RADIATING TO THE DIRECTIONS
 
Now that you are done with the "Breaking down the Barriers step", you can start with the RADIATING METTA TO THE SIX DIRECTIONS and this will carry you onward to Awakening. 
 
It’s very easy to explain but doing it can have its own challenges - like trying too hard.
 

• Bring up the feeling of Lovingkindness or Metta in some way -- remember a time when you felt it.  Just bring up that wish again like you always do; a smile usually works. No need for phrases now.

• Take that feeling and radiate it to six directions, one at a time:  forward, backward, up, down, right, left. Spend five minutes each direction. Or you can make a circle of them, if you like. 30 minutes in total.

• Then for the rest of the sitting - send it out to ALL Directions at once.

• Keep it going and pay attention to the mind starting to wander or the attention to move away. 6R! 6R! 6R!

 
Radiate like a candle, that feeling of Metta or Lovingkindness to each of these directions.
Notice the feeling specifically and notice how it goes out.  By feeling,  we mean the vibratory feeling of Metta. See it going out like a river touching everyone in that direction and making them smile. Now the feeling is no longer in your heart. Never push it back down.

 

If you feel tension in the head one way you can change that, is imagine the feeling of loving kindness is all around you, like an aura. You are just directing the energy throughout the body in one direction. So...the aura is maybe about a foot or two feet away from you, and you're just watching how with your attention its sending out in this direction or that direction and so on. If you feel tension then that isn't correct.

Importantly, don't do this as a "practice" but like you just sat down on a park bench and felt like sending loving thoughts to everyone everywhere - this is not only lovingkindness but generosity too! You are sending your lovingkindness to beings in every direction with the sincerest of wishes.  There have been studies that show people who have done this have influenced their very neighborhoods or nearby areas for the good.
 
Smile - can't stress that one enough - that will keep it going.
When it fades make a wish but not a verbal wish -just GENTLY see it flow out. No need of phrases.

You are a lighthouse. Just by having your 'Metta light' on it spreads to the whole world. To the solar system, to the galaxy and even beyond into the whole universe and even beyond that! Just keep it going out. 

 

You can pick a direction and send it to the person next door to you.  How to do this? See that person in their house and GIVE your lovingkindness to them and you see them receiving it a smile. Naturally the mind will feel the metta as you do this. Then try a further village or town and then a city, state, country, planet and so on. See the people at these places smiling because they are receiving your lovingkindness.
 
Now we want to sit longer - 1 hr to 1.5 hr and longer. The mind gets deeper the longer you go. It needs this time to settle.
 
It is NOT about how strong you make it but how closely you can follow it and 6R any distraction.  Really look for distractions that take you away from this river of Metta.  See how they arise. 6R them as soon as they start.

See what happens first, second -6R immediately before the next phase of the distraction or hindrance arises   

Pleasant Feeling--> "I like it" -->The Story about it     Feeling/Craving/Clinging    -These are links of dependent origination. We are trying to "walk back through these links to see them closely.  When you can see these you will start to see even Contact arise before the feeling, and then even more subtler states like Mentality-Materiality -then Consciousness and finally the Formations themselves. When one 6Rs these links you eliminate Craving and prevent the next link from arising.  You will gain a great peace - beyond what you have ever known before.

You will see this completely impersonal process just rolling on without a do'er -without a self there at all.
 
So we radiate into the directions now, sincerely wishing for all beings to be happy.  See it go beyond this planet, beyond this universe.

When you do your walking meditation no need to do directions just stroll radiating Metta to all directions in all directions at the same time and 6R when your mind wanders.
 
Gradually the feeling will change and we can talk about that as it occurs.  Eventually, you will go through (automatically) the 4 Brahmaviharas of lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.
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Metta/Karuna/Mudita/Upekkha.
 
Have fun! and don't push or try, just let it flow! Let it flow!