These days, many of us know that meditation asks us to have our mind’s attention in the present moment. But, what we don’t always know is nestled within this very same “ask”, our meditation practice is also inviting us to engage with our heart’s innate kindness.
Real meditation holds within it the innate teachings on love, presence, and the healing transformation of kindness. Being kind is both a way of being and a choice we make in the present moment, just like mindfulness is. The Buddha gave us a great insight into how meditation is actually supposed to work. He taught that we must become “skilled in goodness” in order to know the “path of peace.” This goodness he is referring to is the heart of a real supportive and flourishing meditation practice.
In order to truly gain insight and peace in the present moment, we must learn to skillfully meet what is here with the qualities of the heart: a nonjudgmental loving-kindness, the clarity of compassion, the delight of genuine happiness and true joy, and the wisdom and balance that comes from equanimity. Known in Buddhism as the brahma-viharas, or the heart practices of mindfulness meditation, these are the teachings of transformation that, when applied to our modern life, will actually lead us to the real change and shifts we’ve been searching for.
This is the promise of not only the brahma-viharas – lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. As a meditation teacher, lecturer of mindfulness, and longtime meditator, I am committed to sharing with you what ended up being a big turning point during the course of my seventeen years of meditation practice and the very teachings that provide relief and meaning to thousands of people I teach each year. The times I have heard my students say “I feel like I’m finally meditating for the first time” or “Oh, this is what was missing . . . being kind to myself” are numberless. Especially if you have labeled yourself as “not a good meditator,” or you feel as though you “just can’t sit down to meditate at all,” kindness is the missing ingredient that will allow you to actually meditate, my friend. And if you are a longtime meditator, these practices of the heart will rock your world, not only deepening and transforming your meditation practice but also changing how you interact in every single relationship and life circumstance in which you find yourself.
The brahma-viharas are the way of love, the path of the heart, and so often the missing ingredient to a successful daily meditation practice.
Join Amanda Gilbert on Saturday, May 14th, 2022 for an online half-day retreat sharing the timeless teachings of the Brahma-Viharas which are a powerful training for the heart to reside in loving awareness and open-heartedness. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot.