For the first months of 2022, we will be drawing on four heart-centered practices for inspiration and focus during our weekly Mindful Monday guided practice sessions.
Loving Friendliness (Kindness) Metta
Compassion Karuna
Appreciative Joy Mudita
Equanimity Uppeka
These are the four heart-centered qualities of the “Heavenly”or “Divine”Abodes (the place we reside and make our home). They are drawn from Buddhist teachings connecting wisdom and insight with qualities of the heart, towards finding peace and freedom from suffering. These Brahma Viharas, together with wisdom practices, are often described as the two wings of a bird. We need both to fly.
These are relational qualities. They form the foundation of all respectful, healthy, and dignified societies, communities, families and relationships. They can be cultivated in all moments and events that touch our lives, from the easy to the difficult.
These ennobling qualities are the embodied expression of the awakened heart, and describe the deepest emotional and psychological freedom and maturity of a human being.
I try to shift my focus to one of these four qualities when I notice myself being pulled into reactivity, looping thoughts or compelling emotions. This helps me stay in my body, in the moment, with less judgment and aversion. They reconnect me with the heart, with the ground, with my essential nature as a human being on a spiritual path. They remind me that how I interact with others is an opportunity to practice, as well as a mirror for how I treat myself.
These qualities are present in each of us innately, and can be developed and brought to the fore through conscious and deliberate intention. Being reminded by listening to talks, reading books or articles, being in the presence of others who are kind, compassionate, joyful and equanimous, are ways we can keep our intentions alive.
You may want to take a moment now to reflect on times you have naturally extended kindness and care, appreciative joy, or a balanced perspective to a challenging person or situation. How did it feel to do that? What was it like when you were the recipient of any one of these qualities? This can help remind you of the inner potential we all have for being in the world in a responsive, liberating way. It is reassuring to remember that we already have these qualities within, and that they can be developed and expanded with our kind and caring attention.
I look forward to spending time on these four uplifting qualities of the heart in 2022 as we continue to face the losses brought on by the pandemic, the stark reminders of the injustices and inequalities inherent in our capitalistic, consumer-oriented society, and the effect our lifestyles are having on the future of the planet as we know it. There are ways to meet all of this without losing heart and hope, by holding the intention to “do the right thing” even when the outcome isn’t within our control. These four qualities help us to do that.
I am grateful to:
Christina Feldman Boundless Heart: the Buddha’s path of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity Shambala, Boulder, CO 2007 as a major source of inspiration and knowledge
Sharon Salzberg (various books)
for their focus on these qualities, they each provide a source of inspiration and knowledge.
