Just as we garden, tending out plants and pulling weeds, so we need to cultivate the ground of heart and mind. Uprooting obscurations and dealing with hindrances are part of this work.
The judgmental mind is painful and difficult. We can bring the practicies of the Brahma Viharas to it, to melt away the judgment and to develop a kind and spacious heart.
When the heart is open and joyful, we are open to our interconnectedness with all beings. And when we understand the truth of no self, the heart can be more responsive to others.