Showing posts with label loving-kindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label loving-kindness. Show all posts
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Power of Presence w/ Sharon Salzberg (video)
The Power of Presence with Sharon Salzberg
- JOIN THE CHALLENGE: Sharon Salzberg: Real Happiness Meditation Challenge (February 2023), Wed, Feb 15, 2023 | Meetup
 |
| Sharon Salzberg: Real Happiness Meditation Challenge, Wed, Feb 15, 2023 | Meetup |
Sharon Salzberg on Loving Kindness
Monday, February 6, 2023
The Freedom to Love: 3 Kinds of Suffering
Pema Chodron, T. Simon, Sounds True, 8/5/22; Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
 |
| Are you sure you want marriage material. |
Three Kinds of Suffering with American Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön
Do we want to love and connect with others more deeply but need a little help?
Struggling with matters of the heart? This is the place to bring them
through six sessions of intensive learning and practice, this beloved and gifted teacher guides us through Buddhism’s traditional awakened heart training...with a difference.
She might have named this course “Working with the Hard Stuff” — because here she shows us how to use the principles of The Four Immeasurables in our most challenging situations, relationships, and emotional states.
Check out the online course, The Freedom To Love: bit.ly/3QeGspl. Subscribe to Sounds True with Tami Simon for more: bit.ly/2EAugMf.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Demonic possession: The Blade Sutra (video)
ABC News; Ashley Wells, Sheldon S., Dhr. Seven (eds.), Satti Sutra: "The Blade or Spear Discourse" based on Ven. Thanissaro translation (SN 20.5, PTS: S ii 265, CDB i 707), Wisdom Quarterly
(ABC News) Possessed: The Modern Exorcism, Jan. 2011. We go behind the scenes as a Catholic priest casts "demons" out of creepy, possessed American woman Becky Parker (Paulist Productions, Inc.)
 |
| I will bend this sharp spear by hand. |
Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Savatthi.
There he said, "Meditators, suppose there were a sharp blade (spear), and a person were to say, 'Using only my hand I will bend back this sharp blade, fold it in two, and roll it up.'
There he said, "Meditators, suppose there were a sharp blade (spear), and a person were to say, 'Using only my hand I will bend back this sharp blade, fold it in two, and roll it up.'
"What do you think, Would that person be able to bend it, fold it, and roll it up by hand?"
"No, venerable sir. Sharp blades are difficult to bend, fold, and roll up. That person would reap only weariness and vexation."
 |
| I will infest, possess your mind. Mwah ha ha. |
"So train yourselves, 'Our [heart's] liberation through loving-kindness will be cultivated, pursued, developed, handed the reins, made a basis, grounded, steadied, consolidated, and skillfully undertaken. Train yourselves in this way."
- See also the Metta Sutra (AN 11.16)
Friday, May 15, 2020
The Dalai Lama on the coronavirus
Jason Duaine Hahn (people, 4/20); Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
 |
| Time reached out to dependable operative, the 14th Dalai Lama, to say the right things. |
 |
| When the CIA/CCP military-industrial complex wants 5G and a bioweapon, they mean it. |
 |
| Let us bow in prayer for all people [terrorized by gov't power grabs] (Jim Dyson/Getty). |
.
 |
| Dispel fear with metta (McQuinlan/Getty). |
The Dalai Lama says, "Prayer is not enough" [although meditation might be] in response to the coronavirus: "We must all take [some] responsibility [to help each other]."
The 14th Dalai Lama stressed the importance of compassion and courage [not giving into fear] in an interview with Time.
The Dalai Lama is calling for more “compassion” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with Time published on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama — the spiritual leader of Tibet in exile (in the Himalayas of Dharamsala, India) — touched upon Buddhist philosophies and the belief the entire world is inter-dependent.
“We are all the same as human beings, and we experience the same fears, the same hopes, the same uncertainties,” the 84-year-old explained. “From the Buddhist perspective, every sentient being is acquainted with suffering and the truths of sickness, old age and death.”
“The outbreak of this terrible coronavirus has shown that what happens to one person can soon affect every other being,” he continued. “But it also reminds us that a compassionate or constructive act — whether working in hospitals or just observing social distancing — has the potential to help many.”
The Dalai Lama said he has prayed for coronavirus victims since it emerged from its original epicenter in Wuhan, China, last year, and he came to a realization after seeing the devastation it has left.
“Now we can see that nobody is immune to this virus,” he wrote.
“We are all worried about loved ones and the future, of both the global economy and our own individual homes,” he continued. “But prayer is not enough.”
The former Nobel Peace Prize winner then called on others to show bravery like the millions of healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of the virus.
“This crisis shows that we must all take responsibility where we can,” he said. “We must combine the courage doctors and nurses are showing with empirical science to begin to turn this situation around and protect our future from more such threats.”
Then, using the global response to the virus as an example, the Dalai Lama asked people to consider what other things were possible if countries continued to work together around a cause.
“All of us must take care of [the planet] and work to prevent climate change and other destructive forces,” he wrote. “This pandemic serves as a warning that only by coming together with a coordinated, global response will we meet the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges we face.”
Two million people around the world have been infected by coronavirus and 127,518 others have died as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Eventually, this virus will pass, as I have seen wars and other terrible threats pass in my lifetime, and we will have the opportunity to rebuild our global community as we have done many times before,” the Dalai Lama told Time.
“I sincerely hope that everyone can stay safe and stay calm.” [For fear is the greatest enemy, caused by governments, the mainstream media, Big Pharma about to capitalize with vaccines, Orwellian tracking systems, and deadly 5G...] More
The 14th Dalai Lama stressed the importance of compassion and courage [not giving into fear] in an interview with Time.
The Dalai Lama is calling for more “compassion” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
 |
| Future-Buddha Maitreya (Thikse Gompa, Ladakh) |
“We are all the same as human beings, and we experience the same fears, the same hopes, the same uncertainties,” the 84-year-old explained. “From the Buddhist perspective, every sentient being is acquainted with suffering and the truths of sickness, old age and death.”
“The outbreak of this terrible coronavirus has shown that what happens to one person can soon affect every other being,” he continued. “But it also reminds us that a compassionate or constructive act — whether working in hospitals or just observing social distancing — has the potential to help many.”
The Dalai Lama said he has prayed for coronavirus victims since it emerged from its original epicenter in Wuhan, China, last year, and he came to a realization after seeing the devastation it has left.
“Now we can see that nobody is immune to this virus,” he wrote.
“We are all worried about loved ones and the future, of both the global economy and our own individual homes,” he continued. “But prayer is not enough.”
 |
| Dalai Lama with French Matthieu Ricard |
“This crisis shows that we must all take responsibility where we can,” he said. “We must combine the courage doctors and nurses are showing with empirical science to begin to turn this situation around and protect our future from more such threats.”
Then, using the global response to the virus as an example, the Dalai Lama asked people to consider what other things were possible if countries continued to work together around a cause.
 |
| Goddess of Compassion Kwan Yin |
Two million people around the world have been infected by coronavirus and 127,518 others have died as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Eventually, this virus will pass, as I have seen wars and other terrible threats pass in my lifetime, and we will have the opportunity to rebuild our global community as we have done many times before,” the Dalai Lama told Time.
“I sincerely hope that everyone can stay safe and stay calm.” [For fear is the greatest enemy, caused by governments, the mainstream media, Big Pharma about to capitalize with vaccines, Orwellian tracking systems, and deadly 5G...] More
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Sex? The Spectrum of Love (Alan Watts)
Alan Watts; Acharya Buddharakkhita; Ashley Wells, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
The Buddha's Philosophy of Love (Metta)
The Buddha's Philosophy of Love (Metta)
Acharya Buddharakkhita (BPS.lk, accesstoinsight.org), Amber Larson (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
The Pali word metta (Sanskrit maitri) is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness, harmlessness, and non-violence.
The commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-kamana). Essentially, metta is an altruistic, boundless, universal attitude of love and friendliness as distinguished from mere amiability based on self-interest.
Through metta one refuses to be offensive and lets go of and renounces bitterness, resentment, and animosity of every kind, developing instead a mind/heart of friendliness, accommodation, and benevolence that seeks the well-being and happiness of others.
 |
| O, Goddess of Mother Nature Bhumi Devi and Kwan Yin, grant me love and wisdom. |
.
Real metta is easy because it is devoid of self-interest. Self-interest makes it difficult. Metta evokes within a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship, sympathy, and love, which grows boundless with practice and overcomes all social, religious, racial, political, and economic barriers.
Metta is indeed a universal, unselfish and all-embracing love. It makes one a pure font of well-being and safety for others. Just as a mother gives her own life to protect her only son, so metta only gives and never demands anything in return.
To promote one's own interest is a primordial motivation of our habitual human nature. When this urge is transformed into the motivation or desire to promote the interest and happiness of others, not only is the basic urge of self-seeking overcome, but the mind becomes universal by identifying its own enlightened interest with the interest of all.
By making this change one also promotes one's own well-being in the best possible manner. Metta is the protective and immensely patient attitude of a mother who forbears all difficulties for the sake of her child and ever protects it despite its misbehavior. Metta is also the attitude of a friend who wants to give one the best to further one's well-being.
If these qualities of metta are sufficiently (as by attaining meditative absorption called jhana through this practice) cultivated through metta-bhavana — the meditation on boundless love — the result is the acquisition of a tremendous inner power tat preserves, protects, and heals both oneself and others....
The following aims at exploring various facets of metta in theory and practice. The examination of the doctrinal and ethical side of metta proceeds through a study of the popular Karaniya Metta Sutra, the Buddha's "Discourse on Universal Love."
In connection with this theme it also looks at several short texts dealing with metta. The explanation of meditation on boundless love gives practical directions for developing this contemplation as preserved in the main meditation texts of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, The Path of Purification, The Path of Freedom, and The Path of Discriminating Wisdom. More
Sunday, October 27, 2019
UCLA: Mindful Forgiveness (MARC)
Diana Winston (learning.mindful.org, MARC.ucla.edu, uclahealth.org/marc); Ananda (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Cultivating Forgiveness with Diana Winston
In this class Diana Winston guides participants on a journey of forgiveness -- a journey that includes forgiving others and ourselves. Winston teaches with empathy, kindness, and gentleness, encouraging practitioners to release the pain, anger, and self-blame that we may be holding in our hearts to find a renewed sense of inner-release and freedom.
Over five weeks, starting Oct. 28, the course will explore the following themes:
- Week 1: What is Forgiveness? Discover new concepts and the benefits of forgiveness.
- Week 2: Forgiving Others. Learn practical tools to let go of anger and resentment.
- Week 3: Asking Forgiveness. Find out what's required to release shame and self-blame.
- Week 4: Self-Forgiveness. Review the necessary steps to cultivate self-forgiveness.
- Week 5: Moving Forward. Apply mindful strategies and connect to inner goodness.
- UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
- 740 Westwood Plaza, C8-237, L.A., CA 90095
- marcinfo@ucla.edu
|
|
|
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Loving kindness with Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield (insightla.com); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
 |
| When's it safe to love? When's it safe not to? |
The
Buddha taught that we can develop loving kindness (metta) by visualizing how a
caring mother holds her beloved child.
Altruistic love is our true nature, but it
is often covered over by a protective layer of fear [bhava, the opposite of love, rooted in dosa, aversion/hate].
The Buddhist path
uses systematic trainings to cultivate love. These trainings are found
throughout the Buddhist world. They strengthen our capacity for love,
compassion, joy, and peace. The practices that develop these qualities
combine repeated thoughts, visualization, and feelings.
These trainings
have been employed by millions of practitioners to transform their own
hearts.
 |
| Pick yourself up and love the world. (AP) |
Loving-kindness is the first of these trainings. In loving-kindness
practice, students visualize themselves and repeat four or five
traditional phrases of well-wishing, such as “May I be safe and healthy.
May I be happy.” Along with the recitation, a bodily sense of love is
established, and feelings of loving-kindness are invited.
 |
| The marriage of wisdom and compassion |
Loving-kindness develops as we repeat these phrases thousands of
times, over days and months. I often recommend a year of developing
loving-kindness for oneself.
Because of the shame and unworthiness most if not all of us carry, loving ourselves becomes a particularly powerful practice [a radical act of self-acceptance].
It
doesn’t create love; it opens the pathway to the gold of our natural
love. Then that love can spill over to touch and bless all that we come in contact with.
Join in on a joyful day of transformative teachings, wonderful
stories, heart practices, and awakening together. In these turbulent and
divisive times, more than ever we need ways to steady our hearts, calm
our minds, clear our vision and inspire our action. We will cultivate
the qualities of courage and love, how to dwell in kind awareness, and
how to enhance our natural capacity for care and connection, towards
ourselves, our society and all beings. Metta and goodwill -- combined with
compassion, forgiveness, sympathetic joy, and equanimity -- are the
revolutionary and necessary powers that can transform our lives and mend
our world.- Awakened Heart with Jack Kornfield
- 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Saturday, November 3rd
- First Presbyterian Church
- Santa Monica CA
Monday, July 2, 2018
3 Ways To Be Unf**kwithable (video)
"What if I were enough?" Vishen Lakhiani collaborates with top masterminds to teach how incredibly simple it is to hack our past, present, and future and be completely unf**kwithable (unflappable). Like this stuff? Consider becoming a Mindvalley Academy member for more juicy goodness. Sick of doing ridiculous things for outside approval? What? Like memorizing all the lyrics to "Ice, Ice, Baby" by Vanilla Ice to impress the cool kids? |
| Whatever happens, it doesn't F with me. |
These are kensho moments. They dive into the life-saving power of realizing that I am (and you are) enough, share a presence exercise (being mindful, being here now) that will help us dissolve stress (in any moment), and more. The moral of the video? Being unf**kwithable is easier than anyone thinks.
- 1. The first hack: Radical Forgiveness 15:03
- Learning forgiveness 20:46
- Interesting facts about forgiveness 25:16
- 2. The second hack: Realizing You Are Enough 35:54
- 3. The third hack: Becoming Present 40:49
- Quick recap
 |
| Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living |
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Love Bomb Meditation, Yoga, Massage (free)
Ananda M. (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly
 |
| The marriage of wisdom and compassion |
FREE $100 massages? At our "Read, Practice, Hugs" session, everyone agreed love is often the missing ingredient.
There were so many endogenous chemicals (third eye/pineal gland secretions of DMT) flowing around the room that we agreed to make a hugging option a regular feature of our sessions.
There were so many endogenous chemicals (third eye/pineal gland secretions of DMT) flowing around the room that we agreed to make a hugging option a regular feature of our sessions.
This week we'll relax with Yoga Massage for self and others, open hearts with powerful Ecstatic Breathwork and Reiki to reach profound states of serenity. Followed by mindfulness exercises and a group reading of the Heart Sutra.
What to bring: Loose comfortable top to expose back, towel, water, crystal (optional), vegan snacks and RAW juices for sharing and socializing.- Love Bomb Meditation, Yoga, Massage (free/by donation)
- 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, Thursday, April 26, 2018
- The Sequoyah School @ Neighborhood Church
- 301 N. Orange Grove Bl., Rm. 23, Pasadena, CA
 |
| Dharma Meditation Initiative - UCLA - Disclosure - Dharma Punx - PasaDharma |
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Learning "Loving Kindness" (metta)
Acharya Buddharakkhita, Metta: The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love (Wheel 365); Dhr. Seven, Ananda, Crystal Quintero, Amber Larson, Pat Machperson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
 |
| Inhale love...exhale gratitude... |
It means loving-kindness, friendliness, amity, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, concord, inoffensiveness, and non-violence.
The commentators define metta as the strong wish for the happiness and welfare of others (parahita-parasukha-kamana).
 |
| Metta by Sharon Salzberg |
Through Buddhist metta one refuses to be offensive. One renounces bitterness, resentment, and animosity of every kind, developing instead a mind/heart of friendliness, accommodation, and benevolence that seeks the well-being and happiness of others.
True metta is friendliness is free of self-interest. It evokes within a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship, sympathy, and agape/love that grows boundless with practice and overcomes all familial, social, religious, racial, political, and economic barriers. Metta is a universal, unselfish, and all-embracing love.
Metta practice [the goal of this essay] makes one a pure font of well-being and safety for others. Just as a mother gives her own life to protect her child, so metta only gives and never wants anything in return.
 |
| That's not metta, silly. That's sexy love! |
Metta is the protective and immensely patient attitude of a mother who forbears all difficulties for the sake of her child and ever protects it despite its misbehavior. Metta is also the attitude of a friend [the Buddha being said to be the fest of all possible friends] who wants to give one the best to further one's well-being.
 |
| Welcome, venerable sir, your holiness. - Thanks. |
Apart from its higher implications, metta is a pragmatic necessity today. In a world menaced by all kinds of destructiveness, metta in deed, word, and thought is the only constructive means to bring concord, peace, and respectful mutual understanding.
 |
| Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Bernini |
In connection with this theme, we will also look at several other short texts dealing with metta. The explanation of metta-development (bhavana), meditation on universal love, will give the practical directions for developing this type of contemplative reflection as set forth in the main meditation texts of the Theravada Buddhist tradition:
- The Path of Purification (Visuddhi-magga)
- The Path of Freedom (Vimutti-magga), and
- The Path of Discernment (Patisambhida-magga).
1. Karaniyam atthakusalena Yan tam santam padam abhisamecca
Sakko uju ca suju ca
Suvaco c'assa mudu anatimani
Who seeks to promote one's own welfare,2. Santussako ca subharo ca
Having glimpsed the state of perfect peace,
Should be able, honest, and upright,
Gentle in speech, meek, and not proud.
Appakicco ca sallahukavutti
Santindriyo ca nipako ca
Appagabbho kulesu ananugiddho
Contented, one should be easy to support,3. Na ca khuddam samacare kinci
Not over-busy but simple in living.
With tranquil senses, let one be prudent
And not brazen, nor fawning on supporters.
Yena viññu pare upavadeyyum
Sukhino va khemino hontu
Sabbe satta bhavantu sukhitatta
Also, one must refrain from any karma4. Ye keci panabhut'atthi
That gives the wise reason to reprove.
(Then let one cultivate the thought:)
May all beings be well and secure and
May all beings be happy!
Tasa va thavara va anavasesa
Digha va ye mahanta va
Majjhima rassakanukathula
Whatever living creatures there be,5. Dittha va yeva adittha
Without exception, weak or strong,
Long, huge, or middle-sized,
Short, minute, or bulky,
Ye ca dure vasanti avidure
Bhuta va sambhavesi va
Sabbe satta bhavantu sukhitatta
Whether visible or invisible,6. Na paro param nikubbetha
Those living far or near,
The reborn and those seeking rebirth,
May all beings be happy!
Natimaññetha katthacinam kanci
Byarosana patighasañña
Naññamaññassa dukkham iccheyya
Let none deceive or decry7. Mata yatha niyam puttam
Another anywhere;
Let none wish others harm
In resentment or in hate.
Ayusa ekaputtam anurakkhe
Evampi sabbabhutesu
Manasam bhavaye aparimanam
Just as with her own life8. Mettañ ca sabba-lokasmim
A mother shields from harm
Her own son, her only child,
Let all-embracing thoughts
For all beings be yours.
Manasam bhavaye aparimanam
Uddham adho ca tiriyanca
Asambadham averam asapattam
Cultivate an all-embracing mind of love9. Titthañ caram nisinno va
For all throughout the universe,
In all its height, depth, and breadth —
Love that is untroubled
Gone beyond hatred and enmity.
Sayano va yavat'assa vigatamiddho
Etam satim adhittheyya
Brahmam etam viharam idhamahu
As you stand, walk, sit, or lie down,10. Ditthiñca anupagamma silava
So long as you are awake,
Pursue this mindfulness with your might:
It is deemed the Divine State here.
Dassanena sampanno
Kamesu vineyya gedham
Na hi jatu gabbhaseyyam punar eti'ti
Holding no more to wrong views,
With virtue and vision of the ultimate,
And having overcome all sensual desire,
Never in a womb is one reborn again.
 |
| Kwan Yin in Marble Mountain |
The historical background that led the Buddha to expound the Karaniya Metta Sutta is explained in the commentary written by the great commentator Buddhaghosa, who received it from an unbroken line of Buddhist elders (theras and theris) going back to the days of the Buddha. ...
Indeed, such is the power intrinsic in the Metta Sutta.
Whoever with firm confidence will recite the sutra, invoking the protection of the devas and meditating on metta, will safeguard oneself in every way and also protect all of those around, and will make spiritual progress that can actually be verified. No harm can ever befall a person who follows the path of metta.
 |
| Mystic St. Francis spreads metta |
The Metta Sutta consists of three parts, each of which focuses on a distinct aspect of metta.
- The first part (Lines 3 to 10) covers that aspect which requires a thorough and systematic application of loving-kindness in one's day-to-day conduct.
- The second part (Lines 11-20) expresses loving-kindness as a distinct technique of meditation or culture of mind (development of the heart) leading to samadhi — higher consciousness induced by meditative absorption (jhana).
- And the third part (Lines 21-40) underlines a total commitment to the philosophy of universal love and its personal, social, and empirical extensions — loving-kindness through all bodily, verbal, and mental actions/activities (karma).
 |
| India's Polish Catholic saint, Mother Teresa |
Again, metta brings to maturity to the ten exalted spiritual qualities known as "Ten Perfections" (paramis, paramita) the Bodhisatta ("Buddha-to-be") developed to become "the Buddha."
 |
| Trees can talk and teach. Can we hear them? |
The practice of metta can therefore be likened to bringing into being a great tree, from the time the seed is sown to the time the tree is heavily laden with delicious fruits and sends forth its sweet fragrance far and wide, attracting a myriad creatures to it to enjoy its tasty nutrients.
The sprouting of the seed and the growth of the plant are, as it were, brought about by the first part of the sutra. In the second part, the tree -- robust and developed -- is fully covered with fragrant and beautiful flowers, riveting all eyes upon it. More
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
