Session 1: Mettā, or Loving-Kindness
Saturday, September 12, 2026

The Brahma Vihāras—the Divine Abodes—are four qualities of the heart that dissolve the barriers separating us from others and inspire a boundless dedication to the welfare of all sentient beings. The four are loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity—in Pali, mettā, karunā, muditā, and upekkhā. The Brahma Vihāras beautify our character, awaken joy and hope, build harmonious communities, and promote human unity. The Buddha called them the path to a divine dwelling in this very life. Today, when we face so much social conflict, these qualities are the precise antidotes we need to overcome fear, distrust, and division.

On Saturday, September 12, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Eastern (9 to 11 a.m. Pacific), Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi will host the first session in BGR’s four-part online series on the Brahma Vihāras: Mettā, or Loving-kindness.

Please join us for a taste of the joy that comes from wishing others and ourselves to have happiness and its causes. Learn how metta, loving-kindness, loving-friendliness can open our hearts towards others, leaving behind anger and animosity and replacing it with wanting to be of benefit in both immediate short-term ways and working towards the long term goal of enlightenment. Led by the Buddhist monastics and BGR Sangha Council members Vens. Thubten Monlam and Thubten Lamsel, the session will include guided meditations and ample time for questions.

As with all of our events, this program is offered free of charge; all donations will support BGR’s work to relieve the suffering of chronic hunger and poverty worldwide. Please register using the button below. We look forward to practicing with you!

Our Teachers

Thubten Lamsel

Born in Australia, Venerable Thubten Lamsel moved to the U.S. to study and ordain with Venerable Thubten Chodron at Sravasti Abbey in 2017. She took novice ordination in 2018, and full ordination in Taiwan at Fo En Si Temple in 2024. Before ordination, Venerable Lamsel worked as a university-based public health researcher and as a health promoter at a small non-governmental organization. Serving as part of the BGR Sangha Council provides a practical outlet for her ongoing passion for health and wellbeing for all.

Thubten Monlam

Venerable Thubten Monlam began her Dharma journey in 2014 in Carbondale, Colorado, inspired by teachings on love and compassion. Her interest deepened after a retreat on Chenrezig, the Buddha of compassion, leading her to study Venerable Thubten Chodron’s book Cultivating A Kind Heart and to visit Sravasti Abbey. While working for youth-focused non-profits, she continued her Dharma studies and practice. She moved to the Abbey in 2021, took siksamana ordination in 2022, and received full bhikshuni ordination in Taiwan in 2024. At the Abbey, she serves on the community care team, the guest care team, helps manage the kitchen, and edits Dharma materials. She is committed to the bodhisattva path, aspiring to actualize her highest potentials so she can help others do the same.