Spreading the Mind of Loving-Kindness

It is easy to love the people who already love us back. A child, a partner, an old friend — the warmth flows without effort, because it is met with warmth. The harder question is what happens to that same warmth when we picture someone who has hurt us. For most of us,...

The Practice of Deep Listening

There is a particular silence that happens in the middle of an argument — not the silence of listening, but the silence of waiting. One person stops talking. The other is already composing what to say next. Nothing is being received. Two people, both convinced they...