Bonus: Metta Adventure

Last night when I was in bed preparing for sleep, at which time lately I often find myself spontaneously breaking into Loving-Kindness meditation, I noticed a most amazing thing. I started thinking about all the beings everywhere: in the ocean, on the land, in the earth, and the air. I imagined whales and fishes, eels and crustaceans, mollusks, seals and dolphins, elephants and crocodiles, lions, tigers, leopards, and cats of all kinds, wolves and dogs, herds of various grazing animals, rodents, marsupials, bats, birds of all kinds, worms and grubs, insects, and many more.

Then suddenly, all boundaries between living things dropped away, and then it seemed as if it was not “I” wishing myself loving-kindness, wellness, happiness, peace, but it was as if everything was wishing itself loving-kindness, wellness, happiness and peace. There was this feeling of being part of everything, and everything being part of me, and yet there was no me, or at least, no separate me.

I don’t know when I’ve felt happier, and I slept well that night for the first time in quite a while. I gather from my reading that this sort of experience is not unusual for people who continue with these kinds of practices. Thus, if you are looking for a sleeping pill, but prefer to avoid medication, you might want to try this some time. It did seem to require some practice, as I had been doing it every night for at least a week before I had this experience, but the only “side effects” I have experienced are a feeling of well being and the development of a more kindly attitude towards oneself and others.