I invite new and regular visitors to take a look at my updated and expanded Metta Instruction page. There you will find many helpful articles you can read online or download—articles such as these: Ajahn Brahmavmso Teaches Loving-kindness Metta—The Healing Power of Visualizing and Radiating Love Toward Others Bringing Metta to Daily Life—A Talk by […]
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How to Use Body Meditation and Mindfulness of the Breath to Dissolve Fears
2011/01/30 
6 Comments
Morning “Check In” — What is present and what is arising? When I awake in the morning, the first thing I do is “check in” to myself to see what’s going on. I consciously breathe in and out, center myself, and just listen and watch to see what arises. I try not to get snagged […]
Continue reading Metta-the Healing Power of Visualizing and Radiating Love Toward Others
2010/11/23 4 Comments
Here is a unique teaching on metta, or loving-kindness meditation, by Acharya Buddharakkhita from “Mettá: The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love.” In this teaching, Buddharakkhita focuses specifically on how to use visualization and thought-radiation to embrace others in universal love and goodwill. This teaching presents the classic sequence of beginning with loving oneself, and […]
Continue reading Veterans Day-The Wounds of Combat Can Be Healed
2010/11/11 1 Comment
As an ex-GI, I often find my heart and loving-kindness practice embracing our enlisted men and women throughout the world, and especially those in war zones. War is hell. That’s no cliché, and only those who have been in combat can truly testify to what that phrase means. That’s why around Veterans Day I highlighted the […]
Continue reading A Buddhist prayer for the well-being and happiness of all beings
2010/09/23 7 Comments
I recently came across this beautiful metta, or loving-kindness meditation by the dhamma teacher Venerable Visuddhàcàra One could certainly call it a prayer, although in Buddhist prayer there is no appeal to a supreme being. Rather, it’s a deep and earnest aspiration and wish for happiness from one being’s heart to the hearts of all […]
Continue reading Why Loving-kindness Doesn’t Have to Be Lovey-dovey
2010/08/20 8 Comments
One of my favorite things each day is getting my daily e-mail for Tricyle Magazine. There’s always an inspiring dharma teaching or quotation from an article at the website that I almost always want to go and read. Given that this blog is all about metta practice, and since Gil Fronsdal is a teacher I’ve […]
Continue reading The Karaniya Metta Sutta and Healing Through Loving-kindness (with Music)
2010/08/07 14 Comments
Over the years, I have collected many wonderful translation of the Metta Sutta, the Buddha’s sutta (sutra) on loving-kindness. But of all of them, I believe this one, from the Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, is my favorite. I have it printed out and taped to my wall, and I often turn to it for inspiration. I […]
Continue reading Prayer and Metta for all beings affected by the BP Gulf oil disaster
2010/07/14 10 Comments
Like millions of others in the United States, and around the world, I’ve been keeping a close watch on the tragic situation with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. I don’t live in the Gulf area, but I’ve tried to help by various forms of advocacy and by getting good, solid scientific and technical information […]
Continue readingIf We Could Poll the Dead Iraqis-Poem, Music, and Interview with Thich Nhat Hanh
2010/06/17 2 Comments
I wrote this poem this week after listening to an American soldier talk about his deep regret over his part in the Iraqi war and his sorrow over his role in the destruction and loss of so many lives. After the poem, please have a listen to John Gorka’s powerful song, “The Road of Good […]
Continue reading An Overview of Loving-kindness Meditation
2010/05/29 8 Comments
May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness! May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! May all beings never be separated from the supreme joy that is beyond all sorrow! May all beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion! Going through the Buddhadharma teachings I’ve collected […]
Continue readingZen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on Nourishing Happiness
2010/05/14 4 Comments
This excerpt is from Thich Nhat Hanh’s wonderful book “Teachings on Love.” In it, Thây gives three exercises that are a kind of metta meditation—aspiration for our own happiness and the happiness of others. As is usual in metta, the first verse aspiration is for our own happiness. The second verse is for a friend, […]
Continue reading Bringing Metta to Daily Life-A Talk by Bhante Vimalaramsi
2010/04/24 9 Comments
You will find no finer or deeper teaching on Loving-Kindness than that of Ven. Bhante Vimalaramsi. I hope this short excerpt from a talk he gave on bringing loving-kindness to daily life will send you to his website to read the whole article. (Link below) Metta in Daily Life Ven.Bhante Vimalaramsi What we need to […]
Continue reading Audio Dharma-An Introduction to Metta by Gil Fronsdal
2010/04/01 1 Comment
One of the reasons I upgraded my blog for audio capability was so that I could include talks by Gil Fronsdal. Along with Thanissaro Bhikkhu, he was one of the very first dharma teachers I listened to, and he had a huge impact on my understanding and practice of Buddhism. I’ll always be grateful to […]
Continue readingAudio Dharma-The Karaniya Metta Sutta
2010/04/01 4 Comments
In order to expand my ability to share the dharma, I’ve upgraded my blog so that I can now share audio talks with my readers. I’m very excited about this, because there are many wonderful dharma teachers whose teachings are mainly available as audio recordings. Because of the nature and purpose of this blog, it […]
Continue reading How To Become a Loving Presence in the World
2010/03/15 5 Comments
Practicing loving-kindness, like mindfulness, isn’t just for our private meditation time or prayers. With practice, loving-kindness can actually become a way of being, a spirit of love that animates all our actions. If we open up our eyes and our hearts, we can find countless ways during the day to practice acts of loving-kindness. Indeed, […]
Continue reading The Selfish King and the Compassion of the Tree Spirit
2010/03/01 7 Comments
Doing some dharma study this weekend, I came upon this wonderful story in a document I downloaded from internet years ago. I regret that I no longer know the source of this, but the message is a relevant as ever: A long time ago there lived a selfish king. He wanted to build a large […]
Continue readingLearn Metta Vipassana from a Master Teacher
2010/02/11 6 Comments
In yesterday’s post: Mindfulness of Breathing-The Anapanasati Sutta I shared Venerable U Vimalaramsi’s marvelous commentary on this seminal teaching of the Buddha on breath mediation. Since this post, a student of Bhante Vimalaramsi pointed me to his website, which supports his teaching and practice here in the United States: Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center Bhante Vimalaramsi […]
Continue reading Breathing in Peace-Breathing out Love (music)
2010/01/15 4 Comments
With so much pain and suffering in the news, I wanted to share this guided metta meditation that I’ve used for years. It’s from the book Who is My Self: A Guide to Buddhist Meditation by Ayya Khema, a wonderfully skillful nun in the Theravada tradition. This particular guided meditation has been especially helpful in […]
Continue reading Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 3
2010/01/14 17 Comments
When we hurt others, and our conscience is awake, we suffer. While having a conscience is good, the Buddha is all about the ending of suffering, right? So, what do we do? Bhante Bodhidhamma is a vipassana (insight meditation) teacher of over 20 years experience. He offers some very helpful insight practices to help us […]
Continue reading All-Embracing Compassion-The Heart-Practice of Tonglen
2010/01/13 5 Comments
The devastating earthquake in Haiti is a terrible blow to good hearts everywhere. Already there has been a huge outpouring of physical aid and spiritual support to the suffering people of Haiti. In the days and months ahead, this support will need to grow and continue to help bring recovery and healing to Haiti. As […]
Continue readingMay All Beings Be Happy
- Looking at the Ninth Zen Precept-I Do Not Indulge In Anger
- True God, True Buddha
- The Difference Between Compassion and “Idiot Compassion”
- Ajahn Brahmavamso teaches Loving-kindness Meditation
- Now-and-Zen-Are you still carrying her?
- A Buddhist Mantra based on the Prayer of St. Francis
- Mindfulness of Breathing-The Anapanasati Sutta
- Buddhist Forgiveness-When We Have Hurt Another-Part 3
- Healing the Body with Mindfulness of Breathing
- Practicing the Middle Way-not too much, not too little
- Look at the Three Characteristics in Terms of Actions
- Thich Nhat Hanh – Healing Through Resting in the Breath
- How Metta Can Help You When Meditation is Hindered by Overwhelming Feelings
- The Importance of Taking the “Should” out of Spiritual Practice
- Can We “Choose” to Be Happy? No—and Yes!
- Ken Mcleod on how to use Thich Nhat Hanh’s Five-Step Method of Emotional Releasing
- Non-resistance and the Art of Resisting without Resisting!
- Don’t be fooled! There is a Way and We Can Walk It!
- The Importance of Compassion in Assessing Our Dharma Progress
- Jesus and the Buddha on Good Friday
Metta Refuge 