Loving Kindness for Donald Trump

For this Valentine’s Day I intend to spend the day, to the best of my ability, in Loving Kindness. Loving Kindness is a practice of developing compassion and friendliness toward yourself and others. It’s a mindfulness practice that comes out of the Buddhist tradition and it helps us to cultivate an open heart, to see our habits and judgements and perhaps to thwart negative thoughts and actions.

This practice is about noticing your emotions and their interplay with your thoughts. In the full formal practice, you send kind thoughts to yourself, someone you love, someone for whom you have complicated feelings, someone who is neutral to you and finally, to someone you find challenging. The intention is to watch your emotions as you move through each category.

On Valentine’s Day I’ll choose someone for each category and send them loving kindness throughout the day. I’ll also send it to myself, first thing in the morning. As for the person I find challenging, I’ll be sending some loving kindness to Donald Trump.

The practice goes like this: set yourself up for meditation by settling into a comfortable position and turning your attention inward. Notice prominent body sensations, notice how your breath is moving and become aware of the state of your mind – are your thoughts very active or relatively calm? No need to change anything, just notice. You can keep watching your breath if you need a place to focus. Once you’ve come to a quiet state, turn your awareness to your emotions. Just see what is present. If the emotions are difficult, perhaps you can turn toward them and investigate. If they are too strong, you can return to the breath and try this practice another time.

When you are ready, send loving kindness to yourself by repeating these words with your inner voice.

May I be well
May I be happy
May I be free from suffering
May I live with ease

Notice your emotions as you hear these sentiments. How does it feel to receive these compassionate words? There’s no right or wrong way to feel. Just become aware of what’s happening.

The practice is then repeated with someone you love unconditionally. It could be a parent or grandparent or a teacher or mentor. Visualize them in front of you and send them kindness using these words or others that feel appropriate:

May you be well
May you be happy
May you be free from suffering
May you live with ease

Notice your emotions. Whatever arises is welcomed. Let it all be there.

You don’t have to do all the categories in one session. You can break it up into shorter sessions. The next categories are: someone for whom you have complicated feelings, someone who is neutral to you and someone you find challenging.

As afore mentioned, part of this Valentine’s Day’s practice is to send Donald Trump some loving kindness. He is someone I find challenging.

Donald Trump,
May you be well
May you be happy
May you be free from suffering
May you live with ease

On a soul level this works just fine for me. I don’t have a problem wishing him, or anybody well. I sincerely wish him peace and contentment. As someone who is changing the course of this country very rapidly, I have concern and I’m noticing that that concern is making my heart tighten in fear. So the work is in noticing that tightness and fear, letting it be there, repeating the words with sincerity and watching what happens. Maybe nothing. Maybe something.

And even as I take actions in protest to what is happening – marching, calling congressmen – how can I keep my heart open? How can I wish everyone well, even those who seem to wish me or my loved ones ill-will? How can I stay firm in my belief that everyone has a core of goodness? That is the work of cultivating loving kindness.