Description
Loving kindness, or mettā, is a meditation technique where you intentionally cultivate positive, happy, loving thoughts and feelings: thoughts of good will towards yourself and others, and feelings of happiness, unconditional love, joy, and care.
“Loving kindness” is a translation of the Buddhist word mettā. Other translations might include friendliness or goodwill.
Loving kindness or mettā is one of the four Brahmavihārās (divine abodes or heavenly realms) or the Four Immeasurables, a list of four virtues:
- loving kindness (mettā): an unconditional attitude of friendliness and well-wishing towards all beings
- compassion (karuṇā): acknowledgement of, feeling for the suffering of others, and the desire that suffering might end
- sympathetic joy (muditā): a feeling of joy or happiness when noticing the joy and happiness of others. Similar to Compersion
- equanimity (upekkhā): acceptance of self, other, world, and this moment, without push or pull, clinging or aversion