May I be well, happy and peaceful.
May the devas protect me.
May I be free from (physical) pain and (mental) suffering.
May I rejoice in my goodness.
May I purify my actions of body, speech and mind.
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May you be well, happy and peaceful.
May the devas protect you.
May you be free from (physical) pain and (mental) suffering.
May you rejoice in your goodness.
May you purify your actions of body, speech and mind.
I have been working with variations on the metta bhavana phrases for some time but have had some difficult finding the right rhythm. I suspect this is in large part due to my own stubbornness and caprice but it got to the point where I felt I was wasting time on the cushion fighting with myself to stay on the phrases Bhante Saddhasara recommended.
So, this morning, while meditating, I began experimenting and came up with the following as I radiated metta towards an old friend who has more or less disappeared from my life. I realized that the phrases I had been using didn’t actually convey the feeling of well-woishing that I wanted to express to him so I came up with variants on the traditional themes that I felt good about. Yes, I used the feelings that arose as my measuring stick to determine what worked best but I am happy with the results.
As always, this practice is subject to anicca and I am sure that they will eventually seem unsatisfactory as well but for now they are working.
May all beings be well, happy and peaceful.
May the devas protect them.
May all beings be free from (physical) pain and (mental) suffering.
May all beings rejoice in their goodness.
May all beings purify their actions of body, speech and mind..
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
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