Metta Bhavana
Buddhism
Sharon Salzberg
Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg (Shambhala, 1995); guided session at Mindful.org
Metta (Pali: loving-kindness) is cultivated by systematically directing phrases of well-wishing to oneself and then to progressively wider circles of beings. Found in the Metta Sutta of the Pali Canon, it is one of the four Brahmaviharas (divine abodes) and is practiced across virtually all Buddhist schools.
Sharon Salzberg co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts in 1975 and has been teaching Buddhist meditation since 1974. Her 1995 book Lovingkindness is widely credited with bringing metta practice into mainstream Western mindfulness.
Tips
- Use any variation of phrases that feels personally meaningful. - Do not struggle to generate a feeling. Let feelings come and go naturally. The practice works whether it feels warm or mechanical. - Salzberg teaches that what matters is forming the intention, not the emotional result in any given session.