Maitri Bhavana Ceremony
The Maitri Bhavana Ceremony is a group practice for people and situations that we wish to bring to mind and to benefit.
Maitri Bhavana is a meditation on loving kindness that is practiced for those who are ill, physically or mentally, or for situations and events in the world that we would like to turn our compassionate attention towards. The Sanskrit word ‘maitri’ means friendliness, or loving-kindness, while bhavana means virtue or quality. So maitri bhavana is the practice of expanding loving-kindness without limits, or unlimited friendliness. Through this practice, we extend our kindness and compassion through taking on the sense of suffering of others, provides an opportunity to share our health with them, and acknowledge our deep interconnectedness. The practice itself originates with an early teaching of the Buddha, the Metta Sutta (Pali). In this short teaching, the Buddha instructs us in how to be a thoroughly sane and loving person. The teaching is - here
We'll perform this Maitri Bhavana practice every few months, or as the need determines.
We’ll be holding our next Maitri Bhavana ceremony soon. If you would like to include a relative, or friends who is ill, or struggling, you can add them to the list - Here
““In this practice we share health with other people—in fact, all sentient beings. It involves developing a sense of immense generosity and being willing to suffer for others. One’s own personal gain and achievement could be shared—in fact, given up.” – Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche”