Ian Prattis - Four Brahmaviharas Meditation

FOUR BRAHMAVIHARAS MEDITATION
Prepare for meditation by sitting comfortably with the spine erect. Bring your concentration and focus to breath on the In-breath, and breath on the Out-breath. After ten or twenty breaths, whenever you feel calm and stable, begin by bringing each of the components - Love, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity - into yourself.
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Love to myself.
You can say your own name silently if you wish. Feel the energy of love fill you from top to toe and register with the energy for several breaths. Then continue in the same way with:
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Compassion to myself
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Joy to myself
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Equanimity to myself
Then think of a wise and loving teacher that you respect and whose qualities you admire, and do the same for this teacher, so that you may touch his steadiness, her spiritual strength.
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Love to Thay Nhat Hanh (or to the teacher who appeals most to you)
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Compassion to Thay Nhat Hanh
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Joy to Thay Nhat Hanh
	In-breath Out-breath	I bring Equanimity to Thay Nhat Hanh

The Buddha’s teachings on love were first given to a Hindu Brahman, who asked the Buddha to tell him how he could be with Brahma, the Universal God. The Buddha replied with a practice devoted to cultivating Love, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity in each moment, and he expounded with great clarity on the nature of these four components, all of which are interconnected. They are also known as the Four Immeasurable Minds, as the potential expansion of each one is infinite, each one can embrace the entire world and universe.

On a daily basis I practice a meditation based on these teachings. For a full treatment of the Buddha’s discourse to the Brahman gentleman, I would recommend Thich Nhat Hanh’s book - “Teachings On Love”, Parallax Press, 1997.

Then think of someone you love. It may be your partner, friend, child or neighbor. It is important to focus on the first person who comes to your mind, so that you remain totally in the moment with this meditation. Repeat the whole process bringing each of the four components to someone you love.

Then think of someone you are neutral about. This could be your students, people travelling on the bus with you, or homeless children. Whoever comes first to your mind, then proceed in the same way as before.

Then think of someone you are having difficulties with, who you dislike or even hate. The person you are having difficulties with may be someone you love, or it may even be yourself. It may be someone who has recently hurt you, or who subjected you to harm in the past. Whoever your consciousness delivers to your attention, that person is your focus. There may be surprises, as often the person we have the most difficulties with is oneself! Identify the difficulty if you can, so that negative energy around your perception of the situation and person can be healed. Then do the whole fourfold process of bringing Love, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity to the person you are having difficulties with, or whom you dislike or even hate.

Finally come back to yourself, even if you have just been dealing with personal difficulties. This last time, think of the four components of this meditation as embracing you in such warmth and kindness, celebrating all the best things in you, nurturing all the positive seeds. Know that a deep healing has taken place. At the end, just sit for a while and breathe in and out of the wonderful energy you have created for yourself and others.