Goodwill Meditation: The Devotional Art of Metta
When grief for the world feels unbearable, when our own wounds close the heart, when despair whispers that nothing can heal—this is the moment for Metta.
Metta, often translated as “loving-kindness” or “goodwill,” is one of humanity’s oldest medicines. The Buddha taught it more than 2,500 years ago, and millions have practiced it since as a way to soften the heart and return to love. I like to call it metta-cine—the medicine of compassion.
This meditation begins simply. We start with ourselves: quietly repeating phrases of goodwill—may I be safe, may I be well, may I live with ease. We forgive ourselves. We let compassion seep back into the cracks. Then we extend the same phrases to others: first to loved ones, then to strangers, then even to those we struggle with. Finally, we offer goodwill to all beings everywhere.
The step-by-step nature of Metta is its strength. It gives us a path to follow when the heart feels closed. Instead of forcing ourselves to love the whole world, we kindle the flame gently, one person at a time, until warmth fills the room again.
The medicine of Metta is not only for others—it is for us. It keeps bitterness from hardening, it melts anger into understanding, it gives us the resilience to face suffering without becoming swallowed by it. It reminds us that compassion is not a feeling we wait to have; it is a practice we choose, a muscle we strengthen.
Metta is sometimes compared to another practice I love, called Twin Hearts Meditation. Both are powerful ways of blessing the world, but they differ in approach. Twin Hearts focuses on energizing and clearing the heart and crown centers, channeling divine energy to heal ourselves and the Earth. Metta, by contrast, is a devotional exercise in forgiveness and expanding compassion, step by step, through visualization and prayer.
Together, they form a complete path. Twin Hearts refines and clears our energy, while Metta keeps our humanity soft, warm, and open. One strengthens the field; the other strengthens the heart.
This is why I begin here, with Goodwill Meditation. In a world aching with violence, grief, and division, we cannot afford to let our hearts close. This ancient practice gives us the tools to keep them open, no matter what.
Metta is medicine. It is ancient, it is simple, and it is always available. Let us begin.
This is a closed-eyes meditation and therefore is offered as audio only.
Begin the Goodwill Meditation →
