Background information: Just Like Me
Matthew 22:34-40 (NRSV)
34When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
34When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Cultivating Compassion: Meditation For Better Relationships
Meng Tan
Posted: 12/22/09 05:09 PM ET
A long time ago, I came across this joke:
Once, a disciple asked, "Master, is associating with people half the holy
life?" The Master replied, "No, associating with people is the whole of holy
life".
This joke probably started as a misreading of the famous Upaddah Sutta in
Buddhism, where the Buddha told Ananda that friendships with "admirable people"
is not half of holy life, but the whole of holy life. Over time, however, I
found the humorous apocryphal version to be deeply insightful. There are at
least two components to one's spiritual practice, Wisdom and Compassion, and
associating with people, especially in difficult situations, helps us grow
Compassion. Therefore, you probably cannot live a holy life without associating
with people.
I have found three practices to be extremely useful in helping me deal with
people. The first practice is a combination of "Just Like Me" meditation and
Loving-Kindness meditation. There are three premises behind this practice. The
first is that when we perceive somebody as being similar to ourselves ("just
like me"), we become much more likely to feel and act positively towards that
person.
Read More...
Meng Tan
Posted: 12/22/09 05:09 PM ET
A long time ago, I came across this joke:
Once, a disciple asked, "Master, is associating with people half the holy
life?" The Master replied, "No, associating with people is the whole of holy
life".
This joke probably started as a misreading of the famous Upaddah Sutta in
Buddhism, where the Buddha told Ananda that friendships with "admirable people"
is not half of holy life, but the whole of holy life. Over time, however, I
found the humorous apocryphal version to be deeply insightful. There are at
least two components to one's spiritual practice, Wisdom and Compassion, and
associating with people, especially in difficult situations, helps us grow
Compassion. Therefore, you probably cannot live a holy life without associating
with people.
I have found three practices to be extremely useful in helping me deal with
people. The first practice is a combination of "Just Like Me" meditation and
Loving-Kindness meditation. There are three premises behind this practice. The
first is that when we perceive somebody as being similar to ourselves ("just
like me"), we become much more likely to feel and act positively towards that
person.
Read More...
Watch this video to try a Just Like Me Meditation
How this style of meditation relates to christianity
Bodhipaksa
Loving kindness meditation
The Metta Bhavana, or Development of Loving kindness, practice is one of the most
ancient forms of Buddhist practice, one that has been passed down in an unbroken
line for over 2,500 years.
We’re often taught as children that we should love others. Religious teachings
say, for example, that we should “love others as ourselves.” But
how do we learn to love others? And what happens if we don’t
particularly like, never mind love, ourselves? The development of lovingkindness
meditation practice is the practical means by which we learn to cultivate love
for ourselves and others.
The practice helps us to actively cultivate positive emotional states towards
ourselves and others, so that we become more patient, kind, accepting, and
compassionate.
It’s part of a series of four practices which lead to the arising of:
Loving kindness meditation
The Metta Bhavana, or Development of Loving kindness, practice is one of the most
ancient forms of Buddhist practice, one that has been passed down in an unbroken
line for over 2,500 years.
We’re often taught as children that we should love others. Religious teachings
say, for example, that we should “love others as ourselves.” But
how do we learn to love others? And what happens if we don’t
particularly like, never mind love, ourselves? The development of lovingkindness
meditation practice is the practical means by which we learn to cultivate love
for ourselves and others.
The practice helps us to actively cultivate positive emotional states towards
ourselves and others, so that we become more patient, kind, accepting, and
compassionate.
It’s part of a series of four practices which lead to the arising of: