Tulku Thondup was born in East Tibet and moved to India in 1958. He came to the United States as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, engaging in translation, research, and writing under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation, and he teaches programs throughout the world.
There are, according to Thondup, three kinds of love: unhealthy love which is characterized by attachment and craving; healthy love which is animated by genuine caring and appreciation; and loving-kindness which is unconditional, pure, and unselfish. This last kind of love brings boundless joy, openness, and enlightenment. This book is accompanied by three CDs which offer 12 stages of guided meditations on loving-kindness, along with four meditation tools.
The regular practice of loving-kindness has beneficial results including:
"We will redirect the habits of our mind from a cycle of negative, reactive emotions toward emotions that are positive and loving. We will then spontaneously enjoy a revolutionary transformation in our life. We will gain mental strength and wisdom that bring everlasting freedom from dependence on external circumstances."
Loving-kindness is training the mind to focus on the benefits of others. It is a practice that opens the heart and activates peace and joy within us. Thondup hits high stride when he presents mediations on offering loving-kindness to a loved one, to a neutral person, to a suffering being, to a so-called foe, to a group of people, and to all beings and the whole universe. This is a very helpful and inspiring resource especially with the added value of the three CDs.
