The Four Sublime States of Mind

The Four Sublime States: Contemplations on, Love, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity

The practice of compassion is essential to Buddhism, and the practice of compassion begins with the cultivation of compassion within. The Buddha taught his monks to arouse four states of mind, called the "Brahma-vihara" or "four divine states of dwelling." These four states are sometimes called the "Four Immeasurables" or the "Four Perfect Virtues."