Spring Rain Sangha

At the front of the room, in a large white alcove, sits a 16-foot-high Buddha statue. Its eyes are gently closed, its expression serene. The vases of colourful flowers that surround it make its cool shade of ivory even more soothing to the eye. Across the street, on Kingston Avenue, the cars are whizzing by. They are driving so fast, without any signs of slowing down, that I wonder if they have all read the sign in the middle of the nearby car-dealership parking lot that reads Dodge. Dodge: to avoid, by moving suddenly. But what are they all avoiding? What you might experience if you slow down?

Across the street, 63 people slowly file into the spacious room where the Buddha presides, taking their seats on either meditation cushions or chairs, facing the Buddha. Its 9:00 am, on Saturday, September 20^th, 2008. Were all here to attend a special 1-day Metta (Loving-kindness) event sponsored by the Buddhist Meditation group Spring Rain Sangha (SRS), who meet every Tuesday evening in the Annex to practice mindfulness meditation. The SRS teachers, Philip V. Starkman and Jim Bedard, chose the commodious Toronto Mahavihara Buddhist Meditation Centre at 4698 Kingston Rd. in Scarborough, to host this unique day of guided meditation, which SRS presents twice a year.

This 1-day retreat is held in silence, except for the guidance offered by the teachers. We are asked to keep our eyes down, to keep external distractions to a minimum. We are here to not only slow down in our lives, but to explore a heart-opening Buddhist practice called Metta, which can be done by anyone of any faith.

To put it simply, Metta is a practice that helps us to gradually open our hearts to unconditional love for all beings, including ourselves. We do this by gently re-orienting the heart and mind to focus on the positive energies of loving-kindness and well-being. A sustained practice in Metta also helps to dissolve the idea of a separate self that keeps us feeling alienated from one another. Metta helps us cultivate equanimity in the face of lifes inevitable difficulties.

Before beginning our Metta meditation, the SRS teachers, Philip and Jim, who are seated at the front of the room, lead us through a series of breathing exercises that promote relaxation. This helps to slow the flow of thoughts racing through our minds. Then we engage in 30 minutes of Samatha (or Serenity) practice, which involves focussing the mind on a single object, in this case the rising and falling of the abdomen. Each time our mind wanders, we are instructed to gently bring it back to the breath. Focussing our concentration on a single object like the breath, helps us to achieve the unperturbed, peaceful and lucid state of mind that prepares us for Metta practice.

Next comes a 30-minute period of walking meditation, performed either indoors or outdoors. Throughout the day, we will be alternating between sitting and walking meditation. Philip and Jim explain the significance of walking meditation to us, and then demonstrate how it is done. By slowing our walking to the point where we can mindfully experience the arising and passing of all bodily sensations associated with taking one step after another, we get a sense of how everything is constantly changing in life. As with our earlier focus on our in-and-out breaths, we calmly experience for ourselves the truth behind the adage This too shall pass. So with each new step, we practice letting go of the past, which helps our minds to rest peacefully in the present moment. We are now prepared to begin our Metta meditation.

We are once again instructed to bring our attention back to the body. This time we are asked to imagine radiant rays of Metta, or loving-kindness, soaking into our bodies. We envision these rays of benevolence imbuing our hearts, brains, muscles, organs, skin and every inch of our bodies with positive, radiant energy. Gradually, our hearts and minds are being gently redirected away from the negative emotions, such as anger, aversion, fear or greed, that many of us tend to experience throughout the day. The more we practice Metta, the more were able to let go of difficult and painful habit patterns tied to the past. Instead, with sustained practice, were able to experience the goodness, love and peace that are a truer expression of our spiritual nature.

Once we feel Metta permeating our bodies, we gently repeat certain key phrases to ourselves, such as May I be happy, May I be free from all suffering, and May I be safe. Then Metta is radiated outward to those attending the event, and finally, to all beings. Since the dynamic practice of loving-kindness ultimately seeks the well-being and benefit of all life forms, it has the potential to transform the practitioners whole experience of life.

After a hearty Sri Lankan vegetarian lunch, Philip and Jim show us how we can use Metta practice to help us forgive ourselves and others of past misdeeds. Once again, we are encouraged to let go of the past by acknowledging that we are no longer the same person who we once were when we engaged in harmful behaviour, since those formative conditions have passed away. We do a round of Metta that wishes forgiveness onto ourselves and all beings. The positive, healing energy of forgiveness slowly begins to retrain our hearts and minds, helping us to gradually become more readily forgiving individuals.

It's 5:00 pm. The meditators are carefully packing up their belongings, getting ready to merge once again with the more hurried pace of life outside the meditation hall. But we are feeling more prepared for whatever awaits us. With this wonderful day of meditation, we have learned to open our hearts to the possibility of loving-kindness and peace under any circumstances.

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Above: entrance to the meditation centre.

Below: SRS teachers: Philip V. Starkman (Left) and Jim Bedard (Right)

Visit the Spring Rain Sangha's website at: www.springrainsangha.com

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