Lovingkindness is presented as a "subset" of mindfulness: Attention to the third foundation of mindfulness, specifically the presence (or absence) of good will in the mind. Meditation is presented as a technique for letting go of all limiting stories (fixed views) that inhibit us from becoming the fully loving (and tolerant) people we could be.
Our dedication to not pushing anyone--or any part of ourselves--out of our hearts, serves the healing of our world. This talk includes a short guided meditation on opening to our human vulnerability and forgiving another person.
While the heart of meditation is resting in open awareness, our conditioning to be distracted and reactive can keep us on the wheel of suffering. We awaken from trace by developing skillful ways of paying attention that create the environment for natural presence. This natural awareness, while sometimes hidden, is always here: It is our true home.
The first two links of dependent origination say that ignorance gives rise to volitional formations, or impulses. This talk describes successive layers of obscurations that form from ignorance, to a belief in self, to afflictive emotions, to unskillful actions. The path undoes these layers by focusing, in order, on virtue, meditation, and wisdom, finally penetrating to Nibbana.
Begins with chanting of the Karaniya Metta Sutta in Pali, followed by a talk on the history of the Metta sutta, the practice, cultivation and benefits of loving kindness meditation.
