This series has shown us that this goal of compassion for ourselves and others is attainable for all human beings because it is a logical process that starts with ourselves and moves from our inner world to our outer world. Each step builds on the last until we have cultivated sufficient resources and strength to extend compassion toward all sentient beings. What does this mean?

The ultimate goal of metta-bhavana practice is to embrace all sentient beings we encounter and are yet to encounter including life forms that may exist elsewhere in the universe. If the being has reasoning faculties they fall under this category. One more time let’s look at the six stages of metta-bhavana:

1. Understanding the defilements and working to overcome them
2. Toward ourselves
3. Toward our loved ones
4. Toward people to whom we feel neutral
5. Toward those with whom we are having conflicts
6. Toward all sentient beings

Lately, Buddhist teachers have been taken into consideration certain animals that have been considering granting legal personhood for displaying the ability to reason although at a very low level like Tommy the Chimpanzee. The case was reopened and brought to litigation in Manhattan, NY in March of 2017. You can follow the campaigns at NonHuman Rights Project. Considering the rights of these precious beings does cause one to pause on the matter of compassion in general and I certainly feel an open hearted effect as I do.

Photo by Ryan Al Bishri on Unsplash

Scientific Findings on the Effectiveness of Metta Practice

A study was undertaken at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England and the results were published in the scientific journal Motivation and Emotion. The study set out to find whether or not lovingkindness practice would allow the subjects to override the usual preferential bias people usually have for their own ethnic group. They took a sample of 71 adults who were not meditators and had them practice lovingkindness meditation for 7 minutes. Other control groups had different stimuli such as listening to “happy” music. The subjects were then shown pictures of people from outside their ethnic group and used something called the Implicit Association Test which had them match up positive or negative word associations and scored their reaction times. Science Daily reported:

Additionally the researchers measured levels of positive emotions that were either 'other-regarding' (e.g. love, gratitude, awe, elevation) and those that were more self-directed (e.g. contentment, joy, pride) and found that people doing LKM showed large increases specifically in other-regarding emotions. These other-regarding emotions were found to be what drives the reduction of bias.

Alexander Stell, a doctorate candidate and lead researcher in the study said, “This indicates that some meditation techniques are about much more than feeling good, and might be an important tool for enhancing inter-group harmony." This is encouraging news that beings hope to uncertain times in our world.

Photo by Joshua Rodriguez on Unsplash

Health Effects on Metta Practitioners – More Science

Several studies have been done that have tracked positive benefits of lovingkindness meditation on meditators.

a) Decreases migraines
A study conducted by Tonelli in (2014) demonstrated the immediate effects of a brief loving-kindness meditation as a treatment reduces migraine pain by alleviating emotional tension associated with chronic migraines.

b) Decreases chronic low back pain
Chronic lower back pain sufferers were subjects in a pilot study with chronic randomized to standard care or loving-kindness meditation. Loving-kindness meditation correlated with greater decreases in anger, psychological distress and pain. (Carson et al., 2005).

c) Decreases PTSD
Kearney et al (2013) found that a 12-week loving-kindness meditation course greatly reduced PTSD symptoms and depression in veterans diagnosed with PTSD.

d) Decreases schizophrenia-spectrum disorders
A Johnson et al. (2011) pilot study looked at the outcomes of loving-kindness meditation for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Results indicated that loving-kindness meditation was correlated with a lessening of negative symptoms gains in positive emotions as well as psychological recovery.

Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash

e) Emotional processing and empathy in the brain are activated
Hutcherson, Seppala & Gross, 2014 showed this link in their research and so did their colleagues Hoffmann, Grossman & Hinton, 2011. Click the links to view the studies.

f) Increases gray matter volume
Emotional regulation in those areas of the brain: Leung et al 2013

g) Increases respiratory Sinus Arrythmia
A short 10 minute session 10 of loving-kindness meditation had an immediate relaxing effect. It was evidenced by increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia which is an index of parasympathetic cardiac control, for example, your ability to enter a relaxing and restorative state. It also slowed to a much more relaxed respiration rate otherwise known as the stress response Reference, 2011

h) A biological marker of aging is decreased - telomere length
Telomeres are chromosomes that are a biological marker of aging). However, Hoge et al (2013) found that women with experience in loving-kindness meditation had relatively longer telomere length compared to same aged controls. The beauty industry has competition!

Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

Conclusion

I hope this series of essays has piqued your curiosity to see how practicing meditation and specifically lovingkindness meditation and see what positive effects await you in your well being, health and relationships. I look forward to hearing about it. In the next essay I will include a bonus treatment covering a similar practice to metta that is very helpful in conquering the kleshas and seeds of ignorance and having compassion for all sentient beings.

What do you think?

A Gift of Loving Kindness Meditation by Emma Seppala, Ph.D, Author of "The Happiness Track" 13:40

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@soulsistashakti is a musical artist and writer based in NYC as well as a practitioner of Buddhist teachings. You can check out my music on my FB artist page at https://www.facebook.com/soulsistashakti