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Ahh The Simple Name
10-26-13, 3:40pm
http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Day-of-Kindness-300x214.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Day-of-Kindness.jpg)Day of Kindness
From http://www.mindful.org/
Loving-Kindness... What do you think of when you hear that word? I think that it has to be one of the most beautiful words in the English language. It sounds beautiful; more importantly it carries some beautiful messages.
I've been trying to better understand these messages, and I'd like to share some of what I have learned.
DefinitionWikipedia (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-admin/%22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving-kindness) defines loving-kindness as follows: "Loving-kindness is a specific kind of love conceptualized in various religious traditions, both among theologians and religious practitioners, as a form of love characterized by acts of kindness."

Religious ContextI discovered that loving-kindness is a biblical word:

This [loving-kindness] is a biblical word, invented by Miles Coverdale (http://www.bible-researcher.com/coverdale.html), and carried over into the English versions generally. It is one of the words he used in the Psalms (23 times, plus Hosea 2:19) to translate the Hebrew chesed when it refers to God's love for his people Israel. ...The nearest New Testament equivalent to the Hebrew chesed is charis (http://www.bible-researcher.com/grace.html) (grace), as Luther realized when he used the German Gnade for both words.― Bible Research (http://www.bible-researcher.com/)
In fact, Wikipedia (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-admin/%22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving-kindness) notes four religious traditions that include the concept of loving-kindness: Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Bahá'í Faith.
USE IN JUDAISMAs noted in the quote above from Bible Research (http://www.bible-researcher.com/), loving-kindness is used as an English translation for the Hebrew word chesed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesed).

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. ― Isaiah 63:7 (http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Isaiah-63-7/)
USE IN CHRISTIANITYThe word "loving-kindness" does not occur in the New Testament, but as its equivalents we have such terms as "mercy" "goodness," "kindness," "brotherly love."

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; ― Colossians 3:12 (http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Colossians-3-12/)
USE IN BAHÁ'Í FAITHEnglish translations of the writings of the Bahá'í Faith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD_Faith) often use the term loving-kindness when referring to the original Persian mohabbat.

“All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth.” ― Bahá'u'lláh (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2926126.Bah_u_ll_h)
USE IN BUDDHISMLoving-kindness is an English equivalent for the Buddhist term "Mettā."

... I hope you might read the full post here: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/loving-kindness-just-everyone/

... Thanks, Carol at Ahh The Simple Life

razz
10-26-13, 4:35pm
I like the idea of loving kindness as an approach to govern thought. It sort of adds to the concept of 'don't sweat the small stuff" by adding loving kindness to the mix.

Ahh The Simple Name
11-3-13, 10:08am
Hello razz, I agree. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I just wrote another post about kindness. Excerpt below. To read the full post: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/celebrate-world-kindness-day/

World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on the thirteenth of November. The first World Kindness Day was November 13, 1998. This was the opening day of the first World Kindness Movement® conference held at Tokyo; it was also the 35th anniversary of the Small Kindness Movement of Japan, which was the forerunner of the WKM.
“The purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realize we are citizens of the world. As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realize that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavors, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common.” ― Australian (http://kindness.com.au/world-kindness-day.html)

razz
11-3-13, 3:16pm
Did not know about World Kindness Day. thanks

Tussiemussies
11-3-13, 9:11pm
Did not know about world kindness day either. Is there a website for it? Did enjoy reading your post and the excerpts...chris

ToomuchStuff
11-4-13, 1:56am
Generally, it causes the cynic in me to think that someone is acting/playing along, to want something.

It exists, but seems to be too rare.

Ahh The Simple Name
11-11-13, 9:26pm
Hello, There is this page on the Australian Kindness Movements's website: http://kindness.com.au/world-kindness-day.html
I also found this page for the World Kindness Movement: http://www.theworldkindnessmovement.org/
and this: http://www.cute-calendar.com/event/world-kindness-day/6319-world.html
I'm surprised that I can't seem to find anything specific to World Kindness Day in the US, because US is a participant in the World Kindness Movement.

Ahh The Simple Name
11-11-13, 9:30pm
Hello, Thought you might like a related post: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/came-first-grace-loving-kindness/ Which Came First: Loving-Kindness or Grace?http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Sandra-H-grace-quotes-300x225.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Sandra-H-grace-quotes.jpg)photo byKaren Swallow Pryor
courtesy of Sandra Heskaking
Which Came First: Loving-Kindness or Grace?I have been thinking a lot about these two words lately. I think that they are two of the most beautiful words in the English language. They sound beautiful; more importantly they carry beautiful meanings. I've been trying to better understand their meanings, and I've been wondering how they relate one to the other.
I discovered that both words have roots in the Bible:

This [loving-kindness] is a biblical word, invented by Miles Coverdale (http://www.bible-researcher.com/coverdale.html), and carried over into the English versions generally. It is one of the words he used in the Psalms (23 times, plus Hosea 2:19) to translate the Hebrew chesed when it refers to God's love for his people Israel. ...The nearest New Testament equivalent to the Hebrew chesed is charis (http://www.bible-researcher.com/grace.html) (grace), as Luther realized when he used the German Gnade for both words.
― Bible Research (http://www.bible-researcher.com/)
So, interpreting what I just read, chesed translates to loving-kindness, and chesed equals grace. Logically, two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. But, in this case, I'm not entirely sure!
In an effort to clarify my thoughts, I selected first some quotes about loving-kindness, and then some pertaining to grace. You can read these below.
http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/bookshop-224x300.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/bookshop.jpg)Sign at an Awesome Book Shop
Loving-Kindness“Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness.”
― Dalai Lama XIV (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/570218.Dalai_Lama_XIV)

Just as compassion is the wish that all sentient beings be free of suffering, loving-kindness is the wish that all may enjoy happiness. As with compassion, when cultivating loving-kindness it is important to start by taking a specific individual as a focus of our meditation, and we then extend the scope of our concern further and further, to eventually encompass and embrace all sentient beings. Again, we begin by taking a neutral person, a person who inspires no strong feelings in us, as our object of meditation. We then extend this meditation to individual friends and family members and, ultimately, our particular enemies.
We must use a real individual as the focus of our meditation, and then enhance our compassion and loving-kindness toward that person so that we can really experience compassion and loving-kindness toward others. We work on one person at a time.”
― Dalai Lama XIV (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/570218.Dalai_Lama_XIV)
“To reteach a thing its loveliness is the nature of metta. Through lovingkindness, everyone & everything can flower again from within.”
― Sharon Salzberg (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17208.Sharon_Salzberg), Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/38002)
“All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth.”
― Bahá'u'lláh (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2926126.Bah_u_ll_h)
http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/grace-sign-300x300.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/grace-sign.jpg)Grace
continue at: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/came-first-grace-loving-kindness/

Din
12-3-13, 11:29am
"love thy neighbour as thyself"

most people think this quote means that you should love your neighbour in the same way you love yourself

however

it may mean that your neighbour IS yourself!

how could that be possible?

Xmac
12-3-13, 8:01pm
"love thy neighbour as thyself"

most people think this quote means that you should love your neighbour in the same way you love yourself

however

it may mean that your neighbour IS yourself!

how could that be possible?

That's the way it looks to me.

In that way, one doesn't even need the directive, love thy neighbor. It's an effortless effort.

This is how it's possible:
"If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am I because you are you and you are you because I am I, then I am not I and you are not you!" -Menachem Mendel Morgensztern

....and this says it a little less precisely, but I can't resist including it:
I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together -John Lennon