Abrahama-Viharas of Loving Kindness

Brahma-Viharas (the Divine Abodes)

The ‘Brahma-Viharas’ pre-date Buddhism and as such they have a Universal quality.

Loving-kindness is the first of the four Brahma-Viharas practices intended to develop ‘Immeasurable, Boundless Qualities of the Heart’.

The other three Brahma-Viharas are Compassion, Joy-gladness and Equanimity.

Together they are the doorways to self-love, self-compassion, self-appreciation and self-balance.

Out of the rich soil of Loving-kindness, 
Grows the beautiful bloom of Compassion, 
Shaded by the cool tree of Equanimity, 
Watered by tears of Joy-gladness. 

These four ‘concentration’ meditation practices train the mind to stay focused on a single object and transform our relationship to ourselves and others. These are a gradual training : you only take on that which you can skilfully and wisely deal with. These practices of Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy-gladness and Equanimity are a prescription for healing the Heart-mind (Citta).

From:  file:///C:/Users/Avraham%20Chaim/zen/From-Hungry-Ghost-to-Being-Human-(Taking-Sajja-Beyond-Thamkrabok).pdf

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

http://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/Teishos/Shodo_Harada_On_the_Heart_Sutra.html

Image
home go back to Zen Commentaries & Teishos thezensite  On the Maka Hanya Haramita Sutra Shodo Harada Roshi July, 1993 From today through the three days which we are gathered here I will do Dharma lectures on the Heart Sutra. This Heart Sutra in a mere 261 words puts together totally the essence of the Buddha's teaching, his wisdom and understanding. This very experience of the Buddha is manifested in this sutra. Of course, this is an impossible task to do in just three days and we will have to abbreviate it greatly and won't be able to cover it all. It is a sutra which should be read by each of us every day, but do not end it's study here please.  The title itself,  Maka Hanya Haramita Sutra , was added later and could be called extra but in fact the essence of this sutra is all put together in this one title, so I shall begin by talking about that one title.  The first word  maka , this word means great, superior, plentiful, all rolled into one. We...
Read more

Theravadin.org on meditation

Image
http://www.theravadin.org/2009/02/13/mindfulness-is-not-sati/ Mindfulness is not Sati? FEBRUARY 13, 2009 /  23 COMMENTS /20389 VIEWS Many people  (especially those who intensively try to put the Buddhas eightfold path into practice) have thought about the meaning of samma sati or “right mindfulness”. In fact, the meaning of this important aspect of Buddhist practice had troubled me for a long time 🙂 (1) The problem occurs when we start looking closer at the oldest Buddhist scriptures available, the Pali texts and look for the meaning and connotations of this important Buddhist term. Before we begin, however,  a very short introductory remark: Why is ‘sati’ so important with regard to the path to Nibbana? Because it is  at the center core of the entire Buddhist meditation : “Now what is concentration, lady, what is its topic, what are its requisites, and what is its development” “Singleness of mind is concentration, friend Visakha; the four foundations of...
Read more

Craving and the three Poisons

amoha  (non-delusion) or  prajna  (wisdom) alobha  (non-attachment) or  dāna  (generosity) adveṣa  (non-hatred) or  mettā  (loving-kindness) Poison Sanskrit [11] [12] Pali Tibetan [11] [13] Alternate English translations [11] Skt./Pali/Tib. Synonym [14] Delusion moha moha gti mug confusion, ignorance avidyā  (Skt.); avijjā (Pāli); ma rigpa (Tib.) Attachment rāga lobha 'dod chags desire, sensuality, greed n/a Aversion dveṣa dosa zhe sdang hatred n/a In the second of the  Four Noble Truths , the Buddha identified  taṇhā  as a principal cause in the arising of  dukkha  (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness). [8] The  taṇhā , states  Walpola Rahula , or "thirst, desire, greed, craving" is what manifests as suffering and rebirths. [7]  However, adds Rahula, it is not the first cause nor the only cause of  dukkha  or  samsara , because the origination of everything ...
Read more