Brahmavihara is a set of Buddhist meditation practices known as the four sublime states of mind: lovingkindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity.
You know the feeling: that lingering irritation or anger at someone long after the argument is over. If you keep it bottled up, anger becomes an acid that eats you up inside. Fortunately, you have a few safe ways to pour it out, and one of them is lovingkindness meditation. In this article, we’ll take … Read more
 Just as Christians believe in life after death, Buddhists believe in reincarnation as an intermediary step on the path to Nirvana. It might take several lifetimes to reach enlightenment, and where you spend your time before another rebirth is based on the accumulation of merit. To end up in the brahma world, one of … Read more
 It’s hard to be human and be unmoved by tragedies reported in international news. But they’re not confined to faraway countries afflicted by poverty, disease, and military conflict. Today, many people are wading through vast, unseen fields of mental suffering caused by a lack of values and meaning in their lives. How do we … Read more
When my good acquaintance relocated abroad, got married, and moved up a career ladder, I felt a sting of envy. Even today, I’m embarrassed for my reaction. But it wasn’t surprising. The news came at a time when I was single and hated my job. Hearing of anyone’s success — much less of someone’s I … Read more
Much has been written about lovingkindness, compassion, and altruistic joy in my previous articles. Now we turn to equanimity, the last of the four brahmavihara meditations, also known as the four sublime states of mind. The most important thing to keep in mind about equanimity, or upekkha, is that all three other brahmaviharas are implicit … Read more