To meditate on altruistic love, you should start by realizing that deep down you want to avoid suffering, and you wish for happiness. This step is especially important for those who have a negative image of themselves and have suffered a lot, and who think they are not meant to be happy. Give rise to a welcoming, tolerant, kind attitude toward yourself; decide that from now on you wish the best for yourself.
Once you have recognized this aspiration, you then have to realize that it is shared by all beings. Acknowledge our interdependence. The shirt you wear, the glass you drink from, the house you live in – all these are possible only thanks to the activity of countless others. The simplest object in your everyday life is filled with the presence of others. Reflect on the origin of the white sheet of paper on which you write. Imagine the lumberjack who cut down the tree, the paper factory worker, the truck driver, the shopkeeper; like any of us, they all have a life, with joys and sufferings, parents and friends. They all share our humanity; none of them wants to suffer. This awareness should make us feel closer to all these beings, to feel empathy for them, to be concerned about their fate to wish them well.
— Matthieu Ricard in Altruism