My meditation teacher described two types of meditation practices designed to train your mind to be more loving and compassionate and therefore happier. I'd like to share a little about them in the off-chance they're beneficial.
One type is to envision the pain and suffering of people and respond compassionately in a way that eliminates their pain and suffering. When I was suffering terribly myself I constantly wished for others who were in similar difficulties to be freed immediately. This actually made me feel a lot better. The problem is that for some people dwelling on suffering is a real bummer.
The second type is similar to the text linked above: cherishing all beings as they are, as if they were your very children that you love so so much. Lately, my meditations have started to transition toward this type and I've felt spontaneous feelings of bliss and love toward others that grows the more I do it. And this kindness is naturally starting to come out in my behavior and interactions with others.
In both cases, the meditations develop "bodhicitta", which is a word that describes the attitude of wishing others well. It's said that this attitude, when trained, nourished, and grown is the very cause of all happiness and when perfected causes happiness to bloom uninterruptedly. Therefore, it is an extremely beneficial and powerful practice.
It's fantastic to see this text linked on Hacker News even without much context. Wishing you all well!
Nice to see you name them as a pair. Very often, people seem to focus on Metta only, maybe due to the focus on this Sutta.
To my understanding, Compassion / Lovingkindness are linked and often arise together, and it's a bit odd to wish to separate them too strongly: When contemplating other's and out own Dukkha, Compassion may arise, wishing for it to cease. Lovingkindness may then arise, wishing for there to be happiness and peace instead. They both work together.
By contemplating Dukkha we better understand this Characteristic of existence, and develop Compassion/Lovingkindess. To avoid getting too "down" by too much Dukkha meditation, Sympathetic Joy with one's and other's good qualities or good actions we can brighten the mind. and Equanimity helps us from falling into grief/anger on one side, and euphoria and avoiding the truth of existence on the other.
So the Brahma Viharas work together and aren't too artificially / forcefully separated.
One type is to envision the pain and suffering of people and respond compassionately in a way that eliminates their pain and suffering. When I was suffering terribly myself I constantly wished for others who were in similar difficulties to be freed immediately. This actually made me feel a lot better. The problem is that for some people dwelling on suffering is a real bummer.
The second type is similar to the text linked above: cherishing all beings as they are, as if they were your very children that you love so so much. Lately, my meditations have started to transition toward this type and I've felt spontaneous feelings of bliss and love toward others that grows the more I do it. And this kindness is naturally starting to come out in my behavior and interactions with others.
In both cases, the meditations develop "bodhicitta", which is a word that describes the attitude of wishing others well. It's said that this attitude, when trained, nourished, and grown is the very cause of all happiness and when perfected causes happiness to bloom uninterruptedly. Therefore, it is an extremely beneficial and powerful practice.
It's fantastic to see this text linked on Hacker News even without much context. Wishing you all well!