Cultivating the Four Virtues of the Heart

740 Front Street,Santa Cruz CA 95060

17 May, 2023

Description

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has often commented that the foundation of Dharma practice is cultivating a good heart. As important as mindfulness and concentration meditations are within the Buddhist tradition, it is crucial to balance such practices with the cultivation and development of altruism, good will and care. The practice of the Four Immeasurables are the ideal technique for achieving this goal. The Four Immeasurables, or the Four Brahmaviharas, as they are called in the Pali tradition, are loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. These characteristics are essential qualities that when developed lead to constructive emotions, well-being and genuine happiness. In this six-week course, we will explore these four qualities and the practices that are used to cultivate them and the sessions will include an explanation of these practices along with guided meditations, and time for discussion. This course is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced practitioners wanting to deepen their experience of the Four Immeasurables and the cultivation of heart. This is not a drop-in class, and attendees are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions, as each session will build on the preceding teachings.