Meditation (Sep 2009)

Clearing the collective PTSD of humanity - Buddhist approach

Humanity has accumulated in its collective consciousness many millennia of traumas, anxieties, fears, angers and hatreds. These are seriously impacting our behaviors today.

Visuddhimagga method: Six stages

Contemporary metta practice is often based on a method traditionally associated with the 5^th c. CE Pali exegetical text, the Visuddhimagga. The full instructions for the theory and practice of mettā bhāvanā is available in the Visuddhimagga ("The path to purity"), Chapter IX, of the Buddhist scriptures.

The six stages of mettā bhāvanā meditation which are most commonly found involve cultivating loving-kindness towards:

1. Yourself
2. A good friend
3. A 'neutral' person
4. A difficult person
5. All four
6. and then gradually the entire Universe

For #2 avoid choosing someone to whom you feel sexually attracted, or that is much younger or much older than yourself, or who is dead. For #3 choose someone that you might come in contact with every day, but who does not give rise to strong positive nor strong negative emotions. For #4 traditionally choose "an enemy", but avoid choosing a person who has just wrecked your life, unless you are very well grounded in awareness. For #5 treat them as equals, equally deserving of loving-kindness.

Source: Wikipedia

You might also be interested to see my suggestions to clear the PTSD from humanity’s collective consciousness – hopefully to help us avert collective suicide:

Brief version
http://wholistichealingresearch.com/World_Healing_Collective_Consciousness.html

Full version
http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/col_con_hooponopono_whee.html

 

See also: Article on Self-Healing through Vipassana Meditation: a helpful contrast with WHEE

Blessings

Dan