Wednesday, September 01, 2021

Brahma Viharas

The canon of present day books on the Brahma Viharas is pretty hard to track down, it's taken me some 20 years to collect books about this Buddhist topic.

I read Boundless Heart  (2017) by Christina Feldman.

Tara Brach's Radical Self-Acceptance is perhaps quite supportive.

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation by Analayo.

Heart by Vessantara.

Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg is another book.

Just found Love and Sympathy in Theravada Buddhism by Harvey Aronson (1980). Going to be trying that one out.

I also need to get through the Visuddhimagga.

Kamalashila book on meditation has a section on the meditation which was where I learned it. It talks about the near and far enemies to metta, karuna, mudita and upeksa. A friend in social work school like the idea of horrified anxiety that you get when you look at others suffering. The near enemy to karuna is pity.

Anyone else want to add books to the list about Brahma Viharas?

Someone added:

A Guide to Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation by Bhante Vimalaraṁsi

Awakening Loving Kindness by Pema Chodron

The Sublime Attitudes: A Study Guide on the Brahmaviharas, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (here)


Audio meditations:

Bhikkhu Anālayo on Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.



1 comment:

John Swindle said...

Thanks for these! I've been meaning to read B. Alan Wallace's "The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open the Heart."