So we'll begin this session with a little bit of talking. I'll be doing the talking. You'll

be listening if you're here to listen. And I'd actually like to start with a question

for you. And that is, who here is new to the heart practices, has never really been

introduced to loving kindness practices. Can I see by hands? Thank you. Who here has

been introduced many rounds and finds the loving kindness practices difficult? Please

keep, raise your hands high. Ah, okay. So I'm going to speak a little to that, because

I think it's almost the elephant in the room sometimes with these guided practices that

especially for those of you that have been to many retreats. For some people being

guided in a loving kindness practice, rather than evoking the supposedly intended, intended

effective open-heartedness, there's kind of a yaku response and aversion. And what I have

found is that there's some misunderstandings about the heart practices. One of the misunderstandings

is that when we talk about a meta-meditation, there's a particular meditation that involves

this and then this and then this, and then you say these phrases. And you might alter

the phrases a little, but that it's got that format. And then another thing that happens

is that you'll hear teachers do their favorite versions within that, and it just doesn't

match your sensibilities. And finally, you might find that you come to a guided practice

and you're totally not in that mood. In other words, rather than some form of an intentional

heart practice, what you really need is just mindfulness to what's going on. And it

feels oppressive or like you're being directed in a way that doesn't match. So the main

thing I want to say right now is that for me, the heart practices are completely an experiment.

And almost every time I sit down to do a heart practice, it's like I'm starting from scratch

in some way sensing what's the way of paying attention this moment that will soften and

...