Spiritual growth
Following some Buddhists meditations can help your spiritual growth.
Meditation on a light body
Relax your body, close your eyes and sit as comfortable as you can. Breathe normally. Take a refuge by repeating this phrase three times:
“Until we reach enlightenment, we take a refuge in Dom Inacio de Loyola, the Life and the spiritual society. May we, by the benefits of exercising the release and other perfections reach Buddhahood for the best of all sentient beings in the Universe.”
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Visualize or imagine one small beautiful cloud of light in the space above your head. It’s smaller than your head, light, pure, formless and transparent. Focus for a couple of minutes on the presence of this cloud of light.
Think how it contains all the best, wisest and purest love of the Universe. This cloud of light is the perfection of the Universe. Now imagine that the cloud becomes smaller and penetrates through your crown chakra, down through your head, through your throat towards your heart chakra. There the cloud begins growing and spreading through your body.
Imagine that every part of your body is absorbing that cloud of light, becoming pure light. Now everything in your body is formless, full of transparent light so you become as light, as formless and as perfect as the cloud.
Focus on feeling of being as light as a cloud. Imagine that all your negativity, problems, suffering or obstacles are dissolved by the light. You are calm, feeling joy and happiness. Try to stay in this state as long as you can.
Then repeat this dedication 3 times mentally:
“The positive energy of this meditation we dedicate to the best of all sentient beings in the universe, for our quick enlightenment, healing, perfect health, physical and spiritual abundance and happiness.”
Meditation on Love
Relax your body, sit as comfortably as you can and close your eyes. Forget your worries and free your mind of thoughts.
“Until we reach enlightenment, we take a refuge in Dom Inacio de Loyola, the Life and the spiritual society.
May we, by the benefits of exercising the release and other perfections reach Buddhahood for the best of all sentient beings in the Universe.”
Repeat the opening 3 times mentally.
Imagine that you’re surrounded by people, on the left – your mother, on the right – your father.
- Behind you, imagine all your relatives and family members, your friends and acquaintances.
- In front of you, imagine the people that are not sympathetic to you or have hurt you.
- Fill the space up to the horizon with people that you don’t know. Try to feel their presence without disturbance. The atmosphere is even nice. Now think, how great would it be if you could love all these people?
- Imagine your love like a golden light that shines in your heart, filling up your entire body.
The golden light spreads through every organ, every cell every part of your body.
Fill yourself up with this golden light, love and accept yourself with your limitations, imperfections and faults, show mercy to yourself.
- Now wish the best for yourself by mentally repeating 3 times:
May you be happy!
May your thoughts be positive and your emotions good!
May you be free from illnesses, problems and evil!
May your life be long and peaceful!
May you reach quick enlightenment!
- Now, begin to emanate the beautiful golden light of your love and fill up everybody around you with it – your mother, father, family, your relatives, your friends, your acquaintances. All of them become full with the golden light of your love. You wish them the best by repeating 3 times mentally:
May you be happy!
May your thoughts be positive and your emotions good!
May you be free from illnesses, problems and evil!
May your life be long and peaceful!
May you reach quick enlightenment!
- Now focus on the people in front of you – forgive them for everything negative they have done to you. Wish for them to be released from the confusion, anger, selfishness and suffering which are making them behave negatively towards you. You fill them up with your golden love light and wish them a peaceful spirit, happiness and quick enlightenment.
- Now, continue to emanate your golden love light towards all people who are filling up the space until the horizon while thinking about them – they are hungry, frightened, sad, ill, tired, stressed out and unhappy. Fill them up with your golden light so that they become calm, with clear minds, released from all their negativities and suffering. They are happy now.
Continue emanating this golden love light to everyone around you as long as you can.
Please repeat the dedication 3 times mentally:
“The positive energy of this meditation we dedicate to the best of all sentient beings in the universe, for our quick enlightenment, healing, perfect health, physical and spiritual abundance and happiness.”
Meditation on pain
Please sit comfortably, relax your whole body, close your eyes, breathe through your nose deeply and slowly and exhale 3 times long and slowly.
“Until we reach enlightenment, we take a refuge in Dom Inacio de Loyola, the Life and the spiritual society.
May we, by the benefits of exercising the release and other perfections, reach Buddhahood for the best of all sentient beings in the Universe.”
Please repeat the opening 3 times mentally.
In this relaxed state of our mind let us imagine that our body is filling up with air, our head, our shoulders, our upper body, all our organs, the legs down to the feet, every cell of our body is full of air. Even our skin is a thin layer of air as well.
Now you breathe slowly and deeply, imagining that the pain and tension are leaving your body. With every exhale, you are freeing yourself of those feelings.
Imagine all suffering beings in the universe, imagine their pain, their sadness, their desperation.
Inhale their pain and release them from the suffering.
With the exhale, let go off the suffering.
Do that exchange about 20 times, feel and imagine that every one of them is happy and stay in that state of happiness as long as you can.
Please repeat the dedication 3 times mentally:
“The positive energy of this meditation we dedicate to the best of all sentient beings in the universe, for our quick enlightenment, healing, perfect health, physical and spiritual abundance and happiness.”
Now, gently open your eyes.
Prayer of San Ignacio de Loyola
Lord Jesus Christ,
take all my freedom, my memory,
my understanding and my will.
All that I have and cherish
You have given me.
I surrender it all
to be guided by Your will.
Your grace and Your love and wealth
are enough for me.
Give me these,
Lord Jesus,
and I ask for nothing more.
Amen
The prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
where there is injury, pardon,
where there is doubt, faith,
where there is despair, hope,
where there is darkness, light,
and where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled, as to console,
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.
For it is in giving, that we receive,
it is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
and it is dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen
The Lords prayer
Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Prayer of Caritas
God, our father, who is all power and goodness,
give strength to those who go through tribulations;
give light to those who seek the truth,
and fill the human heart with compassion and charity.
God, give the guiding star to the traveler,
consolation to the afflicted,
and rest to the sick.
Father, give repentance to the guilty,
truth to the spirit,
guidance to the child and a father to the orphan.
Lord, May Your goodness extend over everything that You have created.
Mercy, Lord, to those who do not know You,
and hope to those who suffer.
May Your goodness allow the consoling spirits
to spread peace, hope, and faith everywhere.God.
A ray of light and a spark of Your love can inflame the earth.
Let us drink from the fountains of this abundant and infinite goodness,
and all tears will be dried,
and all pain will be lessened.
A single heart, a single thought will rise to You,
like a cry of gratitude and love.
Like Moses on the mountain,
we wait for You with open arms.
Oh, Goodness, Oh, Beauty, Oh, Perfection,
we wish in some way to deserve Your mercy.
God, give us the strength to help progress so we may rise up to You,
give us pure charity,
give us faith and reason,
and give us the simplicity that will make our souls
the mirror that will reflect your image.
Amen