of metta) that results in relaxing into each experience? Or if it's just relaxing into each experience, then how is it different then, for example, equanimity or patience? Then there's the idea of directing metta towards some recipient as against the experience of metta qua metta. How is this experience of metta qua metta different then, for example, attending to the blissful aspects of breathing?

Metta to me is a great antidote to aversion. So "to relax into each experience" as you say, I let go of aversion through metta.