350 Lovingkindness and Unbounded Friendliness
Philosophy & Religion | Available (Membership Required)
Metta is part of Buddha’s heart teaching about lovingkindness or the Brahma Viharas – compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity, and “unbounded friendship” – often called the Heavenly Abodes. This practice will bring participants into experiences of lovingkindness and focus on how to bring about these Heavenly Abodes in one’s daily life. We will look at sila (virtue), samadhi (concentration), and pañña (wisdom) as they relate to “lovingkindness”. Since our purpose is to cultivate lovingkindness and goodwill, the class will be of benefit to anyone who is interested in goodwill. The focus will simply be on how a person can cultivate a sense of lovingkindness toward oneself, others, and all beings everywhere, regardless of one’s spiritual tradition.
Fred Martinson
Fred Martinson is an art historian (PhD University of Chicago) who taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for 30 years. He has a special interest in the iconology of Buddhist art (“meaning”) and eventually began a meditation practice with several different groups and on his own. Since that time he has studied with a number of different teachers, some on retreats at Dharma centers and now some online. He participates in a half-dozen meditation and study groups in the Knoxville area including two on suttas (the Buddha’s Discourses) and he leads two groups reflecting on the Buddha’s heart teachings of lovingkindness.