To live kindness is to express the essential Buddhist wisdom of selflessness

Through stories from the ancient Pali canon of Buddhism and personal reflections on modern life, Dharma teacher Kevin Griffin reveals the richness and multifaceted nature of loving-kindness or metta on the Buddhist path. Along with the other brahmaviharas or "divine abodes" of compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, the practice of loving-kindness is not only a meditation technique--it's a radical way of life based in wisdom, ethics, and compassion for all beings. As one friend on the spiritual path speaking to another, Griffin explores the human dimension of what can sometimes seem like lofty philosophy. What would it mean to be completely free of ill will? How do we love without clinging? Can we expand our loving-kindness beyond the human realm to encompass the Earth itself? And how does loving-kindness relate to the ultimate Buddhist goal of enlightenment? Through guided practices and illuminating explorations of classical texts like the Metta Sutta, readers are invited to deepen their understanding of a core Buddhist teaching.

Living Kindness: Metta Practice for the Whole of Our Lives, Kevin Griffin, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 176 pages, $21.95

Kevin Griffin, a leader in the mindful recovery movement and a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center since 2000, is the author of five previous books, including the best-selling Buddhist recovery book One Breath at a Time. He has studied with the leading Western vipassana teachers, including Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Ajahn Amaro. He lives in the Bay Area and regularly teaches and leads retreats in the Insight Meditation community.