Lovingkindness is the quality of friendliness toward oneself and others developed through the practice of metta. This talk describes how the practice works as a protection, a healing, a purification of heart, and a boundless state of mind.

Exploring how and why the Loving Kindness practice works.

Right Effort includes developing and increasing wholesome states by recognizing them or inclining the mind to their development. The four states of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity can be consciously developed through practice. (Includes experiential exercises.)

A reading and discussion of the Lovingkindness Sutta.

Lovingkindness, compassion, empathetic/appreciative joy and equanimity. We weave a tapestry of clear, caring, balanced and appropriate responsivity through our practice. This growing and maturing tapestry made up of these perfectly natural capacities of heart weave into the whole of our life and into all of our relationships.

How to deepen our connection to ourselves and all beings.

Everything arises and passes away, like the breath. How to not be frightened by this or experience "existential angst" from inevitable loss in connection is often what brings us into practice. Liberation is in the heart that is wide enough to hold joy as well as the greatest pain of loss. In managing inevitable loss, we become kinder, softer, gentler and much more careful. To liberate "fixed point of view," we stay awake and attentive, always open for new insights to our stories about ourselves and others. Views change, bodies change, relationships change, but what does not change is the capacity of the heart to respond with compassion and lovingkindness.