What supports lovingkindness is the sincere caring we give in each moment as we say a metta phrase. What obstructs metta are its near and far enemies; affection with attachment and aversion such as sadness, fear, anger, or judgement.

The five aggregates together create a sense of self. To separate from this sense of identity, use Pure Awareness. Teaching given in Thai with English translation by Amdee Vongthongsri and Joseph Kappel.

“Being human is a guest house” wrote Rumi. Every day we greet new arrivals – joys, sorrows, hostilities and more; and moments of awareness too. We bow to the present moment and greet them all, be they thorns or unruly monsters like malice, shame, fear, anger or greed. Can we see them all just as they are, painful or pleasant – impermanent, not ours, not who we are? Can we let them come and go, and be grateful? Treat whatever passes through the heart as empty. After all, these are karmic messengers from beyond bearing unique spiritual gifts. For in their presence, we strengthen our practice. Wisely attentive, reflective, and aware, we are on the magnificent path of waking up.

How and why do Buddhist principles mandate our participation in our community and world along with ongoing and fundamental dedication to purification of ones heart.

The breath is like a mirror for the mind. When there’s greed, anger, delusion, they’ll show up in the breath. And you find that not only does the breath reflect the mind, but you can use the breath to have a positive effect on the mind as well.

Approaching anger skillfully, both by developing a proper understanding of it and by using the many tools that can be used to keep the mind from being overcome by it.

The talk explores how metta practice restores the heart to wakefulness over and over again. When it is startled, scared or confused by life and death, danger, criticisms and woodpeckers making holes in our homes metta practice restores the heart.

GET REAL Reality is threatening when we try to live in our stories and preconceived notions. But when the mind is free of the falsity of delusion, things that are real pose no danger to the mind. RIGHT NOW What you're doing right now is very important -- a principle that applies to any 'right now,' because what you're doing right now is always shaping 'right now' as well as the future. JUST THIS BREATH In one breath you've got everything you need for the practice, so be fully aware right here, and the fullness of your awareness will develop over time without your having to pace yourself or to plan ahead. SHAPING YOUR LIFE As meditators, we can easily slip into the attitude that we're like people watching T.V. -- passive consumers, watching a reality that's ready-made -- but that's not what's really going on. We've always active, always shaping things, even when we seem to be perfectly still. The purpose of the meditation is to be more careful about our intentions, more alert about how we're shaping things. DEVELOPING YOUR POTENTIAL The simple things we already have in the present can be put together in such a way that they can lead to true happiness. We don't have to go searching outside. All we need is to develop what's right here. FIVE TALKS ON ONE CASSETTE OR CD