The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Retreat Dharma Talks at Spirit Rock Meditation Center

January Metta Retreat

Metta, or loving-kindness, practice is the cultivation of the intention of benevolence as the orientation of our heart and minds. It is also a path to wisdom. We develop in our capacity for metta through meditation (practiced steadfastly on retreat) in order for it to manifest in an ongoing way in our daily lives. In this retreat, we will learn the formal practice of metta along with its companion practices of compassion, joy, and equanimity. All four of these practices-known as the Brahma Viharas or Divine Abodes-strengthen self-confidence, self-acceptance, and steadiness of mind and heart, revealing our fundamental disposition toward kindness.

2014-01-13 (8 days) Spirit Rock Meditation Center

  
2014-01-15 Equanimity 40:33
Donald Rothberg
2014-01-15 The Difficulties Are the Gifts: Metta, Compassion and Their Hindrances 56:11
Heather Sundberg
How to bring your metta practice alive in the midst of the inevitable cycles of difficulty and purification. Stories, poems, practices and tools to help us "keep going".
2014-01-16 Compassion 51:59
Sylvia Boorstein
2014-01-16 Metta and Forgiveness 57:19
Donald Rothberg
Forgiveness practice is one of the family of "heart practices" and particularly valuable in relationship to difficult experiences, both interpersonal (or social) and in relationship to oneself. We look at forgiveness in the context of metta practice, exploring the dynamics of forgiveness through stories and core guidelines of forgiveness practice.
2014-01-17 The Joy of Joy 62:37
Larry Yang
2014-01-18 Mudita 44:35
Sylvia Boorstein
2014-01-18 The Eleven Benefits of Metta 54:32
Heather Sundberg
The Buddha taught that there are 8 ways to cultivate metta, which manifest into 11 benefits. The talk includes numerous stories from around the world, including the story of how the Buddha came to teach lovingkindness.
2014-01-19 Metta Practice in Our Everyday Lives - "Let Your Life and Practice Be One" 53:06
Donald Rothberg
We explore (1) our individual metta practice - formal and informal 0 in our daily lives, (2) metta practice in the context of our many types of relationships, and (3) metta practice as service and action in our wider world.
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