From the Buddhist perspective maitri, or love, is the wish for all sentient beings to have happiness and the causes of happiness and karuna, or compassion, is the wish for all sentient beings to be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. These are virtuous states of mind that are based on logic and reasoning, which can be made stable with effort, rather than emotional states that come and go. Most of us are extremely lucky in that we feel a natural draw to wanting to be more loving and compassionate. However, the systems that we are most familiar with often encourage us to be more loving and compassionate while explaining to us all the nuances involved (like, what’s the difference between compassion and empathy and sympathy and pity?), or how we can do this.

Buddhism offers a very detailed, precise, and practical explanation of the many different types of things involved in, and often confused with, love and attachment. This Saturday, we’re going to be looking at the mental factors involved in love and compassion, obstacles that often get in the way of these states of mind, as well as learning how to distinguish between genuine love and compassion and the mental states often mistaken for them. We will examine at the incredible benefits of increasing these states of mind, and specific methods for increasing love and compassion, and the the interplay between love, compassion, and wisdom. This workshop is open to all.

Lunch Break: 12:00 – 1:30 PM