As our lives get busier and we seem to be more time-poor, it has become even more crucial to find ways to easily apply the Buddhist teachings to our everyday activities. Practicing Buddhism in our daily life doesn’t have to be restricted to just meditating on a cushion; there are many ways we can incorporate the practices into our daily actions.
In this video I share with you a simple and easy practice of loving-kindness and compassion that we can do any time, irrespective of the activity we’re engaged in.
Metta, also known as loving kindness, is an attitude of universal love that is radiated to all living beings in the world without discrimination. In Buddhist teachings it is said that there are four divine states of mind which are naturally and unceasingly experienced by those who are enlightened. They are metta (loving-kindness), compassion, joy and equanimity. Together they are called the Four Immeasurables or the Four Brahma-Viharas. By training in these states of mind through meditation we can tap into these divine states and create the causes for experiencing happiness now and in the future.
In this video, I look at cultivating the first of these divine thoughts: metta. In particular, I describe what metta is, what are the advantages in practicing it, what are some of the obstacles that might prevent us from cultivating genuine loving-kindness, and I highlight some practical tips that we can employ to ensure our formal metta meditation practice is a success. (more…)
