At a recent workshop on meditation given by a former Buddhist monk in the magical setting of a chalet in the Swiss Alps where I run workshops every summer, I was asked how I blessed people in the public transport system, in the street and other public spaces.
I am most grateful for this question and what follows is simply the modest experience of one person among millions who regularly practice blessing. I have no special authority in this matter – just quite a long experience of this simple and rich practice which enables one to sow good universally and anonymously (no ego involved!)
First one needs to stress that there is no “right” way of blessing, apart from the fact that true blessing is one hundred per cent heart energy and that it should be sincere and spontaneous. Nothing kills a spiritual practice of any kind as does a mechanical repetition of a formula with no heart. Also, for me, blessing is something one continuously reinvents. It is desirable that it be carried by the inspiration of the Spirit, not a mental or intellectual formula.
I try always to « feel » the blessing I send forth. At the present moment, one of my favourite blessings is to bless people in their closeness to God, their oneness with the Source, the infinite unconditional Love which governs the universe. I mentally “take” the person I am blessing into my heart and ardently wish that the blessing be realized for them. Another universal blessing that can be applied to absolutely everything is to bless a person in their divine perfection.
For almost 30 years I have been blessing people everywhere and it has developed in me an extraordinary sensitivity to human suffering. I simply need to see the face of a person or just catch a glimmer in their eyes to feel their suffering and the blessing that would help them. As Jane Young’s lovely video “The Gentle Art of Blessing” on this site explains, if for example I see sadness or depression, I will bless them in their joy and their vitality. In other words, I “listen” to what their face is telling me and I can respond with the appropriate blessing. When I see young people, I often bless them in their future, in the choices they are going to make in life, in their deep happiness. Blessing someone in their happiness is also a blessing you can sow everywhere and in all circumstances.
I have no difficulty blessing the most terrible dictators, the manipulative politicians, the most horrible child rapists and all those who are loathed by society, and I even feel an immense compassion for them, as I know that they are accumulating a huge destructive energy against themselves they will one day have to clear up.
In the past year, something that has completely renewed and deepened my practice of blessing is a growing awareness of the profound meaning of an Aramaic version of the Second Commandment
(Jesus spoke Aramaic): “Love your neighbour who IS yourself”. For me, it creates a deep bonding with the other person which gives still greater power to the practice of blessing.
These a just a few modest suggestions born of the experience of one single individual. They have no special authority. Simply they have worked well –even marvellously well! – for me. So, dear friend, I wish you great joy, an expanding heart and especially the deep conviction that you are taking part in the most important activity in the world: the raising of the planetary level of consciousness.
And a great rainbow of blessings on you and yours.
Pierre Pradervand
