Measurement is how we get into control and lose our perception of love. Buddhism teaches us to stop measuring so we can love. Judging and measuring creates control and ill will, which keeps us from experiencing love. Don’t measure others; stop trying to control them. Learn how to be at peace with yourself and with life. The opposite of love is hatred and control. Lovingkindness transcends good and bad, right and wrong, to embrace and let go. When we’re at peace with life, we’re at peace with the world. Then we can forgive and accept things as they are. Buddhism teaches that there is no such thing as evil, only stupidity. This is a different way of looking at the world which requires a paradigm shift in our thinking. Lovingkindness is a difficult emotion to understand because it is different than the idea of justice, which is just right and wrong. It is more about forgiving and looking at things from a larger perspective. Lovingkindness is a shift in the way we look at life and it teaches us that all rights have to be wrongs, and all wrongs have to be rights, and that we can’t judge people or try to right wrongs.

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This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size (because internet connections were slow back then – remember dialup?) on 31st March 2003. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. If you like the Ajahn Brahm Podcast, you may also like the Treasure Mountain Podcast and / or the Forest Path Podcast which are also produced by the Everyday Dhamma Network.

These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.