Compassion- focused meditations are central to most forms of Buddhism and are of central importance in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In particular simpler forms, such as Loving Kindness Meditations or Self-Compassion meditations are increasingly being used in psychological / therapeutic contexts. Up to now, Loving Kindness and Self-Compassion Meditations are also the most widely researched forms of compassion-focused meditations. Here a brief overview of the most prominent compassion-focused meditations.
Loving Kindness Meditation – Mettā Meditation
Using the Pali term for loving kindness, this widespread meditation is often referred to as Mettā meditation. It aims to cultivate a deep feeling of love and compassion and to expand this feeling more and more. In the exercise, one repeats wishes for the well-being of other people, which are expressed, for example, as follows (where “[XYZ]” stands as a placeholder for the person or group of people you are targeting):
