Affirmation · “The Subconscious Says Yes”
Lovingkindness Meditation
To cultivate goodwill by silently repeating Kornfield’s specific blessing phrases — beginning with oneself and extending to benefactor, loved one, neutral person, difficult person, and all beings — planting ‘seeds of loving wishes’ in the heart.
Kornfield’s lovingkindness: Settle into the heart. Begin with yourself — “May I be filled with lovingkindness; may I be safe from inner and outer dangers; may I be well in body and mind; may I be at ease and happy.” Then extend the same blessing to a benefactor, a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, and all beings. Reword to fit your heart; let intention lead; rest at the end.
What it is
This is Jack Kornfield’s particular guided form of metta (lovingkindness) — the same brahmavihara practice in the base file, but rendered in his characteristic wording and pedagogy.
Kornfield frames it as using words, images, and feelings to evoke friendliness toward oneself and others, where each repetition of a blessing phrase “expresses an intention” and “plants the seeds of loving wishes” in the heart.
His signature is the explicit invitation to adapt the phrases — “create the exact phrases that best open your heart of kindness” — and his insistence that the practice begins with yourself, “because without loving yourself it is difficult to love others.” This file captures his specific blessing lines and recipient sequence; for the general history and evidence of metta, see the base file.
It operationalizes the heart/feeling dimension (The Inner Creates the Outer), love as a deep reality (Only Love Is Real), and interconnection (All Is One).
The Method
Kornfield’s guided form (from A Path with Heart and his published lovingkindness meditations):
- Settle in the heart. Sit comfortably, let the body relax and the eyes close. Breathe gently into the area of the chest/heart, letting it soften. Recall the natural wish to be happy and free from harm.
- Begin with yourself. Direct lovingkindness inward first. Kornfield’s classic blessing phrases: - “May I be filled with lovingkindness.” - “May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.” - “May I be well in body and mind.” - “May I be at ease and happy.” Repeat them slowly, with feeling, “as if holding yourself in a warm embrace.” (He notes you may freely reword them to fit your own heart.)
- Extend, one circle at a time. Picture each recipient, hold them with warmth, and offer the same blessing in the second person (“May you be filled with lovingkindness…”): - a benefactor / someone whose love is easy to feel, - a dear friend or loved one, - a neutral person (someone you neither like nor dislike), - a difficult person (start with mildly difficult), - and finally all beings — “may all beings far and near, all beings young and old… be held in great lovingkindness.”
- Let intention lead, not performance. You are sincerely wishing well; a warm feeling is welcome but not required. When the mind wanders, gently return to the phrase and the image.
- Rest at the close. Release the words and rest in whatever warmth, spaciousness, or tenderness is present, then dedicate the goodwill to all. (Sourcing note: the blessing phrases above are Kornfield’s own widely-published wording; the sequence is faithfully paraphrased.)
Source & Lineage
Kornfield learned metta within the Theravada tradition (the Metta Sutta and Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga) under teachers including Ajahn Chah and the Mahasi lineage, and he is — alongside Sharon Salzberg — among the chief Western transmitters of lovingkindness practice through the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock.
The phrasing and pedagogy here are his, as published in _A Path with Heart_ (1993) and his guided meditations. → (kornfield jack).
Common refinements
Forcing a feeling. It’s intention, not performance — sincere wishing counts even when emotion is faint.
- Skipping yourself. Kornfield is emphatic that self-directed lovingkindness comes first; don’t omit it (if it’s too hard, start with a benefactor and circle back).
- Robotic recitation. Pause and feel toward each person; let the phrases be real wishes.
- Using words that don’t land. Kornfield explicitly invites you to reword the phrases until they open your heart.
- Refinement: if the difficult person or self-metta surfaces too much resistance, back off to an easier circle — you’re growing a capacity, not forcing it.