Practice Library

Module 6: Foundations of Buddhist Meditation III: The Four Immeasurables · The Buddha’s Path

A module of The Buddha's Path study programme with David Oromith on the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity.

This Module is part of our Buddhist Study Programme, The Buddha's Path. In this module, we immerse ourselves in the profound practices of the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness (metta), compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. These four timeless practices open the heart and bring joy into our lives. The Dalai Lama has often commented that the essence of spiritual practice is cultivating a good heart. Science agrees with the benefits - compassion and warmheartedness have been shown to be key aspects of human wellbeing and happiness. Given we're a species that thrives on community and belonging, this makes sense. As important as meditative quiescence (shamatha) and insight meditation (vipashyana) are within the Buddhist tradition, it is crucial to balance such practices with the cultivation of altruism and a warm heart. While many teachings on Buddhist meditation fill us with a longing to spend more time in quiet, solitary meditation, these practises bring us back to life, to the active world of living with others. The optimal situation to apply these teachings on cultivating a good heart is active life, socially engaged with other people, moving away from habitual self-cent

What this course covers

• Loving-kindness (metta), over two sessions
• Compassion
• Empathetic joy
• Equanimity
• Balancing quiet meditation with an active, socially engaged life

Sessions

1. Session 1 - Loving-Kindness (part one) 91 minutes
2. Session 2 - Loving-Kindness (part two) 92 minutes
3. Session 3 - Compassion 85 minutes
4. Session 4 - Empathetic Joy 84 minutes
5. Session 5 - Equanimity 86 minutes