The heart meditations or brahmavihārā, also known as the divine abodes, are traditional Theravada Samatha practices. They fall under the umbrella called “purification of mind” and are one of the main practices of Awakening Dharma. The benefits are both transformational and transcendent. In concentration meditation (like breath awareness) we prioritize one object to the exclusion of everything else in our awareness.
These practices are explained fully in the book Buddha’s Heart: Meditation Practice for Developing Well-Being, Love, and Empathy.
“The greater your willingness to be impacted and changed, the deeper your transformation will be. The more tender your heart becomes, the more resilient, flexible, and responsive you will be. Ironically, the more authentically vulnerable we become, the safer and more protected we are.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
Innate Goodness Meditation
Innate Goodness Meditation, or mettā for oneself, is a core practice taught by Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi. He recommends students practice it at the beginning of every meditation. It adds a buoyancy to practice. Innate Goodness soothes the psychological needs and cravings of the personality by immediately counteracting the belief they are unlovable or unworthy of intimacy. In turn, this permits the student to penetrate each meditation more fully, which draws forward their true nature’s heart qualities.
“Innate Goodness is an important meditation. It counteracts any beliefs we hold that we are not good enough or not lovable. By steeping in your innate goodness, you will feel better about yourself, feel more at ease, and meet your resistances with more tenderness. It is a meditation I practice regularly and suggest my senior students do, too. It infuses your consciousness with your goodness. This meditation results in feeling more present and more grounded in your life. It develops greater resiliency to be with your tender places.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
Equanimity (Upekkhā)
Equanimity, or upekkhā, is the heartfelt acceptance of the truth of this moment. Much of the suffering of life is caused by our resistance to accepting what is happening.
“Equanimity is a feeling of perfect balance. Everything that is occurring inside or outside of us is exactly right in this moment. Equanimity generates a quality of trust in our hearts that we are exactly in the right place at the right time. It empowers us to possess a level of acceptance, of balanced perspective, for the objective, universal truth that is always here with us. We open our awareness, our consciousness, to equanimity as a manifestation of the Absolute by orienting toward ultimate reality, unadorned truth.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
Empathetic Joy (Muditā)
Empathetic Joy, or Muditā, is the joy we feel in another’s success.
“Muditā (empathetic joy) arises in our heart when there is no perceived separation between living beings, when we know the true fabric of reality is a unified Oneness. In truth, when one of us receives a benefit or recognition, we all benefit. The Oneness is enriched when good things happen to anyone. It is as though we are all in a shared pond. When the water rises in one portion of the pond, it soon rises in all other areas.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
Compassion (Karunā)
“Compassion is often misapplied in Buddhist practice. Many Buddhists believe that the function of compassion is to take away painful life events. This is not compassion’s full benefit. Using compassion in our meditative practices provides gentle support, a kindhearted holding that allows us, and others, to be with our pain and persevere.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
“Compassion assists us in developing the ability to be with whatever state of mind or emotion is present. When we are not exclusively seeking good experiences and instead feel what is authentically present, it draws us closer to the truth of our Beingness.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
Unconditioned Love (Mettā)
Mettā is typically translated as loving-kindness but Mugen refers to it as “unconditioned love” or “unborn love” which better conveys the depth of this quality of the Absolute.
“We will never be able to control, or deflect, painful life experiences. It is a core understanding in Buddhism that life contains unsatisfactoriness. If we are truly on a path of opening to our deeper nature and unfolding self-realization, we must directly meet the truth of life’s pains and pleasures. We cannot exclusively seek pleasant experiences if we are to walk a true path of liberation.
Mettā meditation provides a way to meet the challenges of painful life experiences with openhearted love. Mettā is usually translated as “loving-kindness.” Feeling into loving and kindness, we sense a particular support, an enduring lightness that is inherent. This is the loving lightness we need to meet life’s challenges and struggles with an open heart.”
― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart
Working with the brahmavihārā?
How do I learn these meditations?
Watching the videos on this page, and/or reading the the book Buddha’s Heart is helpful but it is important to learn by doing.
Check for upcoming online teaching events or in-person retreats and events. There is usually an in-person brahmavihārā retreat at least once per year.