Metta Lyrics: Peaceful Easy Feeling (Eagles, 1970s)

Sitting in Panera in KS. And heard this nice metta "calling".

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… 'Cause I get a peaceful easy feelin' (1)

And I know you won't let me down (2)

'Cause I'm already standin'

I'm already standin'

Yes, I'm already standin'

On the ground (3)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Jack Tempchin

Band: The Eagles

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Annotations

1. Metta is a peaceful easy feeling. Also, see the idea of piti and sukkha in the 1st Jhana.

2. Consider the 7 qualities in the "Mitta Sutta" on friendship. "you won't let me down" sounds like a grasping to friendship. (In attachment theory, maybe anxious attachment.) But the knowledge of the other person not letting us down (is) can be more about metta. If the metta is strong, it doesn't require constant verbal validation. In an inner, spiritual way: we can be brothers and sisters, on the same team, pulling together, rooting for each other. Even though externally we may not lift a finger or even say a word. (One teacher of mine has never answered a question of mine directly or definitively, yet I have been helped more than if they spoonfed me the answer.) You won't let me down is more about heedfulness than about pandering.

3. Consider the famous sayings of the Buddha about "be an island to oneself" or "be a light unto oneself". It makes us grounded, stable, like a pillar 16 spans deep. If we are on the ground ourselves, we don't need to feed. And when we don't need to feed, we are able not to be blown around by praise and blame and the other winds or the 8 world's winds.

UUDR

SHORTY: May you have ease...

 I found this more helpful. "May you have ease with difficulty."

Instead of: "May you have ease." --- which is pretty good,but has a danger of creating a desire to avoid dis-ease.

Better: "May you have ease with difficulty." --- this is realistic and not wishful thinking. My goal isn't to have ease all the time by avoiding difficulty (in the outside world). My goal is to find ease even amongst the worst difficulties, aging, illness, death, loss, fear, anger.

See also The Sublime Attitudes, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, for more discussion on the Theravada view of how to use metta for the goal of calming the mind and heart.

Eureka: loving kindness to my racing mind

Today, I had a breakthrough. In a retreat with bruni davila focusing on Metta, I experienced loving kindness towards my racing mind. It opened and released something I hadn't felt before. I realized I was gripping around my racing mind, having made great efforts to try to tame it.

I know all about racing mind for a long time. I have done so much Metta, I thought I knew it through and through. I didn't have much ill will that needed Metta any more.

Today, with some instruction on just seeing it, just feeling it, and saying okay with some ease--the moment was right and my mind was racing. And I faced it not with the usual "go away". I faced with with loving kindness, non aggression.

It was immediate and poignant. I had not done this before. This is a different route. Even as I write this, with a racing mind, I am reacting with loving kindness, not my usual hardness.

Eureka! Loving kindness when I'm triggered by an unruly, racing mind.