Maitri Bhavana

Maitri Bhavana

“In this practice we share health with other people—in fact, all sentient beings. It involves developing a sense of immense generosity and being willing to suffer for others. One’s own personal gain and achievement could be shared—in fact, given up.” – Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Maitri Bhavana is a meditation on loving kindness that is practiced for those who are seriously ill, either physically or mentally. The Sanskrit word maitri means friendliness, or loving-kindness, while bhavana means virtue or quality. So maitri bhavana is the practice of expanding loving-kindness without limits, or unlimited friendliness. It cultivates our compassion through taking on the sense of suffering of others, provides an opportunity to share our health with them, and acknowledges our deep interconnectedness.

Please join us for this monthly group meditation practice for those who are seriously ill on the FIRST SUNDAY of every month during the morning public sitting.

On the first Sunday of each month, we include this practice as part of our Sunday morning Open Public Meditation practice. You could include someone who is suffering for whom you feel a personal concern, such as a relative dying of cancer or suffering from a serious mental or physical illness. It would not be appropriate, for example, to include someone who has the flu or a sprained ankle.

To explicitly include a relative or friend who is seriously ill in this practice, please email the name of the person who is ill, the illness, and your name to:

[email protected]

The name will be included in that month’s practice at the Philadelphia Shambhala Meditation Center. You can submit the same name(s) each month if you like, but we do not carry over the names from month to month. Your attendance is encouraged, but not required. We are happy to add the name of your loved one to the monthly practice.