This short talk and guided practice introduces us to "dry metta", the metta practice which is focused on intention building and changing our inner narrative. It invites us to repeat simple phrases without any intention or need to feel the quality of metta. It's a lovely simple way to practice that takes the pressure off metta!

Practicing to develop lovingkindness (metta), warmth, kindness, and love is an ancient vocation. The Buddha’s teachings on metta echo in many ways what we find in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and other traditions. In this talk, we explore the aims of metta practice, how it works, and some of the different approaches to such practice. With the retreat overlapping with Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday on January 15, we point to some of the parallels between metta practice and the life and work of Dr. King. We also identify the main challenges of metta practice, including distractions, uneven energy (including sleepiness), inability to access the heart, and difficult emotions, thoughts, and body-states emerging in what we call the “purification” process. As we deepen in metta individually, we also may bring metta into our community, social, and political lives.

This talk explores karuṇā as the heart that meets suffering with kindness and the sincere wish for its relief, without attachment to outcome. Compassion is not kind behavior but a wholesome state of mind from which wise action naturally flows. The talk distinguishes karuṇā from empathy: affective empathy can lead to exhaustion by taking on others’ pain, while compassion is “feeling for,” supported by warmth and equanimity. Rather than merging with suffering, we attune to the care already present within it. Karuṇā is a brahmavihāra—abundant, immeasurable, and energizing—capable of meeting personal and global pain with clarity and agency. Practical guidance is offered: begin with manageable suffering, pair compassion with balance, use simple phrases, and end with spaciousness for all beings.

In this talk we explore the roots of self-judgment, and the ways in which mindfulness, loving kindness, and the recognition of our shared humanity and inner goodness can work together to alleviate the critical mind. This talk was given at a metta retreat so it pays particular attention to using metta to heal the inner critic when obstacles arise .

This guided session explores multiple ways to send metta to self: From a benefactor, through our body, to different times in our life, and to aspects of ourselves.

The protector of Loving kindness and compassion

Metta for the people we meet throughout the day.

Gently turning to someone challenging that we also appreciate.

This talk explores how mettā supports freedom from the “second arrow” of mental reactivity. Drawing on vivid teachings from the Buddha, it shows that ill-will harms the one who holds it and that kindness is an aspirational training pointing to the limitless capacity of the heart. The path is framed through the Satipaṭṭhāna: purification of mind, the surmounting of sorrow, and the end of dukkha. Central is the role of vedanā—the pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral tone that conditions craving and resistance. Most suffering arises not from experience itself but from the mind’s rejection of what is here. Mettā becomes a relational posture toward life, saying “yes” to each moment and softening identification with pain. By noticing greed, aversion, and delusion, we transform them into generosity, love, and wisdom. The impartial heart learns to meet all experience with balance, discovering ease even amid difficulty.

This talk explores the traditional benefits and scope of mettā practice, presenting loving-kindness as a force that steadies sleep, brightens the mind, supports concentration, and softens our relationships with human and non-human beings alike. Drawing on classical texts and modern teachers, it emphasizes beginning with what is possible—locating the goodwill already present and gently extending it outward. The practice culminates in the “all beings” category, cultivating an impartial heart free from indifference and ill will.