Mettā is a quality of heart-mind that traditionally is talked about as to be cultivated. I like to think of it much more as accessed. We have a sense of what kindness, goodwill, friendliness, peacefulness, happiness is, and yet sometimes it's hard to connect to that, especially during challenging times. So in this meditation the phrases will be “May I…” or “Let it be possible…,” or some version of that. Mettā is something you already have. It’s a muscle you have, and you’re just pumping your muscle. You’re strengthening it. So then when you need it, you have the strength for it.
Rev. Liên Shutt
Guest Teacher
REV. LIÊN SHUTT (she/they) is a priest trained in the Insight and Soto Zen traditions in the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Visit AccessToZen.org for ways to connect and to learn more about her book Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path.