For the next few weeks this blog will include teachings about the four immeasurables. We will explore what teachers from various traditions say about these fundamental heart-opening practices. We invite you to read along with us during the next several weeks, and you can catch up on previous weeks here. And be sure to comment below and let us know how these practices resonate with you.
The first element of true love is loving kindness. The essence of loving kindness is being able to offer happiness. You can be the sunshine for another person. You can’t offer happiness until you have it for yourself. So build a home inside by accepting yourself and learning to love and heal yourself. Learn how to practice mindfulness in such a way that you can create monuments of happiness and joy for your own nourishment. Then you have something to offer the other person. — Thich Nhat Hanh (from How to Live #BK558)
In this video from Plum Village, Thich Nhat Hanh further describes how the four immeasurable elements combine to create True Love.
- Pali words for the four enlightened qualities — lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity
Metta means “lovingkindness” in Pali. And we direct it first to ourselves, and then outwards to the world.
May I be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
May she be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
May he be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
May they be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
You can read the rest of Thich Nhat Hanh’s beautiful Metta meditation on Tricycle.org.