The Four Immeasurable Minds (Episode #88)

Welcome to episode 88 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.

In this installment, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach/journalist Jo Confino discuss one of the Buddha’s key teachings: the four immeasurable minds. When cultivated, these four qualities – love, compassion, joy, and equanimity – can help heal negative emotions and lead to a more fulfilling, compassionate life.

Both hosts share personal stories and insights about how to apply these teachings, and how to help transform suffering and cultivate a deeper understanding and connection with ourselves and those around us. They emphasize the importance of self-love, deep listening, and embracing interbeing, as well as the power of small acts of kindness, the role of playfulness, the wisdom of non-discrimination in leading a more fulfilling life, and more.

Co-produced by the Plum Village App: https://plumvillage.app/

And Global Optimism: https://globaloptimism.com/

With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation: https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/

List of resources

Donate to support Plum Village’s reconstruction https://plumvillage.org/donate

Interbeing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing

The Four Immeasurable Minds https://tnhaudio.org/tag/four-immeasurable-minds

Dharma Talk: ‘The Four Immeasurable Minds – The Four Elements of True Love’ with Sister Dieu Nghiem (Sister Jina) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKXJIdhJJHo

Brahmavihara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmavihara

Sariputra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C4%81riputra

Sister Chan Khong https://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong

Maitri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitr%C4%AB

Order of Interbeing https://orderofinterbeing.org/

Trevor Noah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Noah

‘Listening to Namo Avalokiteshvara’ https://plumvillage.app/listening-to-namo-avalokiteshvara/

Upeksha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upeksha_(Indian_thought)

Quotes

“If you learn to practice love, compassion, joy, and equanimity, you will know how to heal the illnesses of anger, sorrow, insecurity, sadness, hatred, loneliness, and unhealthy attachments.”

“You have to learn to be like the Earth. The Earth doesn’t discriminate; it accepts all and is the mother of all.”

“Understanding is love, and it’s the most profound love because, when you understand, there’s no longer a barrier between you and me as separate people.”

“The safest foundation is understanding. When you have that, you can work tirelessly because your understanding is your compass. And it can give you so much insight and so many ways of bridging the separation.”

“One word can release suffering, one action can save a life.”

“Looking with eyes of compassion, we can listen deeply to the cries of the world.”

“There is a truth in Buddhism that, no matter what condition you’re going to find yourself in, suffering’s going to be there; your mind is going to create moments of ‘you’re not enough’.”

“Why not be soft? There is so much strength in softness.”

“Thay talked about how we can find joy in everything, that we can find joy in a pebble on the beach, we can find joy in a flower. We can find joy in someone’s smile. We can find joy in the fact that we’re alive. We can find joy in the fact that we can see all the textures and colors in the world. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but it is the recognition of what it is to be alive.”

“I love the idea that one smile from somebody can restore our faith in humanity. Often, we think we have to act in big ways; that we have to carry out bold actions to create change. But one smile can genuinely save someone’s life. As Thay said, one small action can save a life; even a smile can change a life. We underestimate the power of the small things in life. We’re taught to see things in grand ways, but, often, seeing things in the small ways can be more important.”

“Non-discrimination is the wisdom that we all are children of this Earth and we manifest on this Earth and we will return to the Earth.”

“We should never be too sure of ourselves, our views, and our feeling of righteousness, because that only leads to more division.”

“When you touch these elements of true love, loving kindness, compassion, and joy, your interbeing becomes stronger. Because if you have joy and you’ve tasted it, don’t you want others to have joy?”

“Non-discrimination is for the more-than-human world as well; it’s for all beings. Because it’s very easy to separate ourselves from the natural world and to forget that, actually, the health of the trees is our health and the health of the oceans is our health; that, actually, the love that Mother Earth gives to us is also the love that we can offer back. So there’s a real feeling of reciprocity there.”