I start every morning with lovingkindness meditation, a Buddhist practice aimed at countering negative thoughts about yourself and others. The first step is to concentrate on your own happiness: “May I be well, may I be happy.” Next, you do the same for a good friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and, finally, the … Read more
Many practice meditation to have special experiences. While they do occur from time to time, they’re not the goal itself. “Meditation practice should result in an improvement in the way we are, how we relate to others, and how we deal with outer circumstances,” Bhikkhu Analayo wrote in Satipatthana: A Practice Guide. This is a … Read more
Mindfulness meditation can anchor you in the present moment and free you from the torture of negative thinking. That’s why I started practicing it back in 2014. At the time, I felt unhappy: everything I did or achieved did not bring lasting satisfaction. What kept me going was the hope or possibility of some improvement … Read more
“My religion is kindness,” the Dalai Lama is said to have said. These words remind me that the movement of the heart as we practice kindness mirrors the movement of the heart when we let go of conditioned views about ourselves and others. Every person has been conditioned to think and behave in a certain … Read more