In a world that often feels fractured and divided, it’s easy to get swept away in worries, conflicts, and the feeling of separation. Yet, there is a simple yet profound way to find peace, resilience, and true happiness: by expanding our hearts to include others. When we love, we win—not only as individuals but as a collective.
The Importance of Loving-Kindness
Loving-kindness, or metta, is a transformative force. Rooted in the ancient practices of Buddhism, loving-kindness meditation, or metta bhavana, invites us to think of others with compassion and warmth. It’s a powerful reminder that our happiness doesn’t come from what we accumulate or achieve but from the connections we cultivate. By turning our attention outward, we shift from self-centeredness to selflessness, and our capacity for joy expands naturally.
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In meditation, the simple practice of focusing on loving-kindness enables us to soften our thoughts, calm our minds, and open our hearts to others. Through consistent practice, this gentle warmth becomes a genuine feeling of care for all beings. Imagine the world if we all paused daily to generate kindness toward others. In times of pain or misunderstanding, such a practice can become a balm for ourselves and for the world.
If you’re looking for somewhere to start your loving-kindness journey you might like to download this excerpt about Metta – loving kindness, from my Triyana Meditation E-Book for FREE here,
Tools for Loving-Kindness: Metta Bhavana and Tonglen
The practices of metta bhavana and tonglen offer a way to cultivate this love intentionally. Metta bhavana, from the Theravada tradition, involves wishing well-being and happiness for oneself, loved ones, neutral people, and even those we find challenging. It’s a practice of gradually expanding our circle of compassion until it knows no bounds.
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Tonglen, a Tibetan practice, adds a powerful layer: we learn to breathe in the pain and suffering of others and breathe out relief and healing. This exchange teaches us that our hearts are vast enough to hold both joy and sorrow. In a world where suffering can seem overwhelming, tonglen reminds us that love has an alchemical quality; by willingly taking on others’ suffering, we transform it into compassion.
Triyana Meditation: Integrating Three Paths
Those of you who have been following me for a while knows that at the heart of my teachings lies Triyana Meditation, a system that draws from the three main schools of Buddhism—Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. In this way, we’re able to incorporate practices that strengthen focus and inner stillness (shamatha or shiné), compassionate transformation (tonglen), and deep rest and release (namkha nidra, or yogic sleep).
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By combining these teachings, and more, we create a comprehensive approach to inner peace and resilience. Together, these practices provide the tools to meet the challenges of life, cultivating awareness, compassion, and equanimity.
Want to Join? Let’s Practice Together at Båstad Yoga Games
If you feel drawn to deepening your understanding of these powerful practices, I invite you to join me at Sweden’s largest Yoga Festival, the Båstad Yoga Games. Together, we’ll explore passages of inner stillness, cultivate balance in giving and receiving, and tap into the expansive awareness of yogic sleep.
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For those ready to take the next step, there will be a special Triyana meditation workshop, Friday November 15th, at 4.00 pm, at Yoga Games, designed to help you understand how to hold space for others with clarity and compassion. This is a space for genuine connection and transformation, where we, as spiritual guides, come together as a community, recognizing our shared humanity, mission and interconnectedness. When we support one another, we become stronger, more resilient, and more open-hearted.
Use the code: lamachimey, to get a generous discount when you book your classes at Yoga Games.
Together in Community: When We Love, We Win
Loving-kindness is a gentle but powerful antidote to the troubles of our time. It reminds us that our individual well-being is inseparable from the well-being of others. Through meditation and mindfulness, we create inner and outer peace, contributing to a more compassionate world. Together, we can create a ripple effect that spreads kindness and love far beyond ourselves.
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When we love, we win—collectively, as a community. And through practices like metta, tonglen, and shiné (shamatha), we strengthen our hearts and cultivate resilience, bringing light to ourselves and to those around us. Join me on this journey, and let’s cultivate peace, together.
With so much love,
Lama Chimey
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Lama Chimey 