Bring the vastness of the earth and spaciousness of air in offering metta to all aspects of ourselves and all beings.

In this talk from the first night of a weeklong silent retreat, Oren Jay Sofer explores mettā (lovingkindness) as both refuge and strength. Framing the Buddhist path as a practice of wise relationship, he offers several ways to cultivate mettā, inviting us to consider what it means to relate to life with warmth, steadiness, and care—even in a world of change and uncertainty.

Introduction to Metta (lovingkindness) - Week Four Homework: Daily meditation: Offer kindness/goodwill to an easy being (or benefactor) & self, then someone or some part of you that you find difficult. Please practice 20 minutes or more a day. Remember, it is always okay to return to a being that is easy. It can also be very skillful to switch to mindfulness. Integrating mindfulness into metta practice can increase wisdom. This can be done by noticing what is and isn’t metta, without judging –or buying into–other emotions or experiences. In daily life, notice when Metta is present and when it isn’t. What are conditions that help it arise? Decrease? Appreciating the wish for metta, being interested in it, attending to it, helps to strengthen it.

Week Three Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 15-30 minutes per day if new, normal amount if experienced. At least 2/3 to easy being or benefactor and self, then someone neutral. Experiment with single words/short phrases or gestures to build stability/concentration Always okay to return to where it’s easy, or switch to mindfulness. 2. Micro-practice: offer pulses of kindness, privately, to strangers or neutral persons in the course of each day

Homework for this class is: Daily meditation: 15-20 minutes per day if new, normal amount if experienced. --At least 2/3 metta for easy being/benefactor & self. (start with easy being if it’s helpful). --Up to 1/3 mindfulness (or end with a bit of mindfulness). --If it gets challenging, return to where it’s easy. 2. Micro-practice: Stop, notice, appreciate, kindness/positive regard for self or others: Appreciation, gratitude, or inspiration as a form of mindfulness. If you don’t notice in daily life, recall/write down a few in the evening. Due to a recording error, the second mini lecture was not recorded. The topic was the Buddhist and Scientific rationales for cultivating lovingkindness for oneself. The scientific study referenced is entitled "Open Hearts Build Lives," by Barbara Fredrickson, et al. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=-0XLchUAAAAJ&citation_for_view=-0XLchUAAAAJ:geHnlv5EZngC

This is a meditation will help you connect, regulate, repair, and soothe parts of yourself during difficult times. It includes principles from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Metta (lovingkindness).

This talk explores core questions of lovingkindness practice: What is "metta"? What is its relevance in our lives and our world? How does it function to transform our hearts and world? And how do we strengthen metta?

Week One Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 15-20 minutes per day if new, normal amount if experienced. 2/3 appreciating & offering, 1/3 mindfulness (if you have practiced mindfulness) 2. Micro-practices: notice/recall feeling or offering kindness. Notice kindness between others.