The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open The Heart

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The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open The Heart

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Descriptionངོ་སྤྲོད།

The teachings in this book took shape during a one week retreat led by Alan Wallace in the summer of 1992.

The informal talks were based on passages from the fifth-century compendium called The Path of Purification by Buddhaghosa.

The passages in question related to the cultivation of Śamatha. Also included are guided meditations and portions of discussions that took place during the retreat. (Source: Book Preface)

Citation

Wallace, B. Alan. The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open The Heart. Boulder: Snow Lion Publications, 2010.

Table of contents

• Preface8

• 1. Introduction9
  • Why Practice?9
  • The Foundation of Ethics16
  • The Affirmation of Intuitive Wisdom20
  • A Meditation on the Jewel in the Lotus: Om Mani Padme Hum23
  • Questions and Responses: On Ethics and the Sequence of Practice25

• 2. Entering Śamatha Practice31
  • Beginning the Meditation33
  • Relaxation, Stability, and Vividness34
  • Questions and Responses: On Breath Awareness40
  • The Mastery of Attention: Mindfulness and Introspection46
  • Śamatha as a Catalyst for Mental Events50
  •  Dealing with Problems in Śamatha Practice52

• 3. The Path to Śamatha: An Overview59
  • The Nine Stages of the Path to Śamatha59
  • The Achievement of Śamatha65
  • The Prerequisites for Achieving Śamatha68
  • Five Obstructions to Progress in Śamatha73
  • The Five Factors of Stabilization76
  • On the Choice of an Object in Śamatha Practice78
  • Questions and Responses: On Achieving Śamatha80
  • Beyond Śamatha84

• 4. Loving-Kindness87
  • Meditation: Loving-Kindness for Oneself90
  • Extending the Practice of Loving-Kindness95
  • The Advantages of a Lay Person in the Practice of Loving-Kindness97
  • Loving-Kindness for One's Enemies98
  • The Problem of Righteous Anger107
  • Passion and Patience in Response to the Sources of Suffering109
  • Finding a Lovable Quality112
  • Confusing Attachment with Loving-Kindness114
  • Questions and Responses: Enemies and Insight116
  • The Attainment of Śamatha in Loving-Kindness121

• 5. Compassion127
  • Questions and Responses: Catharsis, Logic, and Compassion133
  • Compassion for a Suffering Person: Meditation135
  • Extending the Meditation on Compassion137
  • Intrusiveness in the Practice of Compassion138
  • Meditation on Avalokiteśvara, the Embodiment of Compassion139

• 6. Empathetic Joy143
  • Rejoicing in Others' Happiness143
  • Rejoicing in Virtue145

• 7. Equanimity149
  • Equanimity in Theravada Buddhism149
  • Equanimity in Tibetan Buddhism151
  • Questions and Responses: On Distinguishing Attachment from Affection161

• 8. The Empowerment of Insight163
  • From Insight to an Unmediated Experience of the Ultimate169
  • Questions and Responses: The Urgency and Rarity of Spiritual Awakening178

• Notes185

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