The Gift of Loving-Kindness: 100 Meditations on Compassion, Generosity, and Forgiveness

by Mary Brantley, Tesilya Hanauer

Loving-kindness, the English translation of the Pali word metta , is defined as unconditional well-wishing and openhearted nurturing of ourselves and others, just as we are. By practicing loving-kindness, you can learn to treat yourself and others-even strangers-like dear friends, putting aside criticism and judgment and choosing instead to open your heart to greater generosity, forgiveness, and compassion. While Buddha taught loving-kindness meditation as an antidote to fear, it can also quiet feelings of anger, judgment, and worry by helping you see the innate goodness within yourself and others. Whether used as part of a formal meditation practice or as daily mindfulness exercises, the 100 meditations in The Gift of Loving-Kindness make it easy to open your heart and share the seeds of loving-kindness with others.          

Genres: Meditation, Spirituality, Buddhism

300 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

MA LMFT

Reviews

[Lauren]

1-2 page meditations focusing on lovingkindness - I've been using some of these in my yoga classes and have had several students write down the book's information so they can buy it for their personal practice.

[Bob Peterson]

Just one of those books that is hard not to like. Filled with two page meditations on all sorts of life issues. Whether it be family, best friends, acquaintances, colleagues or the world in general this book has a meditation for it. Meditations focused on inner peace, forgiveness, loving kindness, safe harbor, etc.

Jump in anywhere that fits your life situation/struggle. One more tool to help us find peace in the midst of life’s storms.

[Tesilyaraven]

Okay, this is shameless self-promotion, but my respect for the practice of metta, or loving-kindness, and my excitement over actually having a book in print leads me to add this to my shelf in the hopes that it might make it to your shelf. Loving-kindness meditation--repeating phrases of kindness and compassion for myself and others--helped get me through a pretty serious bout of anxiety in my last years of college. When nothing else worked, being able to have compassion for myself was like a giant inhale of relief after years of worry, suffering, and breathlessness.

[Anne]

I'd like to get a copy of this sometime.
The exercises were 1-2 pages long and covered a variety of beings towards which to extend loving-kindness ranging from oneself to the world at large, animals, plants,.... I think it'd be a good reference to be reminded of the various wording.

[Annette]

Small book fits easily in my hands. Mindful practices help to open my heart.