As a mother would risk her life
to protect her only child,
even so should one cultivate
a limitless heart
with regard to all beings.
With goodwill for the entire cosmos,
cultivate a limitless heart:
Above, below, and all around,
unobstructed, without hostility or hate.
Whether standing, walking,
sitting, or lying down,
as long as one is alert,
one should be resolved on this mindfulness.
This is called a sublime abiding
here and now.
—The Buddha,
from Sutta Nipata 1.8
One of the most challenging practices in Buddhism is that of loving the enemy. However counterintuitive and difficult the practice may seem, nothing is more fundamental to the teachings; it is precisely what Buddhism asks of us, again and again.
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