A Practice of Radical Kindness
So easy to say. Sometimes so difficult to do.
Why does such a simple intention, wishing happiness for all beings, feel so distant in our daily lives? What stops us from extending it beyond our circle of comfort?
Often it is the quiet walls we build: fear, judgment, pain, and difference.
It is easy to wish happiness for those we love. It is possible to offer it to someone neutral. But when we turn toward those we resist, those who have hurt us or whom we do not understand, the practice truly begins.
💛 Three Gentle Steps into Loving-Kindness
- Begin with someone you love. Let your heart rest on someone dear. Offer a simple blessing: May you be happy. May your day be easy.
2. Expand to someone neutral. Think of a person you see often but rarely engage with, a barista, a neighbor, or someone you pass in the grocery store. May your day be peaceful.
3. Turn toward someone you struggle to love. It might feel impossible at first. Begin small: May their day be easy.’ Over time, as your heart softens, you might add: May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be free.
This approach follows the traditional Metta Bhavana, or loving-kindness meditation, which gradually extends compassion from self, to beloved, to neutral, to difficult, and finally to all beings.
Learn more about metta practice.
🌏 Why This Practice Matters
We are interconnected.
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh used the word interbeing to describe how all life is woven together.
Nothing exists in isolation. Every breath we take is shared with countless others, past and present. The same air that fills our lungs once moved through forests, across oceans, and through the breath of those who lived long before us. In this way, we are continually connected, sustained by the same invisible thread of life that unites all beings.
To see this clearly is to understand that when one being suffers, all are touched, and when one finds peace, that peace ripples outward to the whole.
Read more about interbeing and Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings.
Compassion begins with yourself.
Teacher Jack Kornfield reminds us,
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
-Jack Kornfield
His words remind us that kindness turned only outward is only half the practice. True compassion includes the one who suffers inside our own heart. When we learn to meet our own pain with gentleness, we begin to understand the pain of others more deeply.
Extending compassion inward does not make us selfish, it roots our empathy in truth. From that grounded place, our care for others becomes steadier, wiser, and more genuine.
Kindness that begins inwardly naturally ripples outward. Loving one’s enemies is universal.
Across faiths, this practice appears as a call to open the heart. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said,
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” — Luke 6:27
This is not a command to agree with them, but an invitation to see our shared humanity.
🌤 How to Practice in Daily Life
Morning Intention
As you wake, take a few slow breaths and say: May all beings be happy. May all beings be free from suffering. In Tense Moments When irritation rises, pause and quietly think, May your day be easy.
Journaling
Write the phrase May all beings be happy. Notice who feels easy to include and who feels hard. Let awareness itself be your teacher.
Return Often
Compassion is not a destination. It is a rhythm of remembering and returning to the heart.
🌸 A Closing Reflection
Try this practice today:
Think of someone you love and wish them happiness. Think of someone neutral and wish them peace. Think of someone difficult and wish them ease.
When it feels hard, remind yourself:
We breathe the same air.
We love our families.
We walk the same earth.
These simple truths help us remember that we are not separate, only shaped by different experiences and perspectives.
Extending compassion and kindness is not weakness. It is strength of the highest order and the deepest act of being human.
May your day be easy.
May your heart be kind.
May all beings be happy.
-Jan💛
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