Cattāri Brahmavihārā

A little less than a week ago (I think) I mentioned that a book by a Tibetan Buddhist had revolutionized my perception of brahmavihara practice and I still feel the same. but, and here’s the caveat, anicca has struck once more and I have found myself experiencing a kind of compassion fatigue. Luckily, this is not my first time around the block and, as the years go by, I feel that I am less and less inclined to be knocked off course by such developments.

Faced with the fact that my karuna practice had gone dry and the truth that my behavior in daily life was a mess (I had been treating my poor family with less love and forebearance than I would have liked) I realized something I had to give. And this is precisely where I am thankful for living in a time where we can virtually connect with dozens of different teachers and teachings with the click of the button.

So it was that I began reading a thread from the Dhammasukha group of which I am a member and I saw Sister Khema’s advice on their approach to forgiveness meditation. Immediately I recognized that it was just this kind of practice that I needed and so I spent about a half hour softening my heart with forgiveness and self-care.

Whereas I formerly saw the change from one technique to another as a kind of petite failure I am beginning to believe that in my lay life this is the only approach that has worked. If I were a monastic or anagarika I could take the time to work with one practice but, with all of the potential for causing harm in my daily life, it seems only sensible to me to put the fires out where they flare up and to strengnthen myself with the brahmaviharas as much as possible.