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Dharma Talks
given at Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2026-01-13
Guided Compassion (Karuna) Practice (Retreat at Spirit Rock)
56:16
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Gullu Singh
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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.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Metta Retreat: Teachings and Practices to Cultivate a Wise, Compassionate, and Responsive Heart
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2026-01-12
The Nature and Challenges of Metta Practice and How It Deepens (Retreat at Spirit Rock)
62:23
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Donald Rothberg
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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.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Metta Retreat: Teachings and Practices to Cultivate a Wise, Compassionate, and Responsive Heart
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