One of the more common emotional responses to practice is that at times we feel like we are failing in meditation. Nothing seems to be going according to the instructions. We try diligently and then hear that striving will not get us anywhere. We want to like ourselves but are full of self-contempt. We would like to wish everyone lovingkindness, but we do not feel that in our hearts. All of this has us feeling like a spiritual failure. One way to sidestep the thought that our practice is not going well is to remember that our practice is about self-knowledge, and self-knowledge is always working. Like a mirror that always reflects what it sees, it may not be showing us what we want to see, but it is always reflecting back what it sees. The practice is to accommodate what we see, no matter what is reflected back. Just let the reflection show us the state of affairs. Now comes the hard part. Do not attempt to change, judge, or get over what we see. If we want to do something, relax with what we see. Let the built up tension be dispelled. If we try to get over a problem before we understand what the nature of the problem is, we will further complicate our struggle. Much of our struggle is arising from the sense of being a personal failure. In a culture built upon evaluations and comparisons, many of us feel like we are defeated before we begin. We lead with self-uncertainty and for a Dharma practitioner that is the worst possible assumption. Awakening needs everything from us, and self-uncertainty holds us back in timidity. We have to address this assumption head on to end its tyrannical rule.

This talks explores how the cultivation of qualities like Loving Kindness, Compassion, Generosity can support, nurture and bring about transformation, ease and healing on a personal level, and how, extending beyond the purely personal, these qualities can support us in responding skilfully to the issues of our times

An introductory overview of how the cultivation of metta relates to the other sublime abidings compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.

Metta, loving kindness, is seen as the foundation for all practice, and, itself, as a direct path to awakening. This talk examines why and how.

The magic of mindfulness is how it weakens unwholesome (akusala) states of suffering and strengthens wholesome (kusala) states of well-being. This talk explains this process of alchemy: how greed, hatred and delusion are trnsformed into generosity, loving-kindness and wisdom.

This talk explores the three components of self-compassion: 1. mindfulness to deal with self-critical thinking; 2. loving kindness, to increase our sense of love for ourselves; 3. and shared humanity, the recognition that we are not alone.

We review briefly the last two talks and explore three ways of practicing: 1. Investigating self when it appears; 2. Opening to experiences of not-self; and 3. doing "heart practice" like lovingkindness and compassion to balance our being as we do more deeply.

Exploring the phrases and the meaning and practice of happiness, safety, and ease and their connection to contentment

Practicing metta with the Difficult Person