There were children fleeing broken countries with their families long before the current Ukraine crisis. The estimated total of displaced children on the move globally is 50 million: a staggering number, each statistic a fearful child taking extreme risks for the chance of a better life. (American Psychological Association) The ancient Metta Sutta is famous […]
metta
Right Speech, Part Two
Right speech is a difficult thing to put into practice, which means that every day presents me with opportunities to hone this skill in my day job. I am regularly advocating on behalf of elderly individuals in nursing homes, and I have learned many lessons about Right Speech firsthand… Be Discerning The most useful lesson […]
Ajahn Brahm’s “Karuna-virus” – A book for these times
Why do we tell stories? Throughout history, the storyteller was the sage, the wise one. Stories have a mythic, primeval place in human society and culture. They are expressions of our deepest intuitions, our oldest folk memories, and our sense of ultimate destiny. At a social level, they speak to our times and advise us […]
A Minor Prayer for Galactic Peace
May all beings everywhere, in this galaxy and beyond,find peace within ourselves, with others, and with Mother Earth.May we rediscover health, joy, naturalness, and freedom.May those in dark places know the emptiness of suffering.May the demonic forces behind our enemies be extinguished byAvalokiteshvara’s inexhaustible wisdom. May Mañjuśrī’s flaming swordcut out the infection in our hearts […]
A World-Encompassing Meditation
There are those who enjoy sufficiency, comfort, security, health, a light heart, companionship, and freedom of opportunity. And there are those who are drowning in suffering, alone, disconnected. The Awakened exist in a state of peace with themselves, with their environment, and with others. They have defeated defilement and express universal goodwill: May all beings […]
Musings on Mindfulness and Metta
Graham Lock Last December, I took part in an 8-day metta meditation retreat at the Hong Kong Insight Meditation Society’s meditation centre at Fa Hong Monastery on Lantau Island. The retreat was led by Visu Teoh, an experienced and well-respected teacher of vipassana and metta meditation based in Penang, and well known in Hong Kong […]
Mother
Nina Müller Inspired by the Metta Sutta Sara woke up in a panic to the stillness of the room. Her first reaction was to glance at her brother’s empty bunk, as she had done every morning for the past two years. She felt the familiar pang of grief deep in her gut. This normally lasted […]